Why should people be concerned about declining amphibian populations?
Aside from the philosophical supposition that the world is simply a more interesting and beautiful place with amphibians, there are many practical reasons. Amphibians have long played a key role in the advancement of biological sciences and human medicine. From using amphibians in high school biology classes to human pregnancy testing labs, humans have benefited from them in many ways. For example, poisonous compounds isolated from an Ecuadorian frog (Epibatadine) have been used to develop a painkiller that is many times more powerful than morphine but lacks addictive side effects. Medical researchers are exploring whether other amphibian-derived chemicals can be used to treat diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Some amphibian species can survive being frozen solid. Understanding the processes that make this possible could provide breakthroughs for developing cryogenic treatments that would allow human life to be suspended during prolonged surgery. More recently, the role of amp
