New branches on the tree of life have just turned up in Africa. Some are cuter than others.
In Madagascar, our primate family was enlarged by two adorable species of mouse lemurs. Meanwhile, other scientists made an uglier discovery in the small country of Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa. They found a surprising diversity of bacteria that cause tuberculosis. When most people think about the joys of biodiversity, they probably don't think about the hidden expanses of parasites waiting to be discovered. But in cases such as this one, they can have a fascinating story to tell--one that may prove to be important to the welfare of our own species.
Tuberculosis is, like malaria and HIV, an infectious disease so vast in its success that it's hard to fathom. Every second someone somewhere in the world gets infected with the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and each year TB kills about ...
