FROGUTS.com !!

I would like to talk about a site that wasn't listed on Dr. Heigle's blog called Frog Guts at www.froguts.com. This site offers an alternative to dissecting real animal specimens. I think in science we often ignore the student questions about ethics in science in regards to dissection. As a scientist, I truly value the experience gained from working with a real specimen. There is no way to simulate the feel of specimen, and the knowledge gained can be incredible. Without dissecting real specimens, students won't be able to observe the individual differences between specimens. The students who have completed dissections often reflect that they enjoyed the experience and learned a lot. I certainly do not want my future doctors and veterinarians to work on me and my pets without first dissecting other specimens. It may even help students who have an interest in those fields to decide how serious they are about their specimens.

On the other hand, there are some students so opposed to dissection that they avoid taking biology and fear that part of the class. For students who have an interest in science but no interest in medical fields, why should they have to dissect real specimens? Certainly a high quality online application would suffice instead. Although students will miss the individuality and real life feel of an animal dissection, perhaps this should be left for upper level optional classes like anatomy or zoology. Regular biology students could focus on online dissections and leave real dissections for upper level classes. This would encourage ethics discussions in science classes and exemplify the use of good ethics.

Frog Guts is an excellent online dissection simulation that asks for a paid subscription for their full services. However, there are a few specimens that can be demoed for free, like the frog. The site does a great job of first directing students through interactive observations. Then there are step by step directions about the actual dissection, starting with the basic step of pinning the frog so it won't move. I love that there is instant information about what the student is seeing. It also ensures that the students are seeing what they are actually supposed to see, which isn't a guarantee when doing a real dissection. I encourage you to go to the homepage and click on demos. From there, you can pick an animal and start your dissection!