Green glowing frogs detect pollution

Just came across this article from last December about engineering tadpoles to express green fluorescent protein when exposed to pollutants. A strength this approach has over more traditional techniques is that the tadpoles only respond to bioavailable forms of target toxins.

Since this is fluorescence not luminescence, the detection would require at minimum a special light source and a filter. My first thought when seeing this was to wonder how they detect the fluorescence. According to the researchers this turned out to be “nontrivial.”

"Tadpoles aren't just going to sit still while you measure them. They're usually off and running."

Product literature available at the website of the company the researchers founded, WatchFrog, says that the method can be used to detect hormonal disruptors and heavy metals.