The Proof with Simon Hill

The Proof with Simon Hill


Where do most viruses come from and how can we stop them infecting humans with National Geographic science writer David Quammen

May 03, 2020

In Episode 101 I was super fortunate to have the opportunity to sit down with well known National Geographic writer and author, David Quammen, to talk about zoonotic diseases and mitigating the risk of future pandemics. A fascinating area of science that gives birth to yet another reason to be mindful of our lifestyles. Given that predictions suggest there are over 1.5 million animal viruses yet to be discovered understanding what increases the likelihood that a virus passes from an animal to a human is incredibly important for human health.

Within this episode we specifically cover:

• What zoonotic diseases are
• The origin of zoonotic diseases
• What a 'spillover' means
• What reservoir hosts are
• HIV, Ebola and other Zoonotic Diseases
• Transmissibility and fatality rate
• The likely origin of COVID-19
• How human activity affects the risk of these emerging novel diseases
• much more

Following this episode I get the feeling many of you will be inspired to read David's book 'Spillover' which you can find along with all of his other books on his website.

If you enjoyed the episode, or have follow up questions, be sure to let David know on twitter.

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Simon Hill
Creator of Plantproof.com - a free resource for plant based nutrition information
If you want to receive FREE nutritional information to your inbox subscribe to the Plant Proof Newsletter. When my book comes out I am going to use this newsletter a lot more with loads of free information each month to help you better optimise your diet.
Book coming out early 2021 published with Penguin that I cannot wait to share with you (all revenue I receive is being donated to charity).