Complexity Explorer Santa Few Institute

[Bats] are natural reservoirs for numerous deadly viruses, including Ebola, Marburg, and rabies. They reside on 6 of the 7 continents, which leads to numerous human interactions. Even though some diseases can only be found in certain species of bats, there is room to cross over. Different species of bat regularly inhabit the same cave during seasonal migrations. Living in close quarters with the presence of fecal matter and consuming the same foods can lead to a virus jumping from one species to another, and thus increasing the possible range of people it can infect, depending on the migration habits of each species of bat. It happens in New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns, where up to 17 different bat species can live at the same time depending on the time of year. For a project, I would want to map the migration patterns of bats and where their paths may intersect. Places where multiple species roost together can create a moment of potential danger for a virus to jump between species. I would want to use data collected from the CDC and other national public health agencies to find the migration patterns of these bats, beginning with a focus in west African caves, where many dangerous viruses originate, then move out to work on modeling the whole world. By using the location of likely roosting areas, I would be able to see where these species of bats interact and where they go afterward, to see areas that may be at a risk for other viruses in the future.