GEORGE TO CHRISTINE; KERMIT TO MISS PIGGY

GEORGE TO CHRISTINE; KERMIT TO MISS PIGGY

The Obama administration has become concerned by the amount of toxic weed killer in our drinking water and is conducting a review to see if tighter restrictions need to be implemented. The Chicago Tribune reported that, “Despite growing health concerns about atrazine, an agricultural weed killer sprayed on farm fields across the Midwest, most drinking water is tested for the chemical only four times a year -- so rarely that worrisome spikes of the chemical likely go undetected.” The Tribune also reported that,” Manufacturers say their own research proves the chemical is safe. But alarmed by other studies, the Obama administration is conducting a broad review that could lead to tighter restrictions.” Manufacturers say their own research proves the chemical is safe. While that might be true for humans; what about animals?

Science Daily reported that atrazine, wreaks havoc with the sex lives of adult male frogs, emasculating three-quarters of them and turning one in 10 into females, according to a new study by University of California, The 75 percent that are chemically castrated are essentially "dead" because of their inability to reproduce in the wild, reports University of California Berkeley's Tyrone B. Hayes, professor of integrative biology.

What is interesting is that the 10 percent of frogs that become females ‑ something not known to occur under natural conditions in amphibians ‑ can successfully mate with male frogs but, because they are genetically male, all their offspring are male. So the male frogs that become females can reproduce but they only have sons and not daughters. Kermit becomes Miss Piggy.

It might not be easy being green, but it’s harder if your sex changes! So while some are worrying about Asian Carp invading the Great Lakes (not the Supreme Court) I think we should worry about saving emasculated frogs. Illinois chose the Eastern Tiger Salamander as the state amphibian in 2004; and the vote was made official by the General Assembly in 2005. While their diet consists mainly of small insects and worms, it is not rare for an adult to consume small frogs. So we are back to having to worry about the frogs in order to protect the eating habits of the salamander. The official nickname for Illinois is The Prairie State and the Big Bluestem is the official state prairie grass. Where do frogs hop? In the grass! The Bluegill is the official fish and the best way to catch one is with a bluegill frog popper lure. So it seems that everything in Illinois revolves around the frog. But if the male frog is being poisoned and becoming a female frog where does that leave us? You fill in the blanks here.