Introductory Talks/Tox

So here I am... why? Partly because I have a poor memory, and a blog to look back upon will no doubt help me piece together the story of my life. Partly because people who I think are cool and who I want to be like do it. But mostly because I have papers to write and I am procrastinating. And as those papers are about Toxicology, in one or another of its many manifestations, my blog starts of with a picture of my newest friend, Xenopus laevis, aka the South African clawed frog (and soon to be happy member of my family!).

The species Xenopus laevis rose to public fame as the notorious killer meat-eating cannibalistic invasive species that has terrorized the native fish, amphibians, and invertebrates of the southern States. But more notably, it is also a model for studying the teratogenicity of chemicals (teratogen = substance that disturbs the development of an embryo or fetus). FETAX, or the Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay – Xenopus, involves incubating frog embryos with the desired chemical, and over a period of four days evaluates effects such as lethality, malformation, and growth reduction. The assay can be used not only for isolated chemicals, but for evaluation of complex cocktails, such as pulp mill effluent or soils. So the next time you see a member of Xenopus laevis, say thank you for their contribution to science. Unless you are in California... then send them to the great big stagnant pond in the sky.

Images were taken by me in my undergraduate Medical Toxicology lab at the University of Guelph.