Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week!

White Nose Syndrome has been killing bats for many years. Scientists have been working on various ways to help bats, but so far have had little success. One species that was hit particularly hard is he Little Brown Bat. Their population has declined nearly 90% due to the fungus. However, I have some news that it’s hard not to get excited about! Researchers have found that some Little Brown Bats might be developing a genetic resistance to the disease. Some Little Brown Bats appear to have developed a difference in at least three genes from other bats. This means that certain individual bats appear to be able to fight White Nose. This new found resistance is an amazing discovery! The bats that have a resistance to WNS can pass the adapted genes to their pups, which will lead to more bats that can survive the fungus. Previous studies have suggested that bats may be surviving more winters because of genetic changes, but this is the first study that has proven it. If bats continue to adapt to protect themselves, they might be able to survive without human intervention.

Hopefully Little Brown Bats can start repopulating and bring their species back from the brink of extinction, if you want to read more about this discovery you can do so here.