Desert Bacteria Ride Winds to Himalayas, Pose Health Risk: Study

• A new study reveals desert bacteria from western India are traveling on dust-filled winds to the Eastern Himalayas.
• These airborne microbes are linked to respiratory, skin problems, and gastrointestinal infections, potentially affecting human health at high altitudes.
• The research, published in "Science of the Total Environment" and conducted by Bose Institute, is the first to quantify atmospheric bacterial changes over the Himalayas.
• Scientists observed dust storms from western India for over two years, finding they travel hundreds of kilometers across the Indo-Gangetic Plain to the Himalayas.
• Long-range transport accounts for 80% of the Himalayan bacterial population, causing a 60% perturbation in bacterial diversity, impacting health planning and risk prediction.

Why It Matters: Desert bacteria are traveling from western India to the Himalayas, posing significant health risks to high-altitude populations.