Ogni mattina tocchiamo uno smartphone. Sembra un oggetto leggero, quasi immateriale.

Ma dentro ci sono miniere. Roccia spaccata. Ecosistemi modificati. Catene di approvvigionamento che attraversano continenti.

Nel 2024 il Ruanda ha registrato il primo focolaio di virus Marburg della sua storia, un virus emorragico imparentato con Ebola. In diversi casi della sua storia epidemiologica, i contagi iniziano proprio in contesti sotterranei: grotte e miniere frequentate anche da pipistrelli.

Qui entra in gioco una prospettiva chiamata One Health: la salute umana, animale ed ecologica non sono sistemi separati. Quando cambiamo gli habitat, acceleriamo estrazioni e spostiamo le frontiere tra specie, cambiamo anche le probabilità biologiche: contatti nuovi, virus nuovi, epidemie possibili.

È una storia di connessioni invisibili, di responsabilità collettive, e (un pochino) anche di responsabilità individuali. E forse anche di quella cosa che i filosofi chiamano eterogenesi dei fini: costruire strumenti intelligenti… e produrre conseguenze che non avevamo previsto.

E ora la domanda per voi: la tecnologia che usiamo ogni giorno può essere davvero “smart” se non capiamo i costi biologici che porta con sé?

Fonti:
WHO 2024, “Marburg virus disease – Rwanda (1 November 2024)”, https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2024-DON543
Nsanzimana et al. 2025, “Marburg Virus Disease in Rwanda, 2024 — Public Health and Clinical Responses”, https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa2415816
WHO 2024, “Marburg virus disease – Rwanda (20 December 2024)”, https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2024-DON548
Entropy for Life 2024, “L'influenza Aviaria: tutto quello che devi sapere”, https://youtu.be/PZmTOf77Ri4?si=neroe-Cqz4oh__4a
Entropy for Life 2019, “Quale sarà la prossima pandemia?”, https://youtu.be/_-ftO6UmpK8?si=8NFihSFtditWnNJp
WHO 2025, “Outbreak of suspected Marburg Virus Disease - United Republic of Tanzania”, https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2025-DON552 WHO 2025, “Marburg Virus Disease–United Republic of Tanzania”, https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2025-DON554
CDC 2025, “Tanzania 2025”, https://www.cdc.gov/marburg/outbreaks/tanzania-2025.html CDC 2025, “History of Marburg Outbreaks”, https://www.cdc.gov/marburg/outbreaks/index.html
Timen et al. 2009, “Response to imported case of Marburg hemorrhagic fever, the Netherland”, https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1508.090015
Amman et al 2012, “Seasonal Pulses of Marburg Virus Circulation in Juvenile Rousettus aegyptiacus Bats Coincide with Periods of Increased Risk of Human Infection”, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1002877
OECD/OCSE 2016, “Mineral supply chains and conflict links in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo”, https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2015/11/mineral-supply-chain-and-conflict-links-in-the-eastern-democratic-republic-of-congo_e4739bc5/86e0c04b-en.pdf
Ladewig et al. 2024, “Deforestation triggered by artisanal mining in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo”, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-024-01421-8  
Jones et al. 2008, “ Global trends in emerging infectious diseases”, https://www.nature.com/articles/nature06536
Allen et al. 2017, “Global hotspots and correlates of emerging zoonotic diseases”, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-00923-8 IPBES 2020 “IPBES workshop on biodiversity and pandemics”, https://files.ipbes.net/ipbes-web-prod-public-files/2020-10/IPBES%20Pandemics%20Workshop%20Report%20Executive%20Summary%20Final.pdf
UNEP, CBD, WHO 2015, “Connecting Global Priorities: Biodiversity and Human Health”, https://www.cbd.int/health/SOK-biodiversity-en.pdf
 UN 2024, “Final report of the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (S/2024/432)”, https://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/final-report-group-experts-democratic-republic-congo-s2024432-enarruzh
Global Witness 2022, “The ITSCI laundromat”, https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/transition-minerals/the-itsci-laundromat/
WHO 2022, “Strengthening WHO preparedness for and response to health emergencies. Strengthening collaboration on One Health”, https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA75/A75_19-en.pdf
Revelli 2001, “Oltre il Novecento. La politica, le ideologie e le insidie del lavoro”
Bauman 1989, “Modernità e olocausto”
OECD/OCSE 2016, “OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected  and High-Risk Areas”, https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2016/04/oecd-due-diligence-guidance-for-responsible-supply-chains-of-minerals-from-conflict-affected-and-high-risk-areas_g1g65996/9789264252479-en.pdf