When highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 jumped from poultry to dairy cattle in 2024, it raised urgent questions about how exactly this respiratory virus found its way into milk. Our guests today, coauthors Rahul Nelli, PhD, MVM, and Todd Bell, DVM, PhD, DACVP, both from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University, were at the forefront of understanding that viral load in milk was due to sialic acid receptors in the mammary glands of dairy cows, which act like docking stations for H5N1. Given that the outbreak has spilled over into other species, the team then wondered: Could the mammary tissue of other species also support H5N1 infection, potentially including humans? Their latest research, published in the Journal of Dairy Science and involving multiple institutions, examined mammary glands from pigs, sheep, goats, beef cattle, alpacas, and human breast tissue, finding that all contained high levels of sialic acid receptors susceptible to both avian influenza and seasonal influenza. The two discuss what these findings mean for viral transmission pathways and the human-animal interface, including that there is potential for transmission among these other domestic mammals and humans. With 71 human cases documented in the current outbreak and high viral loads detected in unpasteurized milk from infected animals, understanding these pathways becomes crucial for protecting animals, agricultural workers, and consumers.

Episode Thirty-Seven Show Notes

Learn more about our guests and follow them on LinkedIn: Rahul Nelli and Todd Bell.

Want to connect with other researchers on the leading edge of dairy science? Join us at the ADSA 2026 Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this June, where you can connect directly with experts driving dairy forward.

Dairy science is changing fast. Ensure you never miss a breaking finding by subscribing to ADSA’s newest newsletter, JDS | JDSC Selects. Get a personalized delivery of the most relevant articles from both the Journal of Dairy Science and JDS Communications directly to your inbox in onestreamlined, monthly email.

Explore the article discussed in the episode:

Exploring influenza A virus receptor distribution in the lactating mammary gland of domesticated livestock and in human breast tissue, Journal of Dairy Science (February 2026)

Can H5N1 avian influenza in dairy cattle be contained in the US?, Cell (February 2026)

Sialic acid receptor specificity in mammary gland of dairy cattle infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) virus, Emerging Infectious Diseases (July 2024)

Have you heard of Veronika? The 13‑year‑old pet Swiss brown living in Austria has gone viral for being the first cow documented using tools intelligently and flexibly—a revelation that has stunned the scientific and global community. We’re honored to welcome Antonio J. Osuna-Mascaró from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna’s comparative cognition team, who led the study on Veronika. Antonio explains why his area of research is extremely picky about what constitutes tool use—it requires more than just interacting with an object. It’s about an animal handling an object to extend their own body’s capabilities to make the impossible possible. Tooling is a phenomenon that is extremely rare in nature, yet touches a wildly diverse list of species, from Goffin’s cockatoos to dolphins, elephants, chimpanzees, crows, and even digger wasps. Although Veronika started with sticks and rakes, the study team provided Veronika with a broom, observing that she was not only able to use it to extend her ability to scratch parts of her body she otherwise couldn’t reach, but also that she had awareness and sensitivity to the two parts of the broom: the stick end and the brush end. Veronika preferred the brush end for most scratches, but switched to the gentle handle end to deliberately and precisely reach sensitive areas like the base of her tail—a flexible tooling behavior that astounded Antonio and his team.

Matt and Antonio explore what about Veronika’s life in Austria might set her apart from other cows, what the team is studying next, and why their initial findings challenge long‑held assumptions about cow cognition. The two explore what they hope is the impact of these findings; that all scientists humbly reconsider the creatures we thought we already understood.

Episode Six-Five Show Notes

Learn more about Antonio’s research here. Have you observed tool use in cows? Antonio asks that you reach out to him!

Curious about the latest in animal behavior research? Join us at the ADSA 2026 Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this June!

Are you looking to publish dairy research in 2026? Save on your article costs via the ADSA Loyalty Rewards Program for the Journal of Dairy Science and JDS Communications when you join the ADSA member community!

Explore the article discussed in the episode:

Flexible use of a multi-purpose tool by a cow, Current Biology (2026)

View the paper’s video abstract here!

The pod belongs to the students once again as we welcome four of our 2025 ADSA Graduate and Undergraduate Student Division winners!

Each year at the ADSA Annual Meeting, top competitors in dairy production and dairy foods face off for cash prizes—and the pride that comes from developing excellence in both scientific rigor and scientific storytelling. Some of this year’s first-place winners include Mitchell T. Armstrong from the University of Wisconsin–Madison (2025 Dairy Management Inc. Graduate Student Paper Presentation Contest in Dairy Foods Research), Savitha Saikumar from the University of Florida (2025 ADSA Graduate Student Division Three-Minute Thesis competition), Tessa Tauke, president of the ADSA Undergraduate Student Division (USD), from Iowa State University (2025 ADSA-USD Undergraduate Student Oral Contest in Dairy Foods), and Brooke Seelenbinder of Michigan State University (2025 ADSA-USD Undergraduate Student Oral Contest: Original Research/Independent Study). Their award-winning research spans the frontiers of dairy science, from whey protein phospholipid concentrate and bone health to postbiotic supplementation in transition cows to dietary fatty acid balancing in mid-lactation cows to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) or “forever chemicals” in dairy products. Together, they share what inspired them to compete, how they prepared for high-pressure presentations, and the mentors—such as Adam Lock and Barry Bradford—who shaped their paths to the winning podium.

The group also reflects on where their degrees may take them next and how ADSA’s community and diversity, as well as the broad range of science at the Annual Meeting, have already influenced their careers. Their stories underscore why supporting emerging scientists is central to ADSA’s mission and the bright future of the dairy industry.

Episode Thirty-Five Show Notes

Graduate Student Division and Undergraduate Student Division, including their robust award programs and the many benefits for student members.

Connect with dairy’s next generation and refresh your scientific inspiration at the ADSA 2026 Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this June!

The 2026 Three-Minute Thesis Challenge is still open! Learn more and submit your science before Monday, May 18, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT to enter this year’s competition.

Read each of the winners’ 2025 abstracts:

· Impact of whey protein phospholipid concentrate and its fraction supplementation on bone and muscle health in a weanling mouse model, 2025 ADSA Annual Meeting

· Effects of peripartal supplementation of prototype postbiotics on blood metabolic profile and liver enzymes in transition dairy cattle, 2025 ADSA Annual Meeting

· Effects of balancing dietary 18-carbon fatty acids from high oleic soybeans or a commercially available stearic acid-enriched supplement on milk production of mid-lactation dairy cows, 2025 ADSA Annual Meeting

· Exploring the impacts of contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in dairy products, 2025 ADSA Annual Meeting