By 1999, researchers had determined the culprit was a deadly disease caused by chytrid fungus which infected the animals with tiny, swimming spores. It infects hundreds of species of amphibians and is thought to have wiped out a third of all frog species. Now, an international group of scientists has compared the genomes of 177 samples of the deadly fungus from six continents. They determined that the pathogen most likely arose on the Korean Peninsula 50 to 100 years ago and spread through global trade. It suggests that new variations of the fungus can still develop and spread disease without proper protections.

Source: New York Times May 10, 2018 22:18 UTC