(Washington Post via MSN) – Bats have a bad reputation, but they deserve better. The flying mammals are nature’s pest control, swooping over America’s farmland every night to feast on swarms of insects that would otherwise chew through crops.

But many of the country’s bat populations are on the decline, wiped out by a devastating fungus that attacks the insect eaters in their sleep.

Now, a new study suggests that decline in bats has come at a ghastly cost to human beings. (Read More)