Black swan DNA could offer insight into how humans respond to bird flu
May 6 2021
In a world-first, scientists from The University of Western Australia have assembled the entire DNA of the black swan, which could offer insight into how the bird, and even humans, respond to bird flu and other pandemics in the same family of viruses.
Image Credit: The University of Western Australia
The black swan, a species native to Western Australia and the State’s official bird emblem, is particularly vulnerable to bird flu compared to other birds. Similarly, humans who contract the virus are also very vulnerable, with high fatality rates.
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Black swan DNA could help us understand human response to bird flu
In a world-first, scientists from The University of Western Australia have assembled the entire DNA of the black swan, which could offer insight into how the bird, and even humans, respond to bird flu and other pandemics in the same family of viruses.
The black swan, a species native to Western Australia and the State’s official bird emblem, is particularly vulnerable to bird flu compared to other birds. Similarly, humans who contract the virus are also very vulnerable, with high fatality rates.
“Because viruses such as bird flu can spill over into humans, and pandemics are only predicted to increase in the future, research into animal and human responses to them has never been more important.”