Time for some good news! A number of frog species, once thought to be extinct, are still around. An aggressive skin fungus had spread from continent to continent, devastating frog populations. Now scientists have discovered that either the frogs themselves are evolving to combat the fungus, or they are secreting a substance that may be fighting the fungus.
The answer may be a combination of factors, or it may vary from frog species to frog species. In any case the numbers are still bad and populations are down, but at least there is a glimmer of hope. In these days a glimmer of hope is worth celebrating.
About a week ago the spring peepers began their hollering from the pond below the road. Every year I worry that they won’t be coming back with that sound of approaching spring. It is so good to hear them, although tonight with the temperature down in the twenties, they are quiet.
For info on the frog comeback, see Carl Zimmer, “Frog Species on the Rebound, “ New York Times, (April 3, 2018,), p. D-3.
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