NEW YORK -- Concerns recently over the spread of bird flu into dairy cattle, and subsequently human dairy workers, has made the work of one group of New York City high school students even more important. The New York City Virus Hunters are getting their hands dirty to find out which little birdies might be carrying a deadly disease. Strolls through Central Park spark excitement when the group finds a fresh splatter.
'It does not mean it's dangerous for humans right now, but we want to make sure we collect as much data as possible and early enough so we can actually assess the risk,' said BioBus director of community service Dr. Christine Marizzi.As they take their samples back across the street to Mount Sinai's Krammer Lab, the Virus Hunters mix up a solution to start to see the differences in DNA with help from lead scientist Philip Meade, PhD, a Post-Doctoral Fellow.