Nipah virus

Fruit bats like the ones pictured here are often key vectors for diseases like Ebola, and disturbing their habitats may have made humans more vulnerable.

Here’s how cutting down West African trees made us vulnerable to Ebola

October 9, 2014Environment

Diseases that can move between animals and humans — called zoonotic diseases — make up a majority of infectious diseases that humans can get, scientists say. So it’s no wonder that out-of-control logging in West Africa has likely aided the spread of Ebola.