Published 15:05 IST, November 23rd 2019
Florida: JW Mitchell becomes world's first school to use synthetic frogs for dissection
A school in Florida, JW Mitchell High School, is set to become the world's first school to use artificial frogs for dissection in its science laboratories
- World News
- 3 min read
A school in the state of Florida, JW Mitchell High School, is set to become the world's first school to use artificial frogs for dissection in its science laboratories. The high school will be using artificial frogs so that the students get a chance to study the anatomy of frogs without causing harm to a real animal or being exposed to the health hazards that come along with dead animals. According to reports, the artificial frogs will mirror the visual and textural properties of a living frog.
Focus on educating students
Superintendent of the schools in Pasco County, Kurt Browning, stated that the school district in the county is focused on being a leader in the field of innovation and opportunities for students and it was a wonderful news to announce that Mitchell High school was going to be world's first to use synthetic frogs in its labs.
The artificial frogs have been codenamed SynFrog and have been developed by SynDaver which has its headquarters in the city of Tampa. The company is known for creating artificial models of both animals and human beings for education purposes, medical device testing and surgical simulation.
A superior and safer learning tool for students
CEO of SynDaver, Dr Christopher Sakezles, said they were excited to announce their creation of the synthetic frog which will act as a superior learning tool for all the students. He further added that the company's offering will mimic a real frog specimen that is found in the school's science labs.
Sakezles added that the synthetic version is much safer as it does not release a harmful toxin Formalin when it is dissected. He went on to thank PETA for their financial support which helped in starting the initial phase of development of the artificial frog and also helped in speeding up the process that ultimately led to a faster delivery of the products.
Sakezles's company added that the synthetic tissues used to make the frog were made of salts, water and fibres and also said that the frogs are free of any chemicals and can be used again.
PETA(People with the Ethical Treatment of Animals) funded the project by providing $150,000 in order to help SynDaver to speed up the process in terms of developing the frog.
(With inputs from agencies)
Updated 16:14 IST, November 23rd 2019