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Drudge Retort: The Other Side of the News
Friday, August 22, 2025

New research finds that brown anole lizards in New Orleans carry the highest blood-lead levels ever recorded in a vertebrate--amounts that would be lethal to most other animals--yet they appear unaffected.

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The study in Environmental Research found that the lizards' blood lead levels exceeded all previously reported values for fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles, and mammals. "What's astonishing is that these lizards aren't just surviving, they're thriving with lead burden that would be catastrophic for most other animals," says study author Alex Gunderson, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology in Tulane's School of Science and Engineering.

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More from the cited article ...

... "These animals are performing at full capacity despite record-setting lead levels, making them one of the most, if not the most, lead-tolerant animals known to science," Blanchette says.

Transcriptomic analyses of the animals' brain and liver tissue showed only minor effects from lead exposure, although several altered genes were linked to metal ion regulation and oxygen transport. ...


#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-08-22 09:41 PM | Reply

Towns here in CT seem to be asking their residents about the water pipes feeding their homes, looking for lead pipes.

imo, it is good that the town officials do not seem to view their citizens as lead-immune lizards.


#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-08-22 09:43 PM | Reply

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