The gastric-brooding frog is a unique and interesting specie of frog in Australia. It was one of only two known frog species to incubate the juvenile stages of their offspring the the stomach of the mother. This means that female gastric-brooding frogs gestates eggs fertilized by their male counterparts in their stomachs and regurgitates live baby frogs after a period of time. However, the gastric-brooding frog has been extinct for about 30 years since 1983 due to what many believe was a disease the originated from a fungus spread by humans. With the advance technology of the present though, science has allowed for the dead to be brought to life, a process once only possible in dreams and in the imagination as seen in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
Led by Professor Mike Archer and cloning specialist and frog expert Micheal Mahony, the Lazarus Project is leading the charge to bring the gastric-brooding frog back from extinction. Using DNA collected from 40 year-old frozen frog tissue, the scientists have been able to create embryos of genetically confirmed gastric-brooding frogs. Such de-extinction technology would provide security measures against extinction and biodiversity crisis in the future. Furthermore, the team of the Lazarus Project hope to use this process as a gateway for reviving the extinct Tasmanian tiger and possibly many other creatures of past as well.
Led by Professor Mike Archer and cloning specialist and frog expert Micheal Mahony, the Lazarus Project is leading the charge to bring the gastric-brooding frog back from extinction. Using DNA collected from 40 year-old frozen frog tissue, the scientists have been able to create embryos of genetically confirmed gastric-brooding frogs. Such de-extinction technology would provide security measures against extinction and biodiversity crisis in the future. Furthermore, the team of the Lazarus Project hope to use this process as a gateway for reviving the extinct Tasmanian tiger and possibly many other creatures of past as well.