School Becomes First In World To Use Synthetic Frogs For Dissections
By John Vibes
For generations, millions of frogs have been killed each year for use in science labs in high schools across the developed world. Hopefully, this practice can come to an end now that we have the technology to perfectly replicate the anatomy of pretty much any animal in artificial form.
A school in New Port Richey, Florida is leading the way by becoming the first school in the world to use synthetic frogs for their anatomy class dissections. J.W. Mitchell High School is using something called SynFrog, which is developed by a company called SynDaver, based in nearby Tampa.
SynDaver can create synthetic models for pretty much any animal, or even humans. The synthetic frogs cost about $150 each, which is a bit more than the frogs used in traditional dissections, but it is likely that they could be reused, saving the schools more money in the long run.
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“The Pasco County School District is committed to being a leader in innovation and opportunity for students, so we are excited to announce that Mitchell High School is the first in the world to use SynFrogs in science labs, giving our students a learning experience no other students have ever had,” Kurt Browning, Pasco County Superintendent of Schools said in a statement.
Dr. Christopher Sakezles, founder and CEO of SynDaver, says that all of the company’s artificial models are designed to look and feel just like the real thing.
“We’re excited to announce our revolutionary SynFrog, which is a far superior learning tool as it is designed to mimic living tissue. This makes it more like a live frog than the preserved specimens currently sold to schools for dissection labs,” Sakezles said.
“SynFrog not only looks and feels like a real frog, it’s physically safer to dissect than a real preserved frog because it doesn’t contain potentially harmful chemicals like formalin. We commend Pasco County Schools for taking this monumental step to advance science education, and we want to thank PETA for their funding support, which helped with the initial development phase of the product and enabled us to deliver it faster than previously anticipated,” he added.
All of the artificial tissues sold by the company contain no chemicals, and are made out made of water, fibers, and salts.
The development of the SynFrog was made possible thanks to a $150,000 from the animal rights organization, People with the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
John Vibes is an author and journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture, and focuses solutions-oriented approaches to social problems. He is also a host of The Free Your Mind Conference and The Free Thought Project Podcast. Read More stories by John Vibes
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