Nate Rott

And everyone I talk to thinks that's a good thing.

Because one of the concerns I heard here is that there's the potential that this could fundamentally change our relationship with nature.

Like, if a butterfly is genetically modified, would we still care for it the same way we would for one that's just fluttering around now?

Like, would you?

Right.

It's a tough question.

Anthony Waddle, the frog scientist we started with, hears that argument.

But his response is that we've already fundamentally changed nature.

Yeah, thank you so much for letting me talk about something that I am endlessly geeked about.

Yes, controversial because it gets at an almost like philosophical question, Emily, about what our role should be in the natural world.

And I'm a pretty poor excuse for a philosopher.

But, you know, I think the easiest way to explain this technology that we're going to be talking about is to start with an effort that's going on to save something we all know and love.

Frogs.

This is Anthony Waddell, a researcher at Macquarie University in Australia.

It's just chytrid is too good.

Chytrid fungus, which is like this horrendous and deadly skin disease affecting amphibians that, you know, the antibiotics they have often can't fix.

And this disease is now found on every continent except Antarctica.

Anthony has been focused on protecting frog populations from chytrid pretty much his entire scientific career.

And he started with the type of desert frog that lived near his hometown, Las Vegas.

And Anthony says it worked for that population of frogs.