Mythic Salamander Faces Crucial Test: Survival in the Wild

Link to article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/world/americas/struggle-of-axolotls-mexicos-mythical-salamander.html?ref=biologyandbiochemistry&_r=0

 

First discovered at the time of the Aztecs, the Axolotls were being used as food for the people. Nowadays, they still are but their numbers have shrinked a lot. With the waters where they live being polluted, the salamanders have no where to go and live. The loss of the salamander would extinguish one of the links the Mexicans have with the Aztecs that lived there long ago. Axolotls were once at the top of the food chain, and finding them a new home would be a struggle. One person trying to help the salamanders, Dr. Zambrano, has gotten a few farmers to make organic fertilizer so it won't contaminate the current home of the salamanders. Scientists have decided to see if they can survive in a test pond, and if they can, they will move them there, away from their current polluted home.

NOS themes:

• Science is subject to debate: Not every scientist is going to think that the Axolotls should be moved to test ponds.
• The role of motivation and curiosity: A scientist has to be motivated and willing to learn how to help these creatures survive.
• Science involves collaboration: A couplf of scientists worked to find how to help these salamanders survive.

-Chelsea Olson