Crustaceans, Science, and the Future of Epidemics

Researchers at Scotland’s Stirling University have employed crustaceans (albeit without payment or consent), in a bid to learn more about epidemics.

They created 16 ponds, each with the same starting populations of Daphnia magna and the pathogens that harmed them.

They have been using Daphnia magna, a crustacean that can clone itself, to create a series of environments with different environmental conditions. Each pond had different temperatures, pH, access to food and predator densities.

Research team leader Dr Stuart Auld writes:

“This study is almost unheard of – it was like examining the Black Death 16 times over, but each time under different environmental conditions. We were able to show that epidemics aren’t random processes; they are repeatable and predictable when you know a bit about the wider environment.”

Studies like these are important to help us understand the interconnectedness of planet Earth - and how humans and the diseases that affect us impact each other.