Dr. Richard S. Ostfeld News

trees with few to no leaves

Feature Press Release

Cary scientists act fast to study spongy moth impacts on disease-carrying ticks

November 21, 2024

tick dragging rick ostfeld

I’m a tick biologist whose body seems to kill off ticks

tick

Ticks can take a licking from really tough weather

rash

Lyme vaccine trial enrolling participants for phase three

September 13, 2022

farmington conn

How Lyme disease became unstoppable

virus

A lethal tick-borne disease is spreading in the US, driven by climate change

mouse tagging robin moore

Impaired wild mice survive and thrive as well as unimpaired counterparts

November 3, 2021

tick sign cc bigstock

It’s not just your imagination — ticks are out of control this year

rhinos cc ryan kilpatrick

How Biodiversity Can Prevent Pandemics

wyre forest

A diversity of wildlife is good for our health

amazon cc CIFOR

Deadly diseases from wildlife thrive when nature is destroyed, study finds

tick sign

COVID-19 could lead to increase in tick-borne illness, experts say. Here’s why.

blacklegged tick

the new york times

Lyme disease season is here. These are tips on how to avoid it.

hiking_forest_cc_viginia_state_parks

Scientists say this tick season may not be bad, but the risk of Lyme is higher

gorilla cc ryan summers

The more we lose biodiversity, the worse will be the spread of infectious diseases

meat inspection cc USDA/Preston Keres

Is the coronavirus pandemic related to meat production?

hiking in forest cc loren kerns

Spending more time outside during the pandemic? Scientists say beware of ticks

deforestation malaysia cc cameron highlands

Human impact on the environment may make pandemics more likely, experts warn

tree stumps, Indonesia. cc World Bank

Our growing food demands will lead to more Corona-like viruses

logging in indonesia cc euflegtredd via flickr

Destroyed habitat creates the perfect conditions for coronavirus to emerge

lone start tick NIAID

The lone star tick could soon be colonizing a backyard near you

December 5, 2019

The Tick Project cc Sophia Raithel

Tickbusters on the Lookout for Lyme

walking in woods

Winter Tick Risk

February 21, 2019

tick tube

Climate change, pathogens, and people: The challenges of monitoring a moving target

January 18, 2019

Tick warning sign cc

We have no idea how bad the US tick problem is

acorns

Forest ecology shapes Lyme disease risk in the eastern US

Tick life stages CC Leslie Tumblety

8 facts about the ecology of Lyme

lyme disease warning sign cc

Blog: Translational Ecology

Lyme disease: A new plague

Red fox. ©

the new york times

Lyme disease’s worst enemy? It might be foxes

White-footed mouse ©Robin Moore

Why this adorable mouse is to blame for the spread of Lyme disease

Mouse tagging CC by Claire Nemes

Tick towns: Researchers target neighborhoods in Lyme effort

Tick in tube

Why you should really be scared of ticks this summer

Tick on leaf. CC by AFPMB

Prepare for a Bad Summer for Ticks

Tick on leaf @

Lyme disease is set to explode and we still don’t have a vaccine

Climate change could be increasing the footprint of Lyme disease

Mouse trapping Franceca Rubino ©stephen reiss

Forbidding forecast for Lyme disease in the Northeast

red fox

Use natural biodiversity to fight Lyme disease

January 20, 2017

oak tree

Boom-or-bust breeding cycle that helps the mighty oak survive

November 4, 2016

Poughkeepsie in the fall

Tick study gets 'astonishing' local response

August 17, 2016

cary campus aerial ©craig peyton

Cary Institute, Bard receive grant for large-scale tick control study

White-footed mouse ©Robin Moore

Cary Institute receives $5 million from Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation for large-scale study aimed at reducing ticks and Lyme disease

Temperature Antti Lipponen

Will climate change = more disease?

