this post was submitted on 20 Feb 2024
35 points (97.3% liked)

Bats

1343 readers
314 users here now

Bats are cool

Bats are the only true flying mammals. There are over 1,400 species of bats, and they can be found on nearly every part of the planet. Not only are they cute, they are also important...

Studying how bats use echolocation has helped scientists develop navigational aids for the blind. Without bats’ pollination, seed dispersal, and pest control we wouldn’t have bananas, avocados, mangoes, agave, or cacao… that’s right, bats bring us tequila and chocolate!

Found a bat in need of help?

Celebrate bats with us!

Our community's mascot is Baxter. Baxter is an Egyptian fruit bat that was cruelly kept alone and confined to a small cage for 12 years before being rescued by a bat sanctuary. You can read the full story by clicking on his name.

Our rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Everyone should feel welcome here. Hateful or bigoted language will not be tolerated.

Don’t post anything a fruit bat would not approve of.

Please don't hate on bats in this community (this includes all of your edgy covid humor).

Bats don’t like spam.

Related Communities

Community Feedback and Moderation

For inquiry on becoming a moderator of this community, please send a message to the current moderators. Any feedback on the community should also be sent to the moderators.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Bats carry some of the deadliest zoonotic diseases that can infect both humans and animals, such as Ebola and COVID-19. In a recently-published article in the journal Cell Genomics, a Texas A&M research team has revealed that some species of bats are protected against the viruses they carry because they commonly exchange immune genes during seasonal mating swarms.

"Understanding how bats have evolved viral tolerance may help us learn how humans can better fight emerging diseases," said Dr. Nicole Foley, from the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS). "As genomicists, our work often lays the groundwork for research by scientists who study virus transmission directly. They may be developing vaccines for diseases or monitoring vulnerable animal populations. We all depend on each other to stay ahead of the next pandemic."

all 5 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Iamsqueegee@sh.itjust.works 7 points 9 months ago
[–] chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 9 months ago

Vaccination orgies sounds like a promising avenue for medical science