Oponions needed.

[crysta]

Hello all, how are you?

Anyways I'd like to know your oponions on whats causing this phenomona. What brought this too my brain recently is that I had read this article;
http://www.cato.org/dailys/2-18-98.html

It seems that two scientiste are argueing with eachother and not giving me and us a straight anser. It kinda leaves us thinking.

But my oponion is that its three things, the worms that snails carry.(trematodes ), and chemicals industries produce and polute our inviroment with, and the sun. Could it be a conbonation with these three things?.. Personnaly I don't know much about this, and would like your oponions as well.

Thanks,
Crysta

 

[jennifer]

The article is called "Science, Salamanders and Political Correctness". That's an eye-catcher!

I disagree with M. Gough that the methodology of the study is necessarily flawed. The study is probably legitimate, but limited (I haven't seen the original article). The "big picture" conclusions are going to be debated, but that's normal. Parasites, chemicals, and extra UV are all able to cause deformities. Showing those things experimentally is important, but doesn't tell us the real cause of deformities in nature. It could be any one of them, or a combination as you suggest.

 

[edward]

There is a similar problem that occurs in anurans except the end host for the trematodes are birds. The increase in deformities seen in anurans infected by higher levels of the trematodes was traced back to nutrient richer waters (pollution such as nitrates from fertilizers) supporting a higher level of snails which in turn enabled a higher survivorship of the trematodes and subsequently a higher level of infected frogs.
I wonder if they accounted for solar heating of the egg masses in the group that allowed for transmission of the light??

Ed

(Message edited by Ed on December 18, 2005)