How viruses rule the planet: spread of bird flu in seabirds, seals, & humans - Dr. Nichola J. Hill

The spread of viruses originating in wildlife has become a hallmark of the current human-dominated era or Anthropocene, with catastrophic impacts for public health and biodiversity. We face challenges with predicting how viruses jump or ‘spillover’ because the contribution of wild species and their ecological complexity cannot be measured in controlled lab experiments. Wild birds are ecologically diverse with differing host competence in time and space adding to the challenge of predicting the spread of avian influenza (or ‘bird flu’) that has killed millions of wild birds and poultry globally. Nichola will discuss her recent work that analyzes more than 10 years of global data, including Appledore Island, to identify natural and anthropogenic drivers of the current bird flu outbreak.

About Dr. Hill
Dr. Nichola Hill is an ecologist who studies how diseases emerge from wildlife in a human-altered world. Depending on the day, you can call Nichola a disease ecologist, virologist, or even a bird nerd. Her first love is studying viruses. Viruses evolve rapidly (much faster than cellular-life!) so they make an excellent study system for testing theories of ecology and evolution. Understanding how viruses such as avian influenza (or ‘bird flu’) originate in wild ducks, geese and gulls and spread to marine mammals and humans is a key question that drives her work. Nichola takes an eco-evo approach to this question using tools from phylodynamics, metagenomics and statistical modelling to study the complex dynamics of viral spillover.


Rock Talk #9, 2023 Season
Recorded: August 1, 2023


About Rock Talks
Our Rock Talk Seminar Series is a long-standing and well-loved tradition at SML. Historically, faculty members and guest speakers would gather with students on Appledore Island's rocky shoreline (giving the Rock Talk series its name) to present on a wide range of topics related to natural history, ecology, biology, and more. To stay connected with our community following the pandemic, we transitioned our Rock Talks online and have featured guest speakers from across the world. On our channel, you will find recordings from past seminars.


Please note: All Rock Talks begin at 8pm on Tuesdays for the 2023 season. You must register for the live presentations ahead of time, and all registration links will be shared on our website. We look forward to seeing you at our next Rock Talk!


Sign up for the next Rock Talk here: https://www.shoalsmarinelaboratory.or...