Inhospitably hot regions on Earth occupy about 0.8% of the globe now. New research indicates that - if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated - these regions may expand to something more like 19% by 2070.
Infectious diseases that leap from animals to humans are called zoonotic diseases. Covid-19 is an example of a zoonotic disease caused by a coronavirus.
Deanna Erin Conners is a biologist and science communicator from Western New York who has been contributing to the conversations on EarthSky since 2011. Her overarching hypothesis is that we have vastly underestimated the intelligence of non-human species. She is endlessly fascinated by the interconnectedness in nature and occasionally chimes in with stories about birding, Earth science, and the Great Lakes. (Portrait taken at Buckhorn Island State Park, NY, appears courtesy of Karen Lee
Lewis.)