Cause confirmed in bat scourge

It’s official: A systematic test with initially healthy little brown bats shows that a fungus is the primary cause of white-nose syndrome. The lethal disease has devastated bats hibernating in 16 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces (infected bat pictured). In addition, tests show that the fungus, Geomyces destructans, can spread by contact in shared hibernation spots, David Blehert of the U.S.