Disease X: How can we stop the next pandemic?
Plus ants that make their own Antibiotics. Your brain changes shape based on what you do.
It’s been a while. It’s true: life comes at you fast. Mainly because of an unexpected personal loss and unplanned travel to India, life had been thrown into disarray for a while. Things now have a semblance of normalcy - if “normal” is even the right word.
Moments of adversity bring us perfect clarity, we recognize the things and people in life that matter. I use this newsletter to share what excites me, what I think about, but also to try to establish a connection. The internet is a deeply impersonal place. Social media is personal, but usually not in a good way. Striking a balance is hard.
I hope you have all been well these past few months.
Shortly after I returned from India in January, I was asked to speak about the current COVID-19 wave and future pandemics for the TV show Connected. It was a long interview (and I got to learn a lot from the other interviewee). But I also got to talk about my next book. If you’re interested, you can watch the full video here.
Disease X
I wrote up some of the thoughts on the next outbreak that I shared in the interview in a science column for Hindustan Times.
In September 2023, India had a serious outbreak of the Nipah virus in Kerala. This was the sixth time since 2001. The health ministry reported six cases and two deaths. The source of the first case is unknown. The others got sick from family or hospital contact. By September 27, over 1,200 people were quarantined, including health workers.
Nipah virus spreads from animals like bats and pigs to humans. It can also spread between people, but this is rare. Symptoms include breathing problems and brain issues, which can lead to death. The death rate is very high, between 40% to 100%. There's no cure or vaccine, which is why the World Health Organization (WHO) is very concerned about it.
The Kerala outbreak reminds us that new diseases are a constant threat. We need to stay alert and prepared. Nipah spreads mostly from animals to humans, and sometimes between people, especially in hospitals.
Two months later, Cambodia had an outbreak of bird flu (H5N1). The first patient died, and the second was found during a check. Both had been near sick birds.
H5N1 spreads from animals to humans. Since 2003, Cambodia has had over 60 cases and 41 deaths. It's very deadly but doesn't spread easily among people.
Dangerous viruses like Nipah and H5N1 could mutate and become more contagious. As humans move into animal areas and climate changes, more outbreaks are likely.
We don't know where the next pandemic will come from, but we can prepare. Humans can catch diseases from about 150 different viruses. Since 1900, there have been five major pandemics, all from flu or coronaviruses.
Recently, world leaders met to discuss "Disease X," a potential future pandemic threat. "Disease X" was added to the WHO's watch list in 2018. This list helps focus on diseases that could cause epidemics but lack treatments. The WHO, with many scientists, is updating this list in 2024, learning from COVID-19.
"Disease X" could come from a new virus. It might spread easily between humans. RNA viruses, like flu and coronaviruses, change often, which makes them a big risk. Respiratory viruses are especially hard to control.
The WHO says there are many possible threats and limited research resources. Focusing on known risky viruses helps prepare for future outbreaks.
But how do we prepare for "Disease X," an unknown threat? Scientists are studying known virus families and their typical viruses. They're creating treatments and vaccines for these. This way, we'll be more ready when a new virus appears.
We must not let our guard down. A new pandemic will happen. We need to be prepared.
Ok that was important, but a bit disturbing… the next two things I share will be more upbeat. I promise.
Did you know ants make their own antibiotics?
No? I didn’t either. Actually, no one did. This is brand new research which I wrote about recently.
No ant left behind. A Matabele ant carrying an injured coworker.
Humans have always cared for their sick, using antibiotics for bacterial infections since penicillin was discovered almost 100 years ago.
A new study from Erik Frank's team at the University of Würzburg in Germany has found something amazing. African ants, called Matabele ants, treat their injured with natural antibacterials.
Matabele ants live in Africa's savannas. They eat termites and often get hurt fighting them. Injured ants can die, especially if infections spread in their tight-knit groups. Usually, sick insects leave their group to avoid spreading disease.
But Matabele ants are different. Previous research in 2017 showed many of these ants come back from hunts injured. Frank's team wondered how they survived these injuries.
Their study showed these ants could tell which wounds were infected. They treat these wounds with their own antibacterials. They use secretions from a gland to heal the wounds. These secretions have chemicals that fight infection and help healing. Ants apply this treatment with their legs. This method has a 90% success rate in reducing death from infected wounds!
This finding is special because the ants fight a bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, that also affects humans. This bacterium is often found in hospitals and is hard to treat. The ant's natural defense might inspire new treatments for humans.
How cool is that?
Your brain changes shape based on your interests and what you do.
Yes, it’s true. Your brain is not set in stone. You can read more about it here, but here’s the gist.
Your brain grows and adapts throughout your life, a process called neuroplasticity. This is key to our lifelong learning ability. The brain changes by making new neurons and connections, and getting rid of weaker ones.
Our brains shape themselves with new knowledge or skills. Playing music can grow your auditory cortex, involved in sound processing. Learning languages can increase brain areas for language. Meditation can boost areas for attention and emotion control. Scientists use blood flow changes to see active brain parts during tasks.
We often wonder how experts get their skills. Is it natural talent or training? It's a mix. Our genes and early life set our potential range, and training maximizes it. Some genes might make people excel in certain areas, leading them to related careers. Intense training and mental work develop the brain and refine skills for these jobs.
It's hard to settle this debate. Experts vary, and it's tough to study enough people from before and after their training. However, we know people in different professions think differently. Mathematicians have more grey matter in areas for math and problem-solving. Chess players have stronger connections for learning, memory, and visual-spatial information.
Athletes also show brain changes for better movement and balance. Experienced badminton players have more brain cells for motor control and spatial perception, crucial for high-level sport.
Goalkeepers in soccer are unique, even among soccer players. A study by David McGovern found goalkeepers excel at processing different sensory information fast, essential for in-game decisions. They are great at using sight and sound for quick judgments. Goalkeepers have a narrower "temporal binding window," meaning they judge audiovisual timing better. This skill helps them react quickly to the sound and sight of a ball being kicked.
Goalkeepers also separate sensory signals, focusing on the most reliable input, like the sound of a kicked ball. This is vital when sight is less reliable. Their specialized skill is crucial for quick responses in games.
London taxi drivers' brains change due to their intensive training. Unlike drivers in other cities, they memorize over 26,000 streets and landmarks. This training enlarges their posterior hippocampus, key for spatial memory and navigation. The change correlates with their driving experience. London bus drivers, who follow fixed routes, don't show this change, highlighting how specific tasks shape the brain.
These studies show how our brains physically adapt to our demands. Understanding how genes, training, and experiences affect brain development will improve educational and professional training methods.
It's an exciting time for brain research!
That’s it for now. I have some more news to share.
I finished writing my second book. My first book, COVID-19: Separating Fact from Fiction took me about six months to write because were were living through it. My second book took me close to two years from when I committed to writing it. I think it’s a bigger issue than COVID-19, but one we ignore at our own peril. More about it soon. Very soon!
Take care,
Anirban
Great read. Thanks for sharing. All the best for your new book.