Tadpole Science Gets Its Legs . . .
. . . and reveals complex lives for the swimming squiggles
By Susan Milius
The wonder of tadpoles morphing into frogs or toads has always provided preschoolers with an enticing entrée into the world of science. But the little critters aren’t just for kids. An ever-widening pool of adult scientists is turning to tadpoles.
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Biologists interested in development have focused on the tadpole-frog transition. Yet a profitable focus of research, little attention went to the physiology, behavior, ecology, and natural history of the tadpole until the past few decades.