This is not an article but our request for your help. However, we are not interested in your money but in something more valuable – your time.
We are looking for information that will help us move forward and – as we believe – even closer to a functional solution to our common problems. If you find the answer to this question, we will be grateful if you write this information, including the source, in the comments below or send it to our email helpus@piqaso.com.
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Why do we ask this question?
Some species serve as buffers between humans and pathogens that could prove
extremely dangerous. The common opossum is resistant to the parasites that cause Lyme
disease, but human development and other factors have seen their numbers dwindle in
the United States. Other species that have moved in to fill their ecological niche have less
resistance to the disease, and as a result, the incidence of Lyme disease among humans in
these regions has increased. In some areas of the United States, the incidents of Lyme
disease has increased by about 30 percent in the past 20 years. Scientists have also
discovered links between the incidence of West Nile virus and hantavirus and local
reductions in biodiversity.
Animal extinctions may also rob humans of valuable medical advancements. Many
different species have unique bodily processes that can offer insight into curing human
disease. The toxins produced by dart-poison frogs in the rain forest, for example, have
yielded invaluable information about how alkaloid compounds behave in living
organisms. Scientists also study bears for clues about how they recycle blood toxins
during hibernation to find potential solutions to kidney disorders. Each species that
vanishes may hold the key to any number of medical breakthroughs, and the loss of these
resources could prove a terrible blow to humans.
