Morphologynet.Org
Reported July 2005
ROLLA, Mo. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Frogs are some of the oldest living creatures and they could provide the first clues on changes in our environment that could impact us. Today scientists are getting the inside facts from frogs.
Frogs. They're the line of defense to tell us what happens when something is wrong in the environment. And according to biologist Anne Maglia, chemicals in the water may have something to do with the developmental problems that breed frogs with multiple limbs or facial deformities.
"It's really important to people because a lot of this water ends up being part of the drinking water supply," Rolla, from the University of Missouri-Rolla, tells Ivanhoe. And that is the reason Maglia has dedicated her life to learning about frogs and now she is helping the world learn about them too.
Joining forces with computer scientist Jennifer Leopold, Maglia created a Web site that lets students to get inside amphibians. The site also allows scientists to share their research with experts around the world. This high-tech tool could help scientists identify local environmental problems sooner.
But there's nothing hi-tech to how the research starts. Maglia says, "We can take a frog, cut it into about 2,000 slices." Computer software then uses mathematics to piece the slices together like a puzzle, creating an animation. You can take the frog apart, highlight areas, shadow them, and even go inside them.
"We're building now, essentially, a virtual museum of 3-D reconstructions of anatomy," Maglia says. The information can be dissected for generations to come, and through each frog, we'll find out a little bit more about ourselves.
Morphologynet.org is not just for frogs. You can also check out reptiles, fish, birds and mammals.
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