For years, frogs have helped humans make key scientific advancements to improve the quality of life for us all.  They have helped with HIV research, pregancy research, and now, cancer research.  Scientists studying South African Clawed Frog (Xenopus Laevis) tadpoles – not to be confused with the African Dwarf Frog – have discovered a compound which prohibits the movement of pigment cells as the frog grows into an adult.

As a result of these pigments being blocked, the adult frog does not grow up with its usual greenish-brown color.  It is the uncontrolled movement of these pigment cells in both humans and frogs that causes a form of skin cancer.  According to the study, understanding how to block these cells could lead researchers to better understand how to prevent tumors from developing and spreading.

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Frog Books, Scientific Studies African Clawed Frog, cancer research, tadpoles, Xenopus Laevis

If you are interested in picking up a coffee table book filled with spectacular frog photos, check out Frog: A Photographic Portrait.  It is filled with incredible pictures by photographer Thomas Marent.

The stunning photos in this collection make the book a great gift for frog lovers, photographers looking for inspiration, or anyone who enjoys looking at amazing photos.

To see some of the photos from the book, go to Amazon, click the picture of the book, and click the “Surprise Me” link to see a random page from the book.

Frog Books book recommendations