Science is not always right 🙈🙉🙊
A few decades ago, I read a few articles of a flood of frogs in America that was starting to develop extra limbs. At first, this was blamed on water pollution. The problem was that it was not possible to identify the chemical in question.
It turned out frogs do grow extra limbs or fewer limbs due to a parasite. The parasite was not targeting frogs as their final destination. It just used frogs to get to their next hosts. But then people argued that the parasite could have increased their numbers due to pollution.
Now, this is very complex as the parasite lives in snails (as part of its life) before moving to tadpoles whom they mutate to become multi-limbed frogs so that the frogs can be eaten by birds. So it is not simple to say A cause B since it needs to influence all the other steps.
So does it mean that the scientist got it wrong? Well, before you close the case, I need to point out that certain pesticides appear to increase the chance of mutation.
It turned out frogs do grow extra limbs or fewer limbs due to a parasite. The parasite was not targeting frogs as their final destination. It just used frogs to get to their next hosts. But then people argued that the parasite could have increased their numbers due to pollution.
Now, this is very complex as the parasite lives in snails (as part of its life) before moving to tadpoles whom they mutate to become multi-limbed frogs so that the frogs can be eaten by birds. So it is not simple to say A cause B since it needs to influence all the other steps.
So does it mean that the scientist got it wrong? Well, before you close the case, I need to point out that certain pesticides appear to increase the chance of mutation.
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