Frog saunas help save amphibians from deadly chytrid fungus—learn more!
Frogs around the world are being severely impacted by the chytrid fungus, which has led to population declines in over 500 species and the presumed extinction of approximately 90 species. This invasive pathogen is disrupting ecosystems and causing significant biodiversity loss. Innovative methods to combat this threat have emerged, focusing on providing frogs with heated environments to resist infection. This approach, which is both affordable and adaptable, has shown promise in addressing the devastating effects of chytrid on amphibian populations.
Fighting the Fungus with Heat
According to a study published in Nature, chytrid infections intensify in colder months. Researchers have developed “frog saunas,” small heated structures that allow amphibians to elevate their body temperature, helping them fight off the infection. The fungus, unable to survive high temperatures, can be eliminated when frogs spend time in these saunas. In experiments conducted in both controlled and outdoor environments, infected frogs that used these heated enclosures were found to clear the infection significantly faster than those kept in colder conditions.
Natural Immunity and Resistance
As reported by The Conversation, frogs cured through heat treatment developed increased resistance to future chytrid infections. Laboratory trials demonstrated that frogs previously exposed to controlled heating were far less likely to succumb to reinfections. When implemented in outdoor trials, frogs instinctively utilised the saunas to elevate their body temperatures, effectively reducing infection rates and mortality.
Broader Applications of Frog Saunas
The initiative, being deployed at Sydney Olympic Park, focuses on preserving one of the largest populations of green and golden bell frogs. The structures, made with easily sourced materials, offer a practical solution for conservationists and the public alike. Efforts are underway to expand the use of saunas to protect other endangered species.
Conservationists encourage individuals to contribute by building backyard saunas or participating in citizen science projects, which can help track and protect local frog populations. With widespread adoption, this approach may play a crucial role in reducing the chytrid fungus’s impact on global amphibian biodiversity.
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Axiom 4 mission’s crewmates began conducting biomedical research aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. Expedition 73 and Ax-4 crews found electrical muscle stimulation and cellular immunity. The Cargo transfers and exercise gear maintenance take a day for orbital residents.
Takuya Onishi, Situation Commander from JAXA( Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), has begun the shift in continuation of his space biology studies. His blood and saliva samples are being collected for storage and processing. Further, he spun the specimens in a centrifuge and placed the blood samples in the freezer. After that, he stowed the samples in the incubator.
JAXA’s Takuya Onishi Leads Cellular Immunity Study with Blood and Saliva Analysis
According to a report from NASA, the samples will be analysed to determine the effect of microgravity on cellular immunity, observe stress-related immune reactions, and learn about how to treat symptoms of immunity. The flight engineers Johnny Kim, Anne McClain, and Nichole Ayers spent their day on orbital lab maintenance and further support activities of the crew. Kim focused mainly on orbital plumbing as he replaced and drained the Tranquillity module.
Ayers checked cables and power components in the Destiny laboratory module and deactivated and placed the microscope. McClain took the cognition test on the laptop and kept on supporting the Ax-4 crew at a time of a busy schedule.
Ax-4 Crew Explores Muscle Stimulation and Space Suit Fabric Efficiency in Microgravity
Veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson and her Ax-4 crewmates Shubhanshu Shukla, Tibor Kapu and Uznański-Wiśniewski conducted numerous space investigations throughout the lab. The private scientists in their second full week on the station found out that the electrical muscle simulation escalates the space-related and muscle atrophy in space. Ax-4’s other experiments looked at suit fabrics promote thermal comfort with exercising the weightlessness, crew health and agriculture in space.
Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy worked together on the Zvezda service module, repairing and organising components on a treadmill, one of the two inside the space station, which included the COLBERT treadmill. Kirill Peskov started his day by going through the biological samples from the crewmates. At the end of his shift, he transfers water from Progress 92 cargo craft and unloads the stuffs of hardware and crew supplies.
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Astronomers have discovered the third interstellar comet to pass through our solar system. Named 3I/ATLAS (initially A11pl3Z), it was first spotted July 1 by the ATLAS telescope in Chile and confirmed the same day. Pre-discovery images show it in the sky as far back as mid-June. The object is racing toward the inner system at roughly 150,000 miles per hour on a near-straight trajectory, too fast for the Sun to capture. Estimates suggest its nucleus may be 10–20 km across. Now inside Jupiter’s orbit, 3I/ATLAS will swing closest to the Sun in October and should remain observable into late 2025.
Discovery and Classification
According to NASA, in early July the ATLAS survey telescope in Chile spotted a faint moving object first called A11pl3Z, and the IAU’s Minor Planet Center confirmed the next day that it was an interstellar visitor. The object was officially named 3I/ATLAS and noted as likely the largest interstellar body yet detected. At first it appeared to be an ordinary near-Earth asteroid, but precise orbit measurements showed it speeding at ~150,000 mph – far too fast for the Sun to capture. Astronomers estimate 3I/ATLAS spans roughly 10–20 km across. Signs of cometary activity – a faint coma and short tail – have emerged, earning it the additional comet designation C/2025 N1 (ATLAS).
Studying a Pristine Comet
3I/ATLAS was spotted well before its closest approach, giving astronomers time to prepare detailed observations. It will pass within about 1.4 AU of the Sun in late October. Importantly, researchers can study it while it is still a pristine frozen relic before solar heating alters it. As Pamela Gay notes, discovering the object on its inbound leg leaves “ample time” to analyze its trajectory. Astronomers are now racing to obtain spectra and images – as Chris Lintott warns, the comet will be “baked” by sunlight as it nears perihelion.
Determining its composition and activity is considered “a rare chance” to learn how planets form in other star systems. With new facilities like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory coming online, researchers expect more such visitors in the years ahead. 3I/ATLAS offers a rare chance to study material from another star system.
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