Bat population declines linked to increased infant mortality in the US, study finds

A recent study published in the journal Science has unveiled a concerning correlation between declining bat populations and increased infant mortality rates in the United States.The research, led by Eyal Frank, an environmental economist at the University of Chicago, reveals that the loss of bats due to white-nose syndrome – a disease caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans – has had far-reaching consequences for human health.White-nose syndrome, introduced to the US around 2006, has since decimated bat populations across at least 40 states. Frank’s study discovered that in…