The Unexpected Ways Heat is Changing How Parasites Spread Disease

When researchers mimicked heat waves in the lab to see how climate change might affect the spread of disease, they found that dialing up the temperature had the potential to lead to two very different outcomes: A spike in the population of disease-spreading parasites or a collapse in their numbers.
While scientists have known for decades that heat waves lead to the proliferation of disease, from mosquito-borne malaria to respiratory infections like pneumonia, it's becoming increasingly clear that, contrary to the conventional wisdom, such diseases won't spread evenly. The new research, which was published in PLOS Climate on Wednesday, suggests that factors like how long heat waves last and how hot they get can determine whether a community is hit by a disease breakout or spared.

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Campus notes: June 22, 2025

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What's the difference between an extreme heat watch and warning?

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Muscle-preserving drugs could generate over $30 billion in sales by 2035, TD Cowen says

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