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Killer Fungus Spread through Trade
A deadly fungus, which has infected more than 700 species of amphibians, originated from the Korean peninsula, according to new research. The data provides a more complete picture of how the fungus spread from region to region, and emphasises that human trade of amphibian species over the past 100 years has accelerated the spread of the disease. The fungus is Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, and it causes a deadly disease called chytridiomycosis in amphibians. First identified in the 1970s, it has now been detected on nearly every continent and has contributed significantly to the decline of many species.

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaur
Talking about his new book, ‘a biography of dinosaurs’, Steve Brusatte tells Roland Pease about the amazing diversity of dinosaurs and the rapid pace of new discoveries being made in the current ‘golden age’ for dinosaur research. This means there are still lots of dinosaur mysteries to be solved and maybe even some lessons we can learn from them, and their extinction.

Jumping Spiders
Engineers at the University of Manchester in the UK have trained a spider to jump on demand. The arachnid, which they nicknamed Kim, can leap six times her body length from a standing start. The team hope to use this knowledge to build a new generation of micro robots inspired by nature.

Global Seabed 2030
The new director of a project to map the world’s ocean floor is calling on the captains of fishing and leisure boats to share their sonar data alongside some private companies which are already providing their data with the Global Seabed 2030 project. Satinder Bindra also hopes that governments will release images of classified areas to help create the first ever map of what lies at the bottom of the sea.

Picture: The American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) was introduced into Taiwan from the United States via Japan. [Credit: Dirk Schmeller]

Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz