Sounds of Life, and the origins of COVID

Yale has been giving me the wonderful opportunity to read fantastic new books and interview their authors. Such a privilege!

Here's one Q&A with UBC's Karen Bakker, author of Sounds of Life: a fascinating tale of how digital technologies (cheap microphones and AI) are being used to decipher the languages and sounds of animals and nature. Did you know that plants respond to the sound of bugs chewing by releasing defensive chemicals (even when there are no actual bugs around); coral larvae can swim miles through the ocean to their home reefs guided by sound; elephants have specific warning calls for bees and humans; peacock feather displays are accompanied by ultrasound that makes the hen's head feathers quiver.

And here's a Q&A with Daniel Quammen, author of Breathless: an exploration of the scientific hunt to determine how COVID-19 came to be, tracking its origins and spread. We need to control 'wet markets' that sell wild animals, but the transmission of viruses from animals to humans isn't just a problem in China or Africa; US chicken and pig farms are also hotspots. What can be done?