Up until now, the weather has been the quintessential small-talk topic. These days you cannot avoid a conversation without mentioning COVID-19. “Can you believe this pandemic?” Actually, yes we can. Zoonotic diseases — illnesses that spread from animals to people — are becoming more common. Six out of 10 infectious diseases found in people can be spread from animals and three out of four new diseases come from animals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As zoonotic diseases are on the rise, they also spread further faster.