Everything you need to know about bird flu - Benjamin Anderson

By TED-Ed

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Dig into the science of avian influenza to find out what makes the H5N1 virus so dangerous, and its potential to jump to humans. -- While avian influenza used to infect mostly birds, in the past few years, it’s been found in over 70 mammal species, including cats, dairy cows, foxes, seals, and bears. Each new mammalian infection gives the virus more chances to drift or shift, spill over into humans, and ignite a pandemic. So, what is it about H5N1 that makes it so frighteningly flexible? Benjamin Anderson investigates. Lesson by Benjamin Anderson, directed by Anton Bogaty. Support Our Non-Profit Mission ---------------------------------------------- Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreon Check out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop ---------------------------------------------- Connect With Us ---------------------------------------------- Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletter Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebook Find us on Twitter: htt

Tags: bird flu, avian flu, influenza, influenza a, influenza virus, h5n1, bird influenza, virus, viruses, virus mutation, virus jump, antigenic drift, antigenic shift, immune system, viral protein, Hemagglutinin, neuraminidase, cell replication, virus replication, protein receptors

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