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Possible 25 Million Year Old Frog Found

dispatch writes "A small frog, found preserved in amber, has been found by researchers in Mexico City. The frog, according to the scientists, may be some 25 million years old! According to the article: 'The chunk of amber containing the 0.4-inch frog was uncovered by a miner in southern Chiapas states in 2005 and was bought by a private collector, who lent it to scientists for study.' Unfortunately, it doesn't seem as though the scientists will be allowed to drill into the rock, at the owner's request."

36 of 151 comments (clear)

  1. Huh! by Vinegar+Joe · · Score: 5, Funny

    The owner sounds like a real toad.

    --
    "The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old......They literally know nothing." - Ben Rhodes
    1. Re:Huh! by SeaFox · · Score: 4, Funny

      The owner sounds like a real toad.

      The scientists were baffled at the man's insistence they not drill into the amber but where allowed to make a quick sketch of the prehistoric amphibian.
    2. Re:Huh! by Gabrill · · Score: 2, Funny

      Doesn't he ponder the age-old question: Is the frogs ass watertight?

      --
      Always going forward, 'cause we can't find reverse.
    3. Re:Huh! by Cally · · Score: 3, Funny

      Now the field is full of researchers all claiming to be the first to find it... they croak at each other, "crrrrredit! crrrredit!"

      --
      "None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." -- Goethe
  2. What if... by cp.tar · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... the hole they drill enables the owner to put it on a chain and carry around his neck?

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    Ignore this signature. By order.
    1. Re:What if... by olof_the_viking · · Score: 2, Insightful

      ... it turns out he made it himself and don't want anyone to know it? Faking amber with animals in it is about the third oldest scam in the book.

  3. A frog's no good anyway by Rik+Sweeney · · Score: 4, Funny

    Everyone knows you need a mosquito to resurrect the Dinosaurs. Whoever heard of a blood sucking frog?!

    I want my bloody Dinosaurs!

    * Stamps feet, puts hands on hits and pouts *

    1. Re:A frog's no good anyway by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Blood from a very specific kind of frog could have Dino DNA.

      http://pbfcomics.com/?cid=0PBF65005BC-Mosquitos_Bi te.jpg#67

      See?

    2. Re:A frog's no good anyway by TapeCutter · · Score: 3, Interesting

      "* Stamps feet, puts hands on hips and pouts *"

      Patience my friend, if it's anything like today's frogs it will have a gut full of mosquitos we can drill into.

      Seriously, if you are interested in amber and bugs (plus a bonus lizard), David Attenbourough's "Amber" doco is a must see.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    3. Re:A frog's no good anyway by dosboot · · Score: 2, Informative

      Frogs back then ate flies, just like today. If this frog had poor eyesight he might have eaten a mosquito. Sometimes, after eating a mosquito the frog would rest on the branch of a tree, and get stuck in the sap. After a long time, the tree sap would get hard and become fossilized, just like a dinosaur bone, preserving the frog inside!

      This fossilized tree sap -- which we call amber -- waited millions of years, with the mosquito inside until Jurassic Park's scientists came along. Using sophisticated techniques, they extract the preserved blood from the mosquito, and...

      BINGO! Dino DNA!

    4. Re:A frog's no good anyway by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Alas, the frog is too young for dinosaurs anyway, so it wouldn't matter if it was a vampire frog.

  4. Find these all the time by Bob54321 · · Score: 5, Funny

    .. but usually mosquitoes instead of frogs. I saw a documentary about extracting the blood they ate and making clones of the animals it belongs to. All I remember is to stand still and you will be fine.

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    1. Re:Find these all the time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      wow... I think in this case, Slashdot should allow a -2 offtopic, or perhaps have a special category, like off-the-planet...

    2. Re:Find these all the time by Kelson · · Score: 2, Funny

      I saw a documentary about extracting the blood they ate and making clones of the animals it belongs to. All I remember is to stand still and you will be fine.

      Ah, yes! I remember seeing the same historical documents! As I recall, the main conclusion to the research study was that chaos (theory) is the fundamental, driving force in the universe.

      That, and I learned how to recognize a UNIX system.

  5. It cracked the amber and immediately.. by Marko+DeBeeste · · Score: 5, Funny

    1) Yelled "Get off my lawn!!" 2) Grabbed a top hat and cane and began singingg "Hello My Baby" 3) ?? 4) Prophet!

    --
    Faith: n. -- That human impulse that drives them to steal appliances when the power goes out
  6. No problem. by jd · · Score: 4, Funny

    They'll just wait until he croaks.

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    It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
  7. Dunno about blood-sucking frogs... by jd · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...although Kermit might qualify. However, if they find a Transylvanian vampire duck with a penchant for carrot-juice preserved in amber, they'd damn well better get the DNA, whatever the owner says.

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    It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
  8. Looks Like a Grasshopper by Bellum+Aeternus · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Kudos to the scientist. From the photo I would have called it a grasshopper. Anyways, this is very cool news. If the owner (or future owner) allows scientists to drill in and get a small sample of DNA we'll be able to link it to a modern variety of frog and perhaps other animals; and it will be an amazing lineage of how DNA gets morphed over time to adapt to the environment. I'll need to do some searching to see how the frog's environment differs from 25 million years ago to now.

    --
    - I voted for Nintendo and against Bush
  9. Corrected Headline: Alien Frog Discovered by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The Earth is only 6,000 years old, so this ancient frog must be from another planet!

  10. So What If No Drilling? by logicnazi · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There are a lot of interesting non-invasive techniques that can be used to analyze the frog for now. Sure no DNA but the frog has made it 25 million years, I'm sure the DNA isn't going to get much worse in the next thousand years or so.

    Right now DNA technology is in its infancy. Eventually someone who inherits or buys the frog will let the more advanced DNA technology of the day at the frog and we will find out about it then.

    Nothing is being lost we just need a bit of patience.

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  11. This frogs has waited 25 millions years.. by jigyasubalak · · Score: 3, Funny

    ..to be kissed and to be turned into a princess.
    I hope someone gives it that much chance.

    --
    The best planning can be done after the project completes.
    1. Re:This frogs has waited 25 millions years.. by clickclickdrone · · Score: 2, Funny

      >Who'd want a 25 million year old princess? She'd be more than a little wrinkly.
      It could be Princess Leia? I wouldn't say no, especially in that metal bikini number.

      --
      I want a list of atrocities done in your name - Recoil
  12. No, no, I saw how to handle this on Looney Tunes.. by Bamafan77 · · Score: 2, Funny

    This frog is undoubtedly very talented and has a great voice.

  13. Losers by 4D6963 · · Score: 4, Informative

    However, he expressed doubt that the stone's owner would allow researchers to drill a small hole into the chunk of amber. "I don't think he will allow it, because it's a very rare, unique piece," said Carbot.

    Oh my god losers, they didn't even ask him, they just say "oh well I don't think he'll accept".

    it doesn't seem as though the scientists will be allowed to drill into the rock, at the owner's request.

    I love the smell of a misleading summary in the morning.

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    You just got troll'd!
  14. Sounds dangerous by Centurix · · Score: 2, Funny

    All glory to the Hypnofrog!

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    Task Mangler
  15. No need to drill it - 3D tomography first by G3ckoG33k · · Score: 4, Informative

    Check out the 3D pics at http://digimorph.org/. Once that is done, and no relevant information was found, one might proceed to persuade the owner. To take a destructive step first is just unnecessary.

  16. Well if they are willing to wait... by PostPhil · · Score: 3, Informative

    ...the frog has been preserved for millions of years, another 50 isn't going to make a difference. The scientific community could just wait for the owner to die, then they can get the amber and drill anyway.

    (...or they could just ask nicely.)

    1. Re:Well if they are willing to wait... by mgiuca · · Score: 3, Funny

      Lol how would you like to be the owner... the entire scientific community on the planet just waiting for an "accident" ;)

  17. Touchwood by clickety6 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Touchwood? Is that thou, Touchwood? Hast thou returnethest to Catweazle?

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    ----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
  18. Crunchy? by Scarletdown · · Score: 2, Funny

    The big question is, is it a crunchy frog, or might it just be some sort of mock frog?

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    This space unintentionally left blank.
  19. Re:Impossible by unitron · · Score: 2, Funny
    "25 million years old?! That's preposterous! Come now, we all know the earth is only 6,000 years old."

    That's what makes this so special, it was around over 24 million years waiting for a planet to come into being directly underneath it.

    Best not to drill it, though. You know what they say about letting sleeping frogs lie. :-)

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    I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.

  20. Critters in Amber - Pictures by giafly · · Score: 2, Informative

    These are found quite often.

    If you found a frog in most products you'd be disgusted. Here it's a good thing. Anyone know who does their PR?

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    Reduce, reuse, cycle
  21. Good marketing ploy by ashwinds · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I can just see the ad line "Collectors item - pristine 25 Million year old frog, certified by the @@@@ Lab". From the looks of it, the collector got a bunch of scientists to do the marketing for him. Now that the interest will get built up, the value will go up. Also, he makes sure that there is enough value for the next buyer as well by ensuring they don't drill it up now.

  22. Re:FROGGER!! by Andrew+Kismet · · Score: 3, Funny

    I think you're more likely to find prehistoric frogs with tire impressions.

  23. Re:but, God created world 6000 years ago... by Sesticulus · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Isn't this the guy going to jail for tax evasion and who threatened the prosecutors and judges on the jail telephone. He doesn't sound particularly bright and somehow I think he's probably not the guy to look for in regards to "Truth".

    He certainly missed that part of the bible about render unto Caesar and do unto others. So I would guess that in all the other fields he claims to offer startling evidence that overthrow the existing theories and mountains of data, he's probably missed the boat too.

  24. Moo by Chacham · · Score: 2, Funny

    Scientist: Frog could be 25 million years old

    It could also be 35 million years old. Change the headline!

    Who made up this 25-million year thing anyway, and why. It sounds to me like some sensationalist news reporter asked:

    Reporter: Is it possible the frog is old.
    Scientist: It is very like to be very old, considering it is preserved in amber.
    Reporter: Could it be a million years old?
    Scientist: Perhaps.
    Reporter: How about a billion years old?
    Scientist: That is less probable as frogs weren't around quite yet.
    Reporter: Maybe one-hundred million years old?
    Scientist: You may be pushing it.
    Reporter: Then fifty?
    Scientist: Listen, lower it to twenty-five and you can use my name. Now just pay me and get lost, the next reporter is coming in.
    Reporter: "Scientist: Frog could be 25 million years old"