Scientific issues and innovations seem to creep into everyday conversation more than ever before. Recognizing that we could all use some expertise in hot science topics, Seed offers its Cribsheet.
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Avian Flu
In the past year, bird flu has migrated from Southeast Asia into Western Europe and Nothern Africa. Thus far, casualties have been minimal since the illness does not readily jump from one person to another. However, experts worry that the virus could go pandemic if it becomes communicable between humans. Before you panic, you should know what we're up against. This Cribsheet describes the process by which the H5N1 virus infects a host cell and answers the question: How is the world preparing for avian flu?
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Information design by Cybu Richli, Switzerland, www.cybu.ch; Consultants: Walter Boyce and T. Warner Hudson at UC Davis; Map data: BBC/Council on Foreign Relations; Graph data: API Institute of Medicine of the National Academies