Deformed Amphibians or Deformed Science?

Andrew R. Blaustein, Joseph M. Kiesecker, Douglas P. Chivers, and Robert G. Anthony
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 1997;94:13735-13737 (December 1997)


Blaustein et al. reported that ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation caused deformities in salamanders (species Ambystoma macrodactylum. This result was based on an experiment where some salamander eggs were exposed to UV-B (at 90 percent of ambient levels) and other eggs were shielded from UV-B (about 94 percent).

Eggs that were shielded from UV-B were reported to have higher hatching rates and fewer deformities. The researchers concluded: "Our results suggest that there is potential for UV-B to cause deformities in other species and in other ecosystems that could ultimately be manifest at the population level. Thus, continued embryo mortality and an increasing frequency of deformities in amphibians may lead to population declines that are evident in many amphibian species."

But:

Having already failed to link these defects to manmade chemicals in the environment, this genre of research now aims to implicate manmade ozone depletion as responsible for the deformities.

Better luck next time!


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