If the previous few years have taught us something, it’s that vigilance is essential. We do have to intently observe how viruses in animals are growing, and be ready to sort out a leap to people. We don’t have to panic, although. Not but, anyway.

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We’ve been right here earlier than. Scientists had been making an attempt to work out how fowl flu would possibly make the leap to people again within the 2000s, as Emily Singer wrote. 

Shut monitoring of viruses’ ever-changing genomes has helped us navigate the covid-19 pandemic. It is going to be important for future public well being threats too, as Linda Nordling wrote final 12 months.

It takes a very long time to make a flu vaccine. However the subsequent era of mRNA vaccines might shield in opposition to flu—together with a bunch of different viruses—and might be whipped up in a fraction of the time it takes to make present vaccines, as I wrote final month.

New mutations that permit viruses to leap from animals to people can occur anyplace, at any time. However that gained’t cease some individuals from insisting they’ve been concocted by scientists in a lab. Shi Zhengli, who has lengthy studied coronaviruses in bats on the Wuhan Institute of Virology, needed to cope with these accusations in the course of the covid-19 pandemic. Jane Qiu coated her story final 12 months.

Tech Evaluate has been overlaying pandemics since 1956. Apparently again then it was completely effective to write that “the individuals of this world have been molested by an extended collection of superior epidemics.”

From across the net

Emergency providers are getting false misery calls from the iPhones and Apple Watches of skiers and health lovers who’re very a lot alive and properly. (The New York Occasions)

Right here’s what US states are doing to abortion rights in 2023. Some try to guard these rights, whereas others are trying to strip them additional away. (ProPublica)