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Are 46 different species of bats. most of which are small insect eating varieties like the big brown bat and the little brown bat. in the south eastern parts of the united states, in particular, texas, theres an abundance of one species. the mexican free tail bat. that bracken cave outside san antonio is believed to be home to the single largest colony of bats in the world. >> every year during the spring and summer, i think there are something like 30 million bats in the cave. >> in the cave? >...

They seem to have got this bad impression in our cultures. there is definitely something odd about them. but just because theyre odd doesnt mean theyre bad. they are quite fascinating animals. the more you get to know them, the more fascinating they are. the more social creatures you see them become. and some of them are really beautiful. but bats do carry the viruses they carry and unfortunately, right now, it is very strange, weve probably got a bat virus thats killing people. good evening. ...

Bats throughout human history seem to have this image of evil, dark, and dangerous.

Deadly. one of the big problems in europe and the u.s. used to be wild rabid dogs. >> ancient medical experts developed a lot of odd ideas about how you would cure rabies. they used to believe that one way to stop rabies from killing you was to take a hair from the tail of the rabbid dog and inset it into the bite wound which this was where the term hair of the dog came from. >> then along came louis pasture. he had been working on a vaccine for years and eventually tried to try on it a young bo...

In the case of certain bat species, they appear to be per pel actually primed to fight viral infection. >> scientists believe that understanding a bats immune system can help develop a human battle plan for fighting these diseases on a global scale. >> its an opportunity. what is it about the bats metabolism that theyve got that we could use? >> that might actually hold an answer for treating the virus? >> if bats can handle thousands of different viruses, lets find out why and use that. >> broo...

In terms of how many pesticides we dont need to use. >> but pest control isnt the only value. they are fruit eating bats help disperse seeds and regenerate trees and plants previously cut down. and thats not the only benefit. >> bat droppings are full of nitrogen so theyre good for crops and there are all kinds of stories about these caves in the united states being harvested for fertilizer and then for explosive for the civil war. >> there are also bats that serve as the only pollinators of par...

>> he quickly became obsessed and passedle childhood days in the bronx zoo ogling these feared and revered creatures. >> i felt like what i was seeing was not matching the description of what people were giving me. around the world, bats are a sign of good luck, fertility, growth, everything you can think of. bats are usually the opposite of what theyre considered here in america. >> as an adult, the batman game showman as the lead singer of the 80s metal band rocks. >> it was a very different w...

A book that youre ready to share with the world? get published now, call for your free publisher kit today! for many of us, when we think of bats, we think of one thing. rabies. the threat of. virus is often misunderstood. >> it is not very common for americans to get rabies. >> dylan george is a former white house adviser for biological threat defense. >> in any gix year theres anywhere from zero to one to two people might get infected from rabies in bats or potentially from foxes or raccoons...

Humans. they tend to live longer than other mammals their size. theyre also fighting in the help against cancer. scientists are trying to understand why bats dont develop tumors. and the possibility they could help fight current and future coronavirus. >> people are working on vaccines. theyre working on drugs. thats what were looking for. i see it as an opportunity. >> many people are surprised by the physiological similarities between bats and humans and the information that we may be able to ...

Without getting sick. >> understanding how bats co-exist with diseases is very critical. they have a very unique relationship with path jens generally. they have a unique biology and it allows them to co-exist in different ways. >> there are various theories about why that is. it might have to do with how long bats have been around. >> bats are an ancient species. they have been on planet earth a long time and that means theyve had a long history of being exposed and adapting to viruses in natur...