November 9, 2015

blacklegged tick

The growing global battle against blood-sucking ticks

August 25, 2015

How one local man's immunity to ticks could save us all

CDC entrance

CDC report: Lyme disease is spreading to new territories

Hiking is popular in the virginia state parks

Lyme disease is spreading faster than ever and humans are partly to blame

Bison gore you, so don't try and save them yourself.

Saving wildlife might be good for your health

Possum in the french quarter

Use wild opossums to rid your property of ticks

lyme

Time to Move Lyme Disease Awareness Month to April?

The squirrel has gained weight, so it can sleep

Harsh northeast winter no hindrance to hungry ticks

Be careful; ticks could be arriving earlier this spring

Cool oppossum!

nwf

Give opossums a break

opossum

Opossums: Where Lyme disease goes to die

ticks

In a warmer world, ticks that spread disease are arriving earlier, expanding their ranges

February 18, 2015

Snow!

Snow protects infected ticks

February 17, 2015

Acorns!

Bumper acorn crop now, not good news for Lyme disease later

November 1, 2014

Small, fast, and crowded: Mammal traits amplify Lyme disease risk

September 18, 2014

Deer mugshot

Scientists track ticks as they move north

August 20, 2014

Engorged tick

Study finds one tick bite can deliver multiple infections

tick jars

Single tick bite can pack double pathogen punch

Tick and watch

Cary Institute to study Lyme's effect on mice

blacklegged tick

Lyme Disease: Ten things you always wanted to know about ticks...

Texan Lonestar Tick

Lyme disease season approaches, but it's still too early to tell how the cold winter affected ticks

global climate change impacts

Cary Institute scientists provide leadership on 2014 National Climate Assessment

Engorged tick

As tick infestation grows, so does Lyme disease research

Deer in the forest

Tick season is upon us

Wild mice

Study says mice are super hosts of Lyme ticks

Big mosquito transfers west nile virus

As climate change alters ecosystems, scientists worry that exotic diseases will spread

White Footed Mouse Royce Milam

Mice give ticks a free lunch

White Footed Mouse Royce Milam

Ticks don't harm mice, study finds, meaning Lyme threat is not decreased

Capital interior Timothy Neesam

Capitol Hill briefing: Climate change and infectious disease

February 28, 2014

White Footed Mouse Royce Milam

Breaking the transmission cycle of Lyme disease

February 25, 2014

Mexico hospital

How the spreading symptoms of climate change can be deadly

February 18, 2014

A tick drowns

Lyme disease: Freezes may reduce ticks

February 3, 2014

Mosquito on arm

Diseases on the move because of climate change

December 5, 2013

An interview with Rick Ostfeld

December 2, 2013

Forest fires! Bad for everyone!

The human health costs of losing natural systems

November 18, 2013

Texan Lonestar Tick

More tickborne diseases other than Lyme. Maybe just don’t go outside.

August 23, 2013

Pesticide sign

CDC study focuses on spraying pesticides and tick-borne diseases

August 22, 2013

The sun heats the earth and that causes climate change

Climate change affects disease spread: The need to forecast

Tick-borne virus risk increases

The sun heats the earth and that causes climate change

Study highlights need to forecast how climate is impacting disease risk

Wild mice

Study finds ticks linked to Encephalitis in NYS

Hiking trail

Black-legged ticks linked to Encephalitis in New York State

Tick burrow in skin

Gibson: Lyme disease a major health problem

NYC forum: Silent Epidemic of Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases

Rats get crazy in the subway!

Kentucky birds, New York rats raise disease risks, climate change concerns

February 21, 2013

Blow up rat did not resettle in New York, he was already here.

Resettled rats torment New Yorkers in Sandy's wake

February 7, 2013

Foxy fox walking the town

Fox and coyote and ticks - oh, my!

Has warming spread Lyme?

August 14, 2011

acorn

Acorn glut signals Lyme risks

November 7, 2010

Biodiversity and human health: Why more species mean fewer cases of Lyme disease

February 28, 2010

Employing ecology to predict and manage emerging infectious diseases