Researchers believe this discovery could be useful for human medicine.
Transparency is actively used by aquatic creatures to hide from predators. But New Atlas writes that glass frogs are one of the few terrestrial species that have developed and successfully used this skill.
Glass frogs got their name because of their special ability – during the day they make their bodies completely transparent in order to adapt to the environment and avoid threat. At night they appear only green, but at dawn they turn their skin and tissue literally transparent, leaving only their bones, eyes and internal organs visible – all this makes them almost invisible on the leaves.
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A team of scientists from the American Museum of Natural History and Duke University sought to unravel the main mystery of glass frogs in a new study. To do this, they used photoacoustic imaging and studied glass frogs in captivity. Note that not a single amphibian was harmed during the study – the scientists did not use contrast or anything else that could harm the frogs.
In fact, the photoacoustic imaging method involves the effect of harmless laser radiation on biological tissue – it is absorbed by molecules (erythrocytes) and converted into sound waves. Scientists analyzed these waves and managed to determine the location of red blood cells in the body of frogs.
During the study, scientists discovered that frogs send about 90% of the red blood cells in their bloodstream to the liver during sleep – as a result of which their skin and muscle tissues have become two or even three times more transparent than before. In addition, the liver of glass frogs is protected by a reflective outer membrane, which also helps reduce its visibility.
Curiously, a similar trick in most other vertebrates can lead to the formation of potentially life-threatening blood clots in blood vessels. But this does not happen with these amphibians – unfortunately, scientists do not yet understand why this happens. However, answering this question may hold the key to a drug that will prevent blood clots in humans.
According to study leader Jesse Delia, this work is a pioneer in the study of the physiology of vertebrate transparency. The scientists hope that the results will serve as an incentive for other researchers and also allow for the future development of drugs that will prevent the development of blood clots.
Previously Focus He wrote that scientists traced the evolution of frogs in the Chernobyl zone – amphibians turned black from radiation.
Source: Focus
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