Will the llamas become heroes in the fight against covid-19?
Llamas are gorgeous looking animals that have caputured many hearts with their soulful big eyes, funny haircut and velvety snout. The fluffy gentle giants have also attracted the attention of scientists studying antibodies.
The remarkable antibodies of camelids, llamas, camels and alpacas, has been studied since 1989 when the benefits were first discovered at the Univerisity of Brussels. The antibodies in llamas blood have proved to be effective against a viruses such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Today, some scientists are hopeful that the antibodies found in llamas blood can help to neutralise the coronaviruses’ spike protein. This is the portion that attacks other healthy cells.
I made a resource about viruses and a perfect addition could be a project about llamas (this idea is not included in the resource).
Photo: By kallerna – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75377829
Biomimicry for Young Children 
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