Menu Close

Articles on Pangolin

Displaying all articles

Transmission electron micrograph of particles of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

An exclusive (and imaginary) interview with the coronavirus

The SARS-CoV-2 virus at the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic is one ten-thousandth of a millimeter in diameter. How can such a microscopic organism have such an immense impact on global health?
Mink can be readily infected with SARS-CoV-2 and then pass the virus to humans. (Shutterstock)

The mink link: How COVID-19 mutations in animals affect human health and vaccine effectiveness

In the disturbing scenario of human-to-mink-to-human COVID-19 transmission, the virus may mutate in mink prior to re-infecting people. That possibility makes vaccine design even more crucial.
Alex Braczkowski

Back from extinction: a world first effort to return threatened pangolins to the wild

Pangolins are illegally traded, linked to the coronavirus pandemic and driven to extinction in some areas. That’s why it’s vital to reintroduce this threatened species back into the wild.
The pangolin, one of the most poached animals in the world, could have served as an intermediate host in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to humans. Wahyudi/AFP

Covid-19 or the pandemic of mistreated biodiversity

Covid-19, like other major epidemics, is not unrelated to the biodiversity and climate crisis we are experiencing.
This Sunda pangolin found throughout Southeast Asia is currently considered to be critically endangered. Piekfrosch / German Wikipedia

Study shows pangolins may have passed new coronavirus from bats to humans

When a new virus emerges and triggers a pandemic, it is important to trace its origins. Knowing more about how the virus jumped species in the first place can help curb future zoonotic diseases.
This pangolin was rescued in Thailand but most captive creatures aren’t so lucky. EPA

Pangolin: illegal medicine trade threatens these scaly mammals with extinction

Few people are familiar with the pangolin. It is a shy creature, about as big as a medium-sized dog, and its diet consists of ants and termites. Most distinctively, it has armoured plates and will curl…

Top contributors

More