Human Choices Reshape Ecosystems And Push Viruses Closer To Us

Human Choices Reshape Ecosystems And Push Viruses Closer To Us

From The Infectious Science Podcast by Galveston National Laboratory

June 5, 2026 · 50 min · Season 5 · Episode 1

About this episode

The episode discusses how human choices in land use are reshaping ecosystems and increasing the risk of viral spillover, focusing on Machupo and Zika viruses.

Send us Fan Mail A virus rarely “comes out of nowhere.” More often, we build the bridge it crosses. We’re talking One Health through two vivid case studies, Machupo virus and Zika virus, and the shared thread connecting them: land use change and the human decisions that reshape ecosystems faster than they can adapt. First, we break down Machupo, a New World arenavirus that causes Bolivian hemorrhagic fever. We walk through how spillover happens from a rodent reservoir, why the early symptoms...

People in this episode

Host: Galveston National Laboratory

Topics covered

  • One Health
  • land use change
  • ecosystem adaptation
  • viral spillover
  • human impact on nature

Keywords

  • Machupo virus
  • Zika virus
  • spillover
  • ecosystems
  • land use change
  • Bolivian hemorrhagic fever
  • One Health

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Bolivia

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