National Lyme Report - Scientists: This is starting to look like hell in a handbasket

Scientists: This is starting to look like hell in a handbasket

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Opinion/Editorial: Scientists: This is starting to look like hell in a handbasket

Scientists: This is starting to look like hell in a handbasket
Seattle Post Intelligencer
by Robert McClure

The nation's leading ecological scientists have a message for the rest of us:

This ain't about saving the whales, baby. It's about saving our own backsides.

OK, they probably didn't say it that way at their news conference in Memphis that just concluded, but that's the bottom line of their presentation, according to a news release from the Ecological Society of America. Here's a sample:

Many infectious diseases emerge as the result of complex interactions of pathogens, parasites, and hosts. Human activities often diminish biological diversity, and may cause an increased risk in diseases affecting people. Lyme disease is a prime example, where forest loss and fragmentation correlates with higher levels of the host species (mice) and a higher pathogen prevalence.

Another frinstance that is perhaps less tragic but still concerning is research showing that when Amazon rainforests are cut down, mosquitoes bit at 200 times the rate they do in intact rainforest. Youch!

Here's a sampling of some of the talks to be offered:

Brown clouds, green water and ... red herrings: Human health effects of an altered nitrogen cycle; by Alan Townsend.

Sacred cows and sympathetic squirrels: invasive species and human welfare; by Andy Dobson.

Biodiversity as a public health service: examples from disease ecology; by Sharon Collinge and Chris Ray.

Some 3,000 scientists are expected to attend the conference this week. More on the agenda here and here. Abstracts are here.

Warning: These folks are heavy-duty scientists, examining the fine points of subjects such as mycorrhizal fungi, carbon and nutrient cycling, and so forth. You may want to keep dictionary.com up on an alternate screen. Or even Google.

The keynoter, btw, is none other than our own King County Executive Ron Sims. When we get a hold of them, we'll post his remarks here.

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Scientists: This is starting to look like hell in a handbasket