Hotspots Where Diseases Might Jump From Bats To Humans Mapped

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Bats provide a lot of ecosystem services, from eating insects to pollinating plants. sunipix55/Shutterstock

While they provide a vital service in pollinating flowers, keeping insect numbers in check, and spreading seeds around the forests in which they live, bats are also known to harbor some of the most deadly diseases we know about. A new study has managed to map which regions are most at risk from viruses jumping between the flying mammals and humans, with sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia topping the list.