In addition to walking to school uphill both ways in the snow, there's now one more thing this generation will never understand: having to dissect a formerly live frog in biology class.
SynDaver, which is known for creating extremely lifelike cadavers for education and research purposes, has now added to the lower level education. The Tampa-based company has created a synthetic synthetic frog which mimics the look and feel of a real female frog. This is intended to replace the dead, formalin-preserved frogs common in science classroom dissections.
The frogs, aptly called SynFrogs, are made from synthetic tissue. The skeleton, muscles, skin and organs are all made from the material, along with an entire reproductive system.
“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," Christopher Sakezles, founder and CEO of SynDaver, said in a statement. “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."
New Port Richey-based J.W. Mitchell High School was the first to dissect the frogs with almost 100 students partaking. This makes the school the first in the world to perform a dissection on a synthetic animal.
"The Pasco County School District is committed to being a leader in innovation and opportunity for students," Kurt Browning, Pasco County Superintendent of Schools, said in a statement. "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."
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In addition to being more realistic for students, SynDaver is also getting recognized by PETA for its reusable alternative to using formerly-live frogs.
"We’re proud to have found a partner in SynDaver to bring this revolutionary new educational tool to life, replacing the outdated use of once-living frogs forever,” Shalin Gala, PETA’s vice president of International Laboratory Methods, said in a statement. “We look forward to schools around the world adopting this state-of-the-art technology that will not only save millions of frogs, but is a far more effective and safer teaching tool.”
