Could the Plague Happen Again? - The Next Pandemic: Plague?

Bubonic plague and climate change are linked - explore the details in this month’s Geotimes feature “The Plague: Could It Happen Again?” available at http://www.geotimes.org. Plague ravaged Europe for nearly 500 years, brought on by climate change and the expansion of global trade. Given the extent of globalization coupled with changing climate, health officials and the public are beginning to wonder if history may repeat itself. Read the full story in the May Geotimes, available at newsstands and online this month.

You can also read about how geoscientists are tracking the global migration of birds as they monitor the possible spread of the deadly bird flu. Read more about how they hope to prevent a pandemic in the United States, in “On the Path of Bird Flu,” available in print and online at http://www.geotimes.org. And be sure to read “Geoscientists Weigh in on Diet and Disease,” available online and in print, to learn how researchers are using stable isotope geochemistry to contribute to medical research on diseases such as diabetes.

Don’t miss our News Notes and other sections, including stories about how Mount Etna may be cooking up carbon nanotubes, how fires in Yellowstone leave the landscape hungry for nitrogen, and how a psychedelic geologist at the center of the Earth is faring with the “mole men,” at least according to Cartoon Network. Also be sure to check out the column about whether the new climate change legislation in Congress will ever come to fruition, at http://www.geotimes.org.

Check out the latest Travels in Geology, “Exploring Karst in Guilin, China,” available on Geotimes online http://www.getimes.org. And stay tuned, as a new Travels article will go live on the Geotimes Web site later this week. Travels in Geology is your online geoscience travel guide. Each month, we review geologically significant places to visit — museums, caves, mountain ranges and more. Please send your travel ideas to geotimes@agiweb.org.