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Liz Kalaugher - Five Way Interview

Liz Kalaugher is a science journalist and campaigner, based in Bristol, who has written for the New Scientist, BBC Wildlife, the Guardian, BBC News and more, as well as winning science journalism fellowships from the World Federation of Science Journalists and the European Geosciences Union. She is also the co-author of Furry Logic: The Physics of Animal Life. Her new book is The Elephant in the Room.

Why science?

I think science is fascinating as it helps us interact with the world. Once you start to understand how things work, it opens up all sorts of possibilities. You’re no longer stumbling around in the dark, hoping you’ll find the light switch by chance; instead you’re building a map of where the light switch might be, and testing that map systematically. Hopefully that means you’ll find the light switch more easily, and learn techniques that can help you find other switches. Though lots of scientific discoveries have been made by chance. And it’s crucially important that we don’t think we know more than we do - that can lead to all sorts of trouble.

Why this book?

Originally I was planning to write a book about Grevy’s zebras: I was travelling in Kenya in search of these animals just after the first cases of Covid-19 broke out in China. Like everybody’s, my mind turned to the emergence of new diseases. Concerned there might be a backlash against bats, I started investigating the other side of the coin - just how much we’ve been harming wildlife health over the centuries. I was surprised by how long and in how many ways human activities have spread diseases to wildlife. And by how much we can do about wildlife health that we haven’t yet chosen to act on.

Apart from reducing deforestation, what is the single thing we could do with the biggest impact to reduce the risk of zoonotic transmission?

According to a study from 2024, reducing biodiversity loss is one of the most crucial factors in cutting the risk of outbreaks of disease. As Neil Vora of Conservation International told me for The Elephant in the Room, 'Nature is not the solution to everything, but nature is critical, a necessary condition for a better future. We need to start investing in nature now and that will save costs down the road.' Investing in nature would also reduce climate change, another factor that boosts disease, and it would save species from extinction.

What’s next?

Next up will be another book broadly in the wildlife and environment space, again with a historical angle. I’m researching it at the moment and wrangling with almost too many fascinating stories. I’m also enjoying experimenting with fiction in the form of an eco-thriller. Watch this space.

What’s exciting you at the moment?

I’m enjoying seeing more butterflies in the UK this summer, a welcome treat after their terrible season in 2024. I’m focusing on their striking colours as they flit between flowers, and the poetry of their names – comma, skipper, silver-washed fritillary - whilst trying not to think about why it’s been so hot. I’ve also become a Merlin fan and use this app’s help to listen out for new bird species wherever I go.

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