How microbes survive in the plastisphere
Microbes inhabiting the plastisphere—biofilms on ocean plastic—possess larger genomes with more functional gene copies than marine plankton, enabling enhanced nutrient uptake, carbon utilization, UV protection, and alternative energy use. These adaptations support survival in nutrient-poor, high-UV environments and may create eutrophic niches, potentially impacting ocean ecosystem health.

Stefan Lips et al, Metagenomic analyses of the plastisphere reveals a common functional potential across oceans, Environmental Pollution (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2026.127830

15 years after the eradication of rinderpest, lessons still ring true

Permanently wiping out a disease is tricky business. Polio, measles, mumps—all have effective vaccines, yet they persist in certain pockets around the world. To date, the World Health Organization considers just two viruses as successfully eradicated: smallpox and rinderpest.

Rinderpest, a highly contagious cattle disease, was officially eradicated in 2011, marking it as one of only two viruses eliminated globally. Success was achieved through a combination of technological advances, such as a heat-stable vaccine, and community-based strategies, including participatory epidemiology and targeted vaccination in remote areas. These approaches remain vital for controlling current and future animal diseases.
Rinderpest, a German word meaning "cattle plague," can be traced back as early as the Roman Empire. In the centuries when the virus was active, it ran through herds from Europe into Asia and Africa. When the disease struck, it often killed the entire herd.

The disease was so economically devastating that it's recognized as the cause of several historic famines. In the 18th century, rinderpest killed 200 million cows in Europe.

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In the 19th century—after colonialism spread the disease—rinderpest culled about 90% of plow oxen in Ethiopia. Rinderpest itself has no effect on human health, but the resulting famine killed one-third of Ethiopia's population.
"Without cattle to plow fields and fertilize crops with dung, the once-fertile Ethiopian lands became a graveyard
Attempts to develop a vaccine, which began as early as the 18th century, provided some protection, but not a full cure. It wasn't until the middle of the 20th century that the first effective vaccines were introduced. Shortly after, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization began a worldwide campaign to inoculate animals, shipping vaccines and brokering meetings between countries to discuss collaborative vaccination campaigns.

Soon, the number of global rinderpest infections fell precipitously, but occasional outbreaks continued.
Complete eradication remained out of reach until a technological breakthrough—along with what Mariner and other researchers have called "social innovations"—made it possible.

Most vaccines require refrigeration, and the rinderpest vaccine was no exception. But in many places where the disease was common—rural areas with cattle ranching—refrigerated shipping was expensive and complex.

It was extremely challenging to keep the vaccine cold while traveling to isolated areas then.
It required refrigeration facilities, ice machines, cold boxes, and fleets of vehicles. They needed an easier way to deliver the vaccine.
In the 1980s, researchers earned grant funding to experiment with ways to make a vaccine that did not require refrigeration. His team worked for two years and eventually developed a method to freeze-dry the vaccine. As a result, it could stay effective at temperatures as high as 98 degrees Fahrenheit and could last 30 days without refrigeration.

That innovation made it possible to deliver vaccines to a wider array of far-flung places, but it didn't necessarily make it easier.
So, the scientists engaged in a more targeted and strategic approach and went directly to those remote areas. Researchers helped train people in these communities to provide the vaccine and relied on their knowledge to decide how and when to distribute it. These efforts increased vaccination in herds that had been missed during previous campaigns. Locals then monitored for signs of disease after vaccination occurred.
The successful eradication, then, relied on both science and collaboration, and a tool called participatory epidemiology, which incorporates both researchers and stakeholders.

The elimination of rinderpest has had an enormous impact on the lives of people and their animals.

https://now.tufts.edu/2019/07/18/world-without-rinderpest

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