Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I want to study the effects of synthetic hormones, primarily a type of estrogen on tadpoles to see if this effects their development and gender. What type of estrogen could I use, how would I add it, and what stage of growth should the tadpoles be in? I am looking at a 6-8 week esperiment. I want to relate this to the amount of synthetic hormones found in waste water (effluent). Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Thank you - Kimmel

Two treatments you might consider are one of the various "phyto-estrogen" supplements sold at health-food/vitamin stores (these contain an estrogen-like compound from soybeans), or one of the placenta-derived hair-care products (like "Henna & Placenta) found in beauty shops. You might be able to add these directly to the water, or if you find they don't dissolve well, perhaps add them to the tadpoles' food.

Various environmental toxins disrupt development at different times, depending on their mode of action and which developmental stages are vulnerable to the disruption. Therefore, you probably would want to begin treating the tadpoles at the earliest possible time.

Keep in mind that if you're planning an experiment with vertebrate animals you need to consider the welfare of the animals, and make sure you can do your experiment without causing them suffering. Make sure you get approval for your experimental protocol before you begin!

Good luck with your project!