This week's collection of whimsical and curious stories will finally discuss the long-overlooked potential contributions of the common Russian brown frog to the dairy industry.
Cold-blooded - Long before anybody had heard of Louis Pasteur, there are accounts of Russian peasants putting live frogs into milk cans to keep them cool. It was apparently believed that these cold-blooded creatures would keep the milk itself cool. However, thanks to Albert Lebedev, a scientist at Moscow State University, we now know the real mechanism of frog-induced milk preservation: the secretions of their skin. In his 2012 paper, Lebedev found a variety of compounds with anti-bacterial properties that would help explain why keeping a healthy frog population mucking about in your dairy products should not be frowned upon.
Following the publication of his research, Lebedev mentioned that he was in talks with "several pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer" about synthesizing some of these compounds for medical purposes. Perhaps the next pandemic will end with the generous help of some frog goo.
Russian Brown Frog (Rana Temporaria)
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