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Two years after COVID-19 emerged, researchers have provided three cost-effective actions to help decision-makers prevent future pandemics by stopping “spillover” of diseases from animals into humans: better surveillance of pathogens, better management of wildlife trade and hunting, and reduced deforestation. 

The annual costs of these “primary pandemic prevention” actions (~$20 billion) are less than 5% of the lowest estimated value of lives lost from emerging infectious diseases every year, less than 10% of the economic costs, and provide substantial co-benefits. 

The research by 20 experts, published in Science Advances, was led by Dr. Aaron Bernstein, director of the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 

“If COVID-19 taught us anything, it is that testing, treatments, and vaccines can prevent deaths but they do not stop the spread of viruses across the globe and may never prevent the emergence of new pathogens. As we look to the future, we absolutely cannot rely on post-spillover strategies alone to protect us,” said Dr. Bernstein of Harvard Chan C-CHANGE.

Bikeshare systems have come a long way since they were first introduced in the Netherlands in the 1960s. They are popular in cities around the world, but how do bike systems affect existing public transportation? That’s the topic of a new paper from the University of Illinois, published in Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice.

The researchers study the impact of bikeshare bikes in U of I’s hometown, the midsize metropolitan area of Champaign-Urbana in Central Illinois. The town houses 500 VeoRide bikeshare bikes on campus and in the wider communities, 400 of which are electric. All are dockless, meaning they can be picked up and parked anywhere.

Since VeoRide launched in 2018, Champaign-Urbana has seen an increase in bikeshare riding, while bus ridership in the United States has declined since 2014.

Food insecurity in low-income countries is on the rise as climate variation and economic shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic, take their toll. Accurately predicting when and where hunger crises occur is critical to effective humanitarian aid response. A new study from the University of Illinois explores how machine learning can help improve forecasting when used appropriately. 

Current food insecurity predictions mostly rely on a system in which groups of experts gather together and assess food insecurity within countries. While the process includes some data to guide assessment, it remains mostly a qualitative evaluation based on local knowledge.

Madhu Khanna is serving on a committee appointed by the National Academy of Science. The ad hoc committee will assess current methods for estimating lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with transportation fuels (liquid and non-liquid) for potential use in a national low-carbon fuels program. More details

Original article from AgriNews, written by Tom Doran.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Further updates have been made to a first-of-its-kind web tool to help Illinois farmers manage cover crops.

The free Cover Crop Decision Support Tool was developed by the University of Illinois’ National Center for Supercomputing Applications, with a collaborative team that included agronomists, climatologists and biological engineers.

The goal of the Cover Crop Decision Support Tool — covercrop.ncsa.illinois.edu — is to help provide site-specific answers to decisions not only surrounding the adoption, but also real-time management of cover crops.

Funding for the program is provided by the Illinois Nutrient Research and Education Council and the Walton Family Foundation. Initial seed funding also was provided by the McKnight Foundation and U of I.