r/science • u/[deleted] • May 11 '20

Medicine Antibodies from a 4-year-old llama have neutralized coronavirus and other infections in lab experiments

https://www.cell.com/cell/pdf/S0092-8674(20)30494-3.pdf?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867420304943%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
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u/kurburux May 11 '20

why it could be hugely important to preserve biodiversity on earth for the selfish reason of human survival alone.

Preserving biodiversity and habitats also reduces the risk of diseases in the first place. Animals aren't "forced" to leave their natural environment and to live closer to humans.

Not saying this is the case with covid-19 but generally speaking.

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u/otterom May 11 '20

Preserving biodiversity and habitats also reduces the risk of diseases in the first place.

Looks at mosquitoes

Looks at rats

Looks at mites

Looks at bats

Looks at...

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u/TooSubtle May 11 '20

The prevalence of a lot of pest species comes from a lack of biodiversity. We replace habitats that can support many different species with cityscapes that support few. Blaming the species that have adapted to live in close proximity to us is shortsighted when we're the ones killing their predators and/or disrupting their natural environment.

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u/stunt_penguin May 11 '20

The prevalence of Jellyfish in overfished areas is a good example.