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A Florida high school just became the first classroom to dissect synthetic frogs

A Florida high school just became the first classroom to dissect synthetic frogs

Since the 1920s, students have been taking apart frogs to learn what the organs of the body look like and how they work. But it also is gag-inducingly gross, and the act of slicing apart an animal is ethically dubious. J.W. Mitchell High School in New Port Richey, Florida just became the first school to use synthetic frogs, sparing students from everything that is disgusting about slicing into a dead frog.


According to PETA, millions of frogs are killed each year just so they can be dissected by students. So, PETA approached SynDaver, a company that makes "sophisticated and synthetic humans and animals for surgical training, anatomy education and medical device testing" to discuss the idea of creating synthetic frogs for students to take their scalpels to. SynDaver was two steps ahead of them, already working on what would be known as the SynFrog.

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PETA eventually partnered with the Tampa Bay-based company to pay for the frogs as part of an effort "to move schools away from using real animals in dissection and toward the many humane, non-animal options that are available," PETA said on their website. Each frog costs $150, and (unlike real frogs) can be reused.

SynFrogs were designed to be as lifelike as a dead frog as possible. SynFrogs have a synthetic skeleton, muscles, skin, organs, and reproductive system (complete with eggs) that mimic the look and feel of a real female frog. You can see the guts without the gore.



The school says that using synthetic frogs actually makes biology lessons more accessible to students. Plus, the synthetic frogs also don't expose students to toxic chemicals, like formaldehyde and formalin. And, icing on the cake, they don't smell.

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"[K]ids are involved, they are in it, they are finger deep in frog guts, but it's all synthetic, so the smell isn't there, the stigma isn't there, they are not opting out," said J.W. Mitchell Principal Jessica Schultz said on the PETA website. "Every kid is engaged and we have students from all academic levels in the classes that we chose and the teachers that we have them with and they are just all in on this."

Some students have also said they prefer the fake frogs. "And real frogs, they don't actually have to be living and then die for us to do dissections on them, so I prefer this for sure." J.W. Mitchell student Maddie Foster said, according to PETA.

Planet

Easy (and free!) ways to save the ocean

The ocean is the heart of our planet. It needs our help to be healthy.

Ocean Wise

Volunteers at a local shoreline cleanup

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The ocean covers over 71% of the Earth’s surface and serves as our planet’s heart. Ocean currents circulate vital heat, moisture, and nutrients around the globe to influence and regulate our climate, similar to the human circulatory system. Cool, right?

Our ocean systems provide us with everything from fresh oxygen to fresh food. We need it to survive and thrive—and when the ocean struggles to function healthfully, the whole world is affected.

Pollution, overfishing, and climate change are the three biggest challenges preventing the ocean from doing its job, and it needs our help now more than ever. Humans created the problem; now humans are responsible for solving it.

#BeOceanWise is a global rallying cry to do what you can for the ocean, because we need the ocean and the ocean needs us. If you’re wondering how—or if—you can make a difference, the answer is a resounding YES. There are a myriad of ways you can help, even if you don’t live near a body of water. For example, you can focus on reducing the amount of plastic you purchase for yourself or your family.

Another easy way to help clean up our oceans is to be aware of what’s known as the “dirty dozen.” Every year, scientists release an updated list of the most-found litter scattered along shorelines. The biggest culprit? Single-use beverage and food items such as foam cups, straws, bottle caps, and cigarette butts. If you can’t cut single-use plastic out of your life completely, we understand. Just make sure to correctly recycle plastic when you are finished using it. A staggering 3 million tons of plastic ends up in our oceans annually. Imagine the difference we could make if everyone recycled!

The 2022 "Dirty Dozen" ListOcean Wise

If you live near a shoreline, help clean it up! Organize or join an effort to take action and make a positive impact in your community alongside your friends, family, or colleagues. You can also tag @oceanwise on social if you spot a beach that needs some love. The location will be added to Ocean Wise’s system so you can submit data on the litter found during future Shoreline Cleanups. This data helps Ocean Wise work with businesses and governments to stop plastic pollution at its source. In Canada, Ocean Wise data helped inform a federal ban on unnecessary single-use plastics. Small but important actions like these greatly help reduce the litter that ends up in our ocean.

Ocean Wise, a conservation organization on a mission to restore and protect our oceans, is focused on empowering and educating everyone from individuals to governments on how to protect our waters. They are making conservation happen through five big initiatives: monitoring and protecting whales, fighting climate change and restoring biodiversity, innovating for a plastic-free ocean, protecting and restoring fish stocks, and finally, educating and empowering youth. The non-profit believes that in order to rebuild a resilient and vibrant ocean within the next ten years, everyone needs to take action.

Become an Ocean Wise ally and share your knowledge with others. The more people who know how badly the ocean needs our help, the better! Now is a great time to commit to being a part of something bigger and get our oceans healthy again.

It's incredible what a double-sided magnet can do.


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The hobby has caught the attention of law enforcement and government agencies because urban waterways are a popular place for criminals to drop weapons and stolen items after committing a crime. In 2019, a magnet fisherman in Michigan pulled up an antique World War I mortar grenade and the bomb squad had to be called out to investigate.


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