Scientific Name: Xenopus tropicalis

Organism Facts:

• Serve as a major model for the study of embryonic development because the eggs are very large in size, develop externally from the mother, and are able to withstand extensive surgical intervention for embryo manipulation studies.

Which UI Department of Biology researchers study this organism:

Douglas Houston 

Why UI Department of Biology researchers use this organism:

• Researchers in the University of Iowa Department of Biology use frogs to study how organisms develop and how factors from the mother impact the development of the embryo. Growth factors are often misregulated in cancers and other diseases.