<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/13/save-endangered-frogs-genes-chytrid-fungus-anthony-waddle-aoe>
"Standing ankle-deep in water between two bare cottonwood trees on a hot spring
day, eight-year-old Anthony Waddle was in his element. His attention was
entirely absorbed by the attempt to net tadpoles swimming in a reservoir in the
vast Mojave desert.
It was “one of the perfect moments in my childhood”, he says.
“Tadpoles: so cool. I wanted to get as many in my net as I could, and just look
at them and admire them and understand,” he says, recalling the moment. “I
think metamorphosis is the one reason why kids bring tadpoles home. They want
to watch that change.”
Waddle has been through a metamorphosis of his own. He has gone from being a
child obsessively clutching a binder full of animal trivia in a Las Vegas
neighbourhood, his parents barely scraping by, he says, to becoming the first
person in his family to get a PhD, which he received from the University of
Melbourne in 2022. Today, the 35-year-old is working in Australia to help save
the species that fascinated him as a boy. Waddle is an award-winning
conservation biologist on a mission to save frogs from the deadly chytrid
fungus, which has wiped out 90 species and is threatening more than 500 more.
Frogs and other amphibians play a critical role in the planetary ecosystem,
consuming many insects that transport human diseases. Their skin is considered
an important potential source of new painkillers that may be less addictive
than opiates and could help with antibiotic resistance. The fungus infecting
them is almost always deadly, and can rapidly wipe out populations.
In an attempt to slow the march of the disease, Waddle began a novel
experiment: building frog saunas. Working out of his lab in Australia during
the pandemic, he and a fellow researcher began experimenting with masonry
bricks for their perfect, frog-sized holes. Soon, stacks of bricks housing
endangered green and golden bell frogs rose “like a Jenga tower, three levels
of bricks with a greenhouse over the top” at the test site, Waddle says. They
hoped that by raising frogs’ body temperatures, the saunas would help stave off
the chytrid fungus – which, like the flu, runs rampant in the winter months.
The experiment worked – frogs that spent the winters warmer in their new
shelters were less likely to fall prey to the infectious fungal pathogen, which
is temperature sensitive. They were also resistant when re-exposed. It was good
news for frogs lucky enough to access these shelters, but Waddle wanted to look
further, at solutions that could help save more amphibians at risk."
Via
Reasons to be Cheerful:
<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-wild-oyster-comeback/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
