The ribbiting science of frogs

About this episode

The episode explores the science of frogs, including their embryos, regeneration abilities, and the impact of a devastating fungus on amphibians.

In 2025, Russian-born scientist Kseniia Petrova picked up some spliced frog embryos from a laboratory in France and brought them back to the USA to aid her research into ageing and cancer. She was detained by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), charged with smuggling and had her visa revoked. Now though, a judge has ruled that the scientist’s visa was wrongly cancelled. Inspired by this story, the Unexpected Elements team find out how embryos and sperm behave in space. Next, we discover that embryos can regenerate limbs, and new research could help us unlock those skills as adults. We also reveal the unexpected link between frogs and pregnancy tests, and find out about a devastating fungus that’s wreaking havoc on amphibians. And don't miss probiotics for coral reefs, dessert stomachs and the weird physics of time. All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements. Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Katie Silver and Camilla Mota Producers: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, with Ella Hubber and Georgia Christie

People in this episode

Hosts: Marnie Chesterton, Katie Silver, Camilla Mota

Topics covered

• frog embryos
• space research
• limb regeneration
• amphibian fungus
• coral reef probiotics
• physics of time

Keywords

• frogs
• embryos
• cancer research
• space
• limb regeneration
• fungus
• coral reefs
• physics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement

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