Sera Black

Science at it's finest:

Jumpamine chloride (JCl-) is a