Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News

~ John W. Howell
The bell frogs in their sauna – credit, Anthony Waddle

Today’s good news comes from the Good News Network

In humans, sauna use is so beneficial that some medical researchers are attempting to add it to the standard of care for those at high risk of heart disease.

Well, researchers in Australia have found that this same leisure activity can save certain species of frogs from the ongoing fungal pandemic called chytrid.

GNN has already reported on chytrid and ways to combat it. Documented as having infected 500 species of frog or more, it’s a massive threat to the amphibiome.

Anthony Waddle at Macquarie University in Australia built a series of “frog saunas” to see if they could help golden bell frogs and green bell frogs native to Australia recover from chytrid. The fungal pathogen thrives in cooler tropical temperatures and is unviable above 84°F (29°C).

Consisting of unshaded black brick structures with narrow holes inside an artificial greenhouse habitat with water and plants, the frogs quickly made themselves at home inside the saunas.

Four healthy frogs were used as controls for a study group of eight frogs, half of which were infected with chytrid. Some habitats were shaded, and others were left uncovered to test a range of temperatures. Infected frogs who frequented the unshaded structure, where temperatures could climb as high as 97 to 100°F, had milder infections, but access to any sauna helped the frogs fight off the disease.

Once they recovered via the saunas, the bell frogs were 23 times less likely to die from a repeat infection with chytrid.

Bell frogs “used to live in people’s toilets and letterboxes and everywhere before chytrid,” Waddle told Science News. “Setting up these habitats where they still persist might give them enough of a boost that you could see a population increase.”

Building these simple structures in a garden could help frogs survive chytrid outbreaks and help the local population develop resistance.

Not all frog species enjoy roasting, however, so saunas are limited to warm-weather species. Another solution needs to be found for those who enjoy cooler temperatures.

The good news in today’s story is that folks are working on eliminating a threat affecting a whole animal species.  Today’s JohnKu talks about those folks. I hope you have a terrific weekend.

Heroes by John W. Howell.© 2024

It’s hard to define,

What actions are heroic . . .

The frogs could tell you.

 

66 thoughts on “Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News”

  1. Unbelievable interesting. Thanks for sharing, John! I hope you are prepared for a wonderful weekend! Best wishes, Michael

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  9. Dear John
    we have a Finnish sauna in our garden and use it once or twice a week. We couldn’t live without it.
    Kb got used to it when living a year in Finland more than 50 years ago. Since that time we regularly have our sauna and even on lecture tours Kb always asked his agents to book him in a hotel with sauna.
    Wishing you a happy weekend
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Sounds like a good thing to do. I love saunas too. One of the best was on a remote island in the middle of a Northern Canadian lake. The sauna was wood fired and post heat was a jump into a glacier lake.

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  13. Good news indeed! Thank you for sharing this, John. We have immense capability for good, and your reminders help keep us on track. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Oi…

    This has left me with a frog in my throat.

    I feel sorry for the frogs.

    I hope this fungus isn’t something humans have helped to propagate.

    Interesting post and JohnKu.

    Thank you!

    🐸𝔛 🐸𝔛 🐸𝔛 🐸𝔛

    Liked by 1 person

  17. “frog saunas” that’s a surprising solution. It is great news but I am also surprised to hear that sauna use is beneficial for humans with heart conditions. I come from a country where saunas are quite common and I thought the opposite.

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