We've engineered the perfect environment for deadly new germs. Become a Video Lab member! bit.ly/video-lab In the last half-century, the global production of meat has undergone a seismic shift. While meat was once mostly raised on small farms, today almost all the meat we eat comes from industrialized “factory” farms, known as “concentrated animal feeding operations,” or CAFOs. Animals in CAFOs are often packed closely together, which makes them both efficient and, for many, ethically dubious. But infectious disease experts worry about CAFOs for a different reason: Because they’re also the ideal environment for the manufacture of virus and bacteria mutations that human immune systems have never seen. In other words, they’re a highly likely source for the next pandemic. You can read more about the pathogen risks in factory farming at Vox.com: www.vox.com/future-perfect/2020/4/22/21228158/coronavirus-pandemic-risk-factory-farming-meat A deeper look at the threat of antibiotic resistant bacteria: www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/5/7/18535480/drug-resistance-antibiotics-un-report Further reading on how RNA virus reassortment works: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5119462/ Martha Nelson's study tracking the origins of the 2009 H1N1 virus: elifesciences.org/articles/16777 Read more about the sources of meat produced around the world from the Sentience Institute: www.sentienceinstitute.org/global-animal-farming-estimates The US Center for Disease Control's timeline of the H1N1 pandemic: www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/cdcresponse.htm A hopeful look at where factory farming might be headed in the US: www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/12/20/21028200/factory-farms-abuse-workers-animals-and-the-environment-cory-booker-has-a-plan-to-stop-them Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: goo.gl/XFrZ5H

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