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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."

13 of 151 comments (clear)

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

    The owner sounds like a real toad.

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    "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. 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.
  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 *

  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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    :(){ :|:& };:
  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.

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    - 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. 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!
  12. 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.