Predicting Outbreaks from Outer Space
“Epidemiology has run out of steam on a lot of fronts,” says Dr. Fish bluntly. “but now we have new tools, both micro and macro.” On the micro end are molecular probes, which make it possible to study minute fragments of DNA for clues to the identity of pathogens (microorganisms or substances capable of producing disease). At the other end of the spectrum is remote sensing technology: satellites that photograph the surface of the earth from several hundred miles up. When that data is analyzed, and corroborated by old-fashioned legwork in the field, the result is an extraordinarily detailed portrait of a piece of the planet--and a powerful new tool for combating the spread of infectious disease worldwide.
How Can Satellites Track Tiny Microorganisms?
They can’t--but they can create detailed maps of the vegetation patterns, which characterize different habitats. All infectious agents, and the organisms that transmit them, are biological entities which are restricted to particular habitats, whether marshes or riverbeds, dense forests or open fields. This concept is hardly new to ecologists and environmental scientists, but it has only recently begun to be applied to the study of human disease--thanks to satellite images which can identify specific environments, over large areas, anywhere on earth.
|