01.06.2013 Views

Image of the Day

Image of the Day

Image of the Day

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

easy, but <strong>the</strong> only chance to move <strong>the</strong> people had already been lost during<br />

<strong>the</strong> March 8 incident. Read More<br />

Health, Education, Science and Welfare:<br />

Bats May Hold Clues to Long Life and Disease Resistance<br />

Black flying-fox, Australia. (Credit: © EcoView / Fotolia)<br />

Bats are amazing creatures. They've been around for at least 65<br />

million years, and in that time have become one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> most abundant and<br />

widespread mammals on Earth.<br />

The Bat Pack, a team <strong>of</strong> researchers at <strong>the</strong> Australian Animal Health<br />

Laboratory (AAHL) in Geelong, conduct a wide range <strong>of</strong> research into<br />

bats and bat borne viruses, and <strong>the</strong>ir potential effects on <strong>the</strong> human<br />

population, as part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> effort to safeguard Australia from exotic and<br />

emerging pests and diseases.<br />

Their paper, published today in <strong>the</strong> journal Science, provides an<br />

insight into <strong>the</strong> evolution <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> bat's flight, resistance to viruses, and<br />

relatively long life.<br />

The Bat Pack, in collaboration with <strong>the</strong> Beijing Genome Institute, led<br />

a team that sequenced <strong>the</strong> genomes <strong>of</strong> two bat species -- <strong>the</strong> Black Flying<br />

Fox, an Australian mega bat, and <strong>the</strong> David's Myotis, a Chinese micro bat.<br />

Once <strong>the</strong> genomes were sequenced, <strong>the</strong>y compared <strong>the</strong>m to <strong>the</strong><br />

genomes <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r mammals, including humans, to find where <strong>the</strong><br />

similarities and differences lay.

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!