Summary: Frogs that can SEE out of their BUTTS! Episode 46 - by Scott Unger (Click here to directly access the MP3) (Access the full text transcript) Scientists at Tufts University graft an eye onto the tail of a tadpole and discover that without any direct connection to the brain, the tadpoles can still see! No ifs, ands or BUTTS about it, this is an amazing finding that has tremendous impact on research into replacing sensory organs in humans. Listen to the podcast for more on this amazing study! For more info: Tadpoles see with extra eyes - from The Scientist Blackiston, D. J. and M. Levin. 2013. Ectopic eyes outside the head in Xenopus tadpoles provide sensory data for light-mediated learning. Journal of Experimental Biology. 216, 1031-1040. doi: 10.1242/jeb.074963 Beazley, L D. 1975. Developent of intertectal neuronal connections in Xenopus, the effects of contralateral transposition of the eye and eye removal. Exp Brain research 23 505-518 Scott Unger is the producer / director of Experimental. He’s also a career science communicator with a background in Microbiology, and spent seven years working in a series of laboratories before moving into science writing. Scott is an alumni of the Banff Science Communications Program. Learn more about Scott from his LinkedIn résumé.
