logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2024
22m 57s

The Evolving Danger of the New Bird Flu

The New York Times
About this episode

The outbreak of bird flu currently tearing through the nation’s poultry is the worst in U.S. history. Scientists say it is now spreading beyond farms into places and species it has never been before.

Emily Anthes, a science reporter for The Times, explains.

Guest: Emily Anthes, a science reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Up next
Yesterday
Trump’s Top Aides Spread the Epstein Conspiracy. Now They Are Trying to Kill It.
For months, President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested that they would expose the hidden, potentially sinister truth about Jeffrey Epstein’s death in 2019.But over the past few days, the Trump administrationWhite House decided to shut down has poured cold water on t ... Show More
21m 47s
Jul 8
A Love Letter to Camp Mystic
On Monday evening, the death toll from the flooding in Central Texas rose past 100. A single place accounted for 27 of those deaths: Camp Mystic, a century-old Christian summer camp for girls.Erin Paisan, who attended Camp Mystic, explains what the place meant to generations of g ... Show More
25m 9s
Jul 7
A Dark Moment for Journalism — and Devastation in Texas
Last week, when Paramount, the parent company of CBS News, announced a $16 million settlement with President Trump over editing of a segment of “60 Minutes,” many of the network’s journalists were furious.The deal also raised questions about the independence of CBS’s journalism, ... Show More
34m 15s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2024
What to know about the new bird flu outbreak
For the first time, a virulent strain of bird flu has been detected in U.S. dairy cows. Fragments of the virus have also been found in commercial milk. Today, health reporter Lena Sun shares the latest on the outbreak and why the risk to humans remains low.  In recent years, H5N1 ... Show More
27m 31s
May 2023
How Concerned Should We Be About Bird Flu?
Cases of avian flu in birds have hit record levels globally—but so far, there’s no evidence of human-to-human transmission. Bloomberg reporters Suzi Ring and Michelle Fay Cortez discuss how scientists are tracking the virus after lessons learned from Covid-19. Then, Dr. Richard W ... Show More
28m 3s
Feb 2023
Babbage: Will bird flu cause the next human pandemic?
Over the past 18 months, the largest-ever recorded avian influenza outbreak has decimated bird populations around the world. But recently bird flu has spread to mammals. Last week, Peru reported the deaths of 585 sea lions. If the virus has mutated to enable mammal-to-mammal tran ... Show More
41m 1s
Feb 2023
Babbage: Will bird flu cause the next human pandemic?
Over the past 18 months, the largest-ever recorded avian influenza outbreak has decimated bird populations around the world. But recently bird flu has spread to mammals. Last week, Peru reported the deaths of 585 sea lions. If the virus has mutated to enable mammal-to-mammal tran ... Show More
41m 1s
Feb 2023
Sickened chickens
Poultry farmers are in flock-down. The bird flu known as H5N1 is being called “the largest foreign animal disease outbreak in US history.” Vox’s Benji Jones and Johns Hopkins University researcher Tom Philpott say the virus underscores the poultry industry’s shortcomings.This epi ... Show More
27m 6s
Aug 2023
Bird Flu is back
Science in Action returns to H5N1, the fast spreading strain of bird flu which has caused devastation in the sky, sea, and land over the last few months, with no end in sight. Roland visits Skomer Island and the coast of Wales where sea bird colonies are threatened and hundreds o ... Show More
29m 46s
Mar 2023
Avian flu is decimating wild birds, but could it become a global pandemic?
It is threatening rare species, and causing havoc for chicken farmers. Now a strain of bird flu has spread to mammals. Could it be a danger to humans?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus 
23m 36s
Apr 2024
What You Need to Know About Bird Flu
The U.S. is grappling with a recently discovered outbreak of avian influenza in dairy cows, driven by the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus. It's the first instance that the bird flu virus has been detected in US cattle. How concerned should we be about drinking milk or even eating ch ... Show More
30m 39s
Apr 2023
Why We Should Care About Viruses Jumping From Animals To People
The phenomenon of zoonotic spillover — of viruses jumping from animals to people — is incredibly common. The question is: which one will start the next pandemic? NPR science desk correspondent Michaeleen Doucleff brings us her reporting on Influenza D, an emerging virus spreading ... Show More
14m 24s