"The climate apocalypse is coming ... "

[middo]

I can't be the only person concerned about pandemics, can I?

Maybe it's having a DH who used to specifically work on pandemics that biases my thinking, but every time I read about dormant viruses coming from the melting ice caps...well...it's not comforting.

Even if these viruses only affect other mammals, it's not a minor deal waking up dormant pathologies. The impacts to the entire global ecosystem can be profound.

Pandemics, even just among animals, have a lot of sweeping impact.

Let's see what oozes out of the ice.
Don't trust the husky, lol

My daughter has a long standing interest in diseases in Australia, which only recently became an academic research project for her.  Those "tropical" diseases such as dengue that were not in Australia are now present and will spread.  The vectors that spread these diseases are also changing their ranges.  New viruses are being discovered every year, some of which will become more dangerous as the climate changes quickly.  Global warming is a lot more than just a few hotter days.

[Malkynn]

Not quite the same thing as viruses coming out of the melting ice, but African Swine Flu is now projected to be responsible for the deaths of more than 1/4th of all the pigs on earth.

Fuckin' pandemics.

[Malkynn]

I can't be the only person concerned about pandemics, can I?

Maybe it's having a DH who used to specifically work on pandemics that biases my thinking, but every time I read about dormant viruses coming from the melting ice caps...well...it's not comforting.

Even if these viruses only affect other mammals, it's not a minor deal waking up dormant pathologies. The impacts to the entire global ecosystem can be profound.

Pandemics, even just among animals, have a lot of sweeping impact.

Let's see what oozes out of the ice.
Don't trust the husky, lol

My daughter has a long standing interest in diseases in Australia, which only recently became an academic research project for her.  Those "tropical" diseases such as dengue that were not in Australia are now present and will spread.  The vectors that spread these diseases are also changing their ranges.  New viruses are being discovered every year, some of which will become more dangerous as the climate changes quickly.  Global warming is a lot more than just a few hotter days.

It's also a lot more than disruption of food and water supply.

I'm always amused by the notion that we can predict how it will affect us. There are a few predictable outcomes, but the unpredictable ones are far more interesting.

[OzzieandHarriet]

I can't be the only person concerned about pandemics, can I?

Maybe it's having a DH who used to specifically work on pandemics that biases my thinking, but every time I read about dormant viruses coming from the melting ice caps...well...it's not comforting.

Even if these viruses only affect other mammals, it's not a minor deal waking up dormant pathologies. The impacts to the entire global ecosystem can be profound.

Pandemics, even just among animals, have a lot of sweeping impact.

Let's see what oozes out of the ice.
Don't trust the husky, lol

The Joyce Carol Oates short story I linked to up thread speculated about this sort of thing.

[Malkynn]

I can't be the only person concerned about pandemics, can I?

Maybe it's having a DH who used to specifically work on pandemics that biases my thinking, but every time I read about dormant viruses coming from the melting ice caps...well...it's not comforting.

Even if these viruses only affect other mammals, it's not a minor deal waking up dormant pathologies. The impacts to the entire global ecosystem can be profound.

Pandemics, even just among animals, have a lot of sweeping impact.

Let's see what oozes out of the ice.
Don't trust the husky, lol

The Joyce Carol Oates short story I linked to up thread speculated about this sort of thing.

Sorry, didn't read it. Not a fan of fiction.

[RetiredAt63]

What struck me years ago is how easily the wind can spread things.  Dust storms in the Sahara can end up dropping dust on Florida south to Central America.  And whatever is in that dust gets transported too.

[RetiredAt63]

While we are contemplating the spread of diseases . . .

You know how water vapour wants something to condense out on to, to create raindrops or snowflakes?  A lot of those condensation nuclei are bacteria.  A lot of those bacteria are plant pathogens.  How handy, it rains, the raindrop lands on a leaf, if the bacterium is lucky it is the right kind of lea and it is home.  I haven't seen anything about this and fungi but don't see why a fungal spore can't also be a condensation nucleus.

[maizeman]

Yes if you broaden the definition to include plant pathogens, lots more diseases to worry about. Ug99 (a kind of stem rust) in wheat is a big one. Near 100% yield losses, almost no currently grown cultivars have resistance. Slowly spreading across Africa, but if it ever gets into the big wheat producing regions of the US, Australia, or eastern Europe....

[scottish]

Maizeman are you a wheat scientist?    My FIL was a wheat scientist!

[maizeman]

Maizeman are you a wheat scientist?    My FIL was a wheat scientist!

I'm not one myself, but I do work with some people who are. Wheat seems to be a pretty small world.

[Gremlin]

Maizeman are you a wheat scientist?    My FIL was a wheat scientist!

I'm not one myself, but I do work with some people who are. Wheat seems to be a pretty small world.

Are you a maize man?  Sorry, I'll show myself out...

[nereo]

Maizeman are you a wheat scientist?    My FIL was a wheat scientist!

I'm not one myself, but I do work with some people who are. Wheat seems to be a pretty small world.

Are you a maize man?  Sorry, I'll show myself out...

::snort::

[scottish]

Maizeman are you a wheat scientist?    My FIL was a wheat scientist!

I'm not one myself, but I do work with some people who are. Wheat seems to be a pretty small world.

Are you a maize man?  Sorry, I'll show myself out...

::snort::

Yeah, yeah, I know maize == corn not wheat

[maizeman]

maize/corn is one of those frustrating cases where english != english depending on where in the world you live.

Still better than "millet", I swear millet is just english for "any grain for which we do not have a name in english"

[nereo]

maize/corn is one of those frustrating cases where english != english depending on where in the world you live.

Still better than "millet", I swear millet is just english for "any grain for which we do not have a name in english"

You just confirmed what I suspected was on my dinner plate. 

[Malkynn]

Still better than "millet", I swear millet is just english for "any grain for which we do not have a name in english"

Absolutely, millet is more of a descriptor than any actual plant family, kind of like "vegetable".