Current Event4 =]

Frog Mutations
Source: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20100324/Note2.asp
Date Written: March 24, 2010
Author: Anonymous

Recently there has been a discovery that is related to frogs. They have tested and observed many different reactions of frogs in different substances. This all started out as a college experiment, with a group of students testing different substances and different hormones on frogs. Many of there hypothesis were correct, and as they suspected, but there was one substance that reacted just a couple of days after it was hypothesized to react. In fact one day a college student had found out that something very unusual was happening in the tank that a hormone called atrazine was put in. Definition: A weed killer used on most corn crops, atrazine can cause organ and cardiovascular damage and is a suspected hormone disruptor. It is also suspected to cause deformities in frogs. See Hormone-Disrupting Compounds. As the students observed they have thought back to what they put into the tank to made sure they have not put in any harmful chemicals. They have figured what was going on. All the tank had was: water, atrazine, and *male* frogs, but the unusual happening was that the male frogs had female frog behavior. Now, since they only had these three parts in the tank they have found out that the reason that is causing these frogs to act female was because of the atrazine. Now some of you might wonder: how do they now they have acted like females? Well first of all these males were attracting frogs the same gender, which is a female feature, it was confirmed that they have found 30% of the males that were put into the tank had adapted female behavior.
As I said, atrazine is used as a weed killer, you might expect these weed killing chemicals in some streams, rivers and lakes. This is very harmful for our environment, now the affected male frogs, now some male frogs are *becoming* female! It is not affecting only the frogs behavior in these lakes rivers and streams, but it is also affecting other animals that live in the water. Being raised in a highly polluted river lake or stream of atrazine it lowers the males’ level of testosterone, which causes them not to attract females. Not only do males loose there hormone but also gain a female hormone called estrogen. These students took to two male frogs and examined them. It happens to be that the male frogs had also produced female reproductive organs, which cause them to mate with other male frogs, and produce baby male frogs.

 Reflection:

            This is very shocking news. To know that so much pollution can cause such a mutation in our eco-system. Some day frogs might become extinct because there will be too many males mutated into females, and not enough males available for reproduction. As I said extinction might be on its way. I found this article very interesting, to think that only a chemical can change a whole frogs life into another direction. When I am older I wish to examine some animals, and find out what the causes of there mysterious extinctions and mutations. Hopefully gaining more knowledge of mutations, and pollution it will help prevent further extinction!