Japanese to patent transparent frog

Japanese boffins have used artificial insemination to breed mutant frogs with transparent skin. The scientists reckon this will make biological research - not to mention school biology lessons - signifcantly less messy and traumatic, as it will no longer be necessary to cut the slime-filled creatures up in order to examine their …

[Ian Ferguson]

I want one!!!

FROGGIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! GIMME!!! *glee*

*ahem* What I meant to say was, I want one for serious scientific research. Of some kind.

[oxo]

Well done Mr Page

Brilliant, just brilliant.

Your talents are wasted here. Have you thought of doing stand-up?

[Simon Brooks]

Prior Art

Can they really patent something that is already in nature? Check out the Glass Frog! (Totally transparent so you can see the bones and organs!) Its cool!

here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrolenidae

God 1: Scientists 0 (ducks for flame war!)

[Anonymous Coward]

Other applications?

Now that they're transparent, why not genetically engineer one with an internal OLED display? The perfect recyclable pocket TV, just package it with a sachet of mayonaise... Galvani would be so pleased :)

[Michael Sheils]

1945 bucket of sunshine

Simply brilliant, well done.

[Anonymous Coward]

Potential customer?

It will no doubt be of great interest to extreme body modders, such as this guy:

http://www.pizdaus.com/pics/I1VSbMaDjmnq.jpg

[Anonymous Coward]

A proud moment for science

See through frogs - does it get better than this?

[Paul]

batrachians with built-in windows

Can you get them with Linex? Will I get a refund if I don't want windows?

[Edward Rose]

What is being patented?

See through skin? Apparantly been done, by good ol' evolution - cheers Simon*

Selective breeding? 'Nuff said.

Artificial insemination? I dread to think who came up with this creative trick. But, it's an oldie.

* don't trust wiki? Try google images. They look kind of transparant on some of them. I think.

I can only assume they have been successful in nature for the following reason:

"Damn I'm hungry, oh, look a frog - tasty. Oh wait, not enough meat, I can see its bones from here."

[Simon Brooks]

Glass Frog Update

for a better picture try this one!

http://www.ryanphotographic.com/images/JPEGS/Hyalinobatrachium%20fleischmanni%20on%20glass.jpg

[Mike]

Pedant Alert

It's *TRANSLUCENT* you muppets, not transparent.

"Transparent" would imply a bunch of organs and eyes leaping about the place which, although much, much cooler, isn't what's being punted here.

[Anonymous Coward]

Bucket of sunshine

I have only just got up off the floor !

[Tom]

Every day the day today

This has to be the best Morris-like* headline to date.

Brilliant.

* I will not deign to use "-esque"

[Anonymous Coward]

Absolutely brilliant.

As Ron Dennis would say - Lewis, you've done it again. 'BRM' indeed - it's perfect. If I had a hat, it would be off to you, but I don't because I used to have a hat and it was off to you the last time you did a science article, and I lost it. You're just *that* good.

[Steve Evans]

Ahhhh... Just wait

"The glassy frogs can have children, also transparent, but the following generation die at birth."

Maybe at the moment, yes... But such is the way with mutations, nature will find a way to fix that.

[Eric Crippen]

God???

1. Which god would you be referring to? It would make just as much sense to attribute the frogs' qualities to the chihuahua that lives in the apt. upstairs from me. At least it exists.

2. You may want to discuss/pray about design flaws with your god. maybe it could resubmit a more robust design for any living creature out there. That leftover tail on humans really has no purpose for example.

3. You could just give up on the whole god fantasy and realize that things do just happen on their own. That would also mean taking responsibility for yourself.

4. You still don't believe in santa, the tooth fairy, the easter bunny or the great pumpkin also?

No need to post anonymously on this one.

[Dan Caugherty]

Had to do a double-take

It looked for a moment like someone was trying to patent "transparent fog".

I claim "air" to be prior art on that one.

[Luther Blissett]

@Eric

" You could just .. realize that things do just happen on their own. That would also mean taking responsibility for yourself."

Nah. If they happen on their own, then there's no need for personal responsibility. So who would? Or are you the Deus Ex Machina you are so sceptical about?

Nice story, natch. I just wish it were true.

[Anonymous Coward]

BRM Enabled

Why do I get the feeling that the BRM cracking process will be VERY gooey indeed?

[Anonymous Coward]

How do they whack the grandkids?

So the originals can procreate, but the grandkids all die at birth? How does that work? Even with double recessive death genes, shouldn't there be at least 10% survivors?

BTW - My patron saint is the Parking God. {quickly closes blast doors...}

- The Garret

[Anonymous Coward]

Pretty good

the article was great and the boot note was inspired.

[Anonymous Coward]

Transparent whales

If the Japanese could make whales transparent maybe they won't need to disect the whales in the name of science.

[Anonymous Coward]

Transparent whales?

You poor fool. Your transparent whales are no match for my sonar-guided, explosive harpoon equipped Giant Squid. BWAHAHAHAHA!!!

[David]

Re: Bucket of sunshine

OK, I'll confess that I laughed (partly in shock, I suppose), but that really is a "joke" in extremely poor taste indeed, trivialising two very horrific events. Yes, war is hell in every way, but particularly so in those cases. I don't imagine there'll be many citizens of Hiroshima or Nagasaki laughing along with you..

[J]

Re: God???

You embarrass us atheists by not getting the freaking joke, Eric... Or just ignoring it anyway.

"I don't imagine there'll be many citizens of Hiroshima or Nagasaki laughing along with you."

Well, unfortunately that is the nature of humour, I'm afraid. The best of it is always at the expense of someone...

[J]

Re: Absolutely brilliant.

Second that. Much, much better than the usual, boring "butchered press release-like" science articles usually written by other El Reg hacks. He even put an "IT-angle" there, mind you... :-)

[gadiv]

Terminal Generations

I'd say it's pretty unethical to breed a generational self-destruct sequence into any living thing, especially for something as ultimately trivial as money gleaned from a patent.

I would think Roy Batty had taught us all this lesson by now.

[Nexox Enigma]

Damned Hilarious...

...but you forgot to tell us how big the frogs are. Judging by that picture with absolutely no visual references, I'd say that it'd be about 0.5 linguine long and have a volume of nearly 1/3 of a Bulgarian Airbag, though I reserve my right to be utterly and completely wrong (as always.)

And that bootnote was hilarious, especially since I'm not the sort to mind if a joke pisses off a couple people - or a couple million as the case may be.