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Three flying foxes (a type of bat) hanging upside down on a bare branch
Climate Change, Deforestation Drive Bat Virus Spillover Into Humans
Bats that experience food shortages due to climate change and habitat loss end up roosting in urban settings, where they shed more of the deadly Hendra virus. 
Climate Change, Deforestation Drive Bat Virus Spillover Into Humans
Climate Change, Deforestation Drive Bat Virus Spillover Into Humans

Bats that experience food shortages due to climate change and habitat loss end up roosting in urban settings, where they shed more of the deadly Hendra virus. 

Bats that experience food shortages due to climate change and habitat loss end up roosting in urban settings, where they shed more of the deadly Hendra virus. 

urbanization

bird perched next to brick atop trash can
Science Snapshot: Fine Feathered Foes
Lisa Winter | Sep 14, 2022 | 1 min read
Australians are resorting to increasingly drastic measures to keep cockatoos out of their garbage bins.
A California coyote above Santa Monica beach
Human Gut Bacteria Show Up in Urban Wildlife
Bianca Nogrady | Sep 12, 2022 | 2 min read
The gut microbiomes of city-dwelling animals, including coyotes, lizards, and birds, show similarities to those found in humans who also live in urban environments.
Gene Exchange Among Gut Bacteria Is Linked to Industrialization
Catherine Offord | Mar 31, 2021 | 5 min read
A study of human populations around the world detects differing rates of horizontal gene transfer in the microbiome depending on what kind of society those people live in.
Celine Frere Chases Dragons and Koalas to Learn How They Adapt
Max Kozlov | Jan 1, 2021 | 4 min read
The biologist at the University of Sunshine Coast in Australia wants to understand why some animal species adapt well to urbanization, while others fall flat.
Pandemic Shutdown Altered Bay Area Birdsongs
Ruth Williams | Sep 24, 2020 | 4 min read
As shelter-in-place orders quieted the city of San Francisco, its sparrow population developed softer, sexier songs.
Children of Extramarital Affairs Were and Are Rare: Study
Ashley Yeager | Nov 14, 2019 | 2 min read
Using DNA data, researchers track family dynamics in Europe over the last 500 years and find socioeconomic status is related to married women having a child with a man other than their husband.
Infographic: How Cities Influence Evolution
Catherine Offord | Jan 1, 2019 | 2 min read
Urban environments are driving genetic changes in resident species through multiple mechanisms, from establishing gene flow barriers to exerting novel selection pressures.
Cities Can Serve as Cauldrons of Evolution
Catherine Offord | Jan 1, 2019 | 10+ min read
From changes in gene flow to adaptation, the effects of urbanization are shaping the evolutionary trajectories of plants and animals.
Bumblebees Fare Better in the City Than in the Countryside
Catherine Offord | Jun 27, 2018 | 2 min read
Urban colonies had more offspring, survived longer, and hosted fewer parasites.
Image of the Day: Water Flea
Sukanya Charuchandra | May 29, 2018 | 1 min read
A species of water flea in northern Belgium that helps keep algae in check is growing smaller and less abundant in urbanized areas. 
Bees Live the City Life in Detroit
Catherine Offord | Sep 1, 2017 | 4 min read
Important pollinators under threat from habitat destruction, bumblebees may find refuge on vacant land throughout Michigan’s largest metropolis.
City Bees
The Scientist | Aug 31, 2017 | 1 min read
See the urban landscapes in Detroit where researchers are studying the fates of pollinators that adopt a metropolitan lifestyle.
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