Skip to comments.
Scientist: Frog Could Be 25M Years Old
Myway ^
| Feb. 14, 2007
Posted on 02/14/2007 6:47:47 PM PST by Alouette
MEXICO CITY (AP) - A Mexican researcher announced the rare find of a tiny tree frog completely preserved in amber on Wednesday that he estimates lived about 25 million years ago.
The chunk of amber containing the 0.4-inch frog was uncovered by a miner in southern Chiapas states in 2005 and was bought by a private collector, who lent it to scientists for study.
Only a few preserved frogs have been found in chunks of amber - a stone formed by ancient tree sap - mostly in the Dominican Republic. Like those, the frog found in Chiapas was of the genus Craugastor, whose relatives still inhabit the region.
Biologist Gerardo Carbot of the Chiapas Natural History and Ecology Institute, who announced the discovery, said it was the first such frog found in amber in Mexico.
Carbot said he would like to extract a sample from the frog's remains to see if they contain well-preserved DNA, in order to identify the frog's species.
However, he expressed doubt that the stone's owner would allow researchers to drill a small hole into the chunk of amber. "I don't think he will allow it, because it's a very rare, unique piece," said Carbot.
TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: amber; fossils; frog; ggg; godsgravesglyphs; jurassicpark; lookbackinamber; paleontology
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-35 last
To: thackney
Hello my honey...hello my baby...hello my rag time gal!
21
posted on
02/14/2007 8:25:07 PM PST
by
The Lumster
(USA - where the innocent have nothing to fear!)
To: Alouette
Carbot said he would like to extract a sample from the frog's remains to see if they contain well-preserved DNA, in order to identify the frog's species. Or else he wants to extract the DNA to clone them and create a vast entertainment center containing half-inch prehistoric frogs: Oligocene Park.
22
posted on
02/14/2007 8:34:55 PM PST
by
KarlInOhio
(Samoans: The (low) wage slaves in the Pelosi-Starkist complex.)
To: Alouette; MeekOneGOP; Conspiracy Guy; DocRock; King Prout; SandyInSeattle; Darksheare; OSHA; ...
Helen Thomas news trivia alert *whimper*
23
posted on
02/14/2007 9:32:28 PM PST
by
Slings and Arrows
("Facts are a Zionist plot!" --MarkL)
To: spanalot; Screamname
Oh, please. What do you think -- that we're all like Screamname, having no self-restraint and common decency? That really hurts.
24
posted on
02/14/2007 10:33:04 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(I last updated my profile on Wednesday, February 14, 2007. https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
To: Calpernia
Thanks Calpernia for the ping. Tastes like chicken I'll bet.
25
posted on
02/14/2007 10:33:57 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(I last updated my profile on Wednesday, February 14, 2007. https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
To: Screamname
You're sick! You're sick!
I think there is a cure for you though.
'Wolf recommends 20 days on the beaches of Costa Rica subject to continuous torture. Its called the Costa Rica 'young honey thong' torture method.
Have I been there? no. Now that I think of it 'Wolf needs to go down there and get reprogrammed too.
26
posted on
02/14/2007 11:28:33 PM PST
by
RunningWolf
(2-1 Cav 1975)
To: Alouette
27
posted on
02/15/2007 12:01:31 AM PST
by
WestVirginiaRebel
(A liberal is a man too broadminded to take his own side in a quarrel-Robert Frost)
To: thackney; All
28
posted on
02/15/2007 12:17:11 AM PST
by
WestVirginiaRebel
(A liberal is a man too broadminded to take his own side in a quarrel-Robert Frost)
To: Spruce
29
posted on
02/15/2007 4:53:27 AM PST
by
Screamname
(Guinness world records reports that the record for youngest living person is constantly being broken)
To: Screamname
You have just caused me severe cranial-corneal damage....
To: Alouette; Slings and Arrows
Helen Thomas was even too ugly for the dinosaurs!! :-P
31
posted on
02/15/2007 11:08:40 AM PST
by
Irish_Thatcherite
(Apathy is one of the most dangerous ideologies in existence!)
To: Alouette
32
posted on
02/17/2007 7:07:34 AM PST
by
mmmRamen
(i could use a clever tagline)
To: Alouette
Even more interesting, since the species is still extant, would be to compare the preserved DNA to that of a present day frog to see what kinds of changes it had undergone over the 25 million years (other than base changes from degraded DNA).
33
posted on
02/17/2007 7:23:31 AM PST
by
aruanan
To: thackney
Michigan J. Frog reprises his role as a Republican member of Congress
34
posted on
02/17/2007 7:36:18 AM PST
by
InvisibleChurch
(Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a function.)
|
GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach |
|
|
Thanks Calpernia (again) for the ping, and thanks Alouette for the topic.
Blast from the Past.
Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution.
I have no idea how I managed to post in the topic but not post the GGG ping message.
To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. |
|
35
posted on
08/18/2011 5:45:18 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Yes, as a matter of fact, it is that time again -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-35 last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson