Animals might help us better understand the long-term health effects of wildfires

After raging fires subside, their impact on peoples’ health will linger. During and immediately after wildfires, increased hospital visits document the direct toll of smoke and flames — from burns to trouble breathing. But the more insidious ways the fires affect people months or even years ahead has been more difficult to follow.

Animals who’ve survived previous blazes can help us better understand those long-term effects, scientists say. In California, where fire season has grown longer and more intense as a result of climate change, cats and monkeys are offering insights.

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