Last night, I found this slideshow about malaria. It was incredible. I was amazed to learn that they've even found Egyptian mummies who showed signs of having died with malaria.

The disease itself is one thing. But why is it showing up in places where it hasn't been seen before? Dr. Pascual's research shows that at least part of it is due to the way our climate is changing. She's traced a slight upward change in temperatures in areas like Kericho. And that change – which she's shown mathematically – can cause an eight-fold increase in the mosquito population. And, what's more, the plasmodia that the mosquitoes carry now have a better chance of growing and reproducing in the warmer climate. After all, even the slightest change in an area's average temperatures can affect the plants and animals that are part of the area's ecosystem.

I think about it this way: we can't live on Mars because the climate is too cold. But, if we could somehow make the climate a little friendlier to Earth's humans, wouldn't more of us want to go there, if only for the adventure of it all?