Welcome to the October issue of The Highlight

The Houston toad lacks the recognition of pandas or bald eagles, but this rare creature is still important for its ecosystem — and its population has been falling for decades. Now, the toad’s best hope for survival involves syringes, ultrasounds, and hormones. In this month’s Highlight cover story, Christine Peterson takes you inside the world […]

General Sep 29, 2025 0 7 Add to Reading List

Welcome to the October issue of The Highlight

Jim Bell, of Texas State University, empties strings of Houston toad eggs into floating bags that will protect the growing tadpoles from predation.

The Houston toad lacks the recognition of pandas or bald eagles, but this rare creature is still important for its ecosystem — and its population has been falling for decades. Now, the toad’s best hope for survival involves syringes, ultrasounds, and hormones.

In this month’s Highlight cover story, Christine Peterson takes you inside the world of amphibian assisted reproduction. Also in this issue: Why, despite chaos and turmoil, we aren’t in “unprecedented times”— and history’s lessons for how societies can pull back from the brink of crisis. The upside to ranking your friends. And what to do if you think your chatbot is conscious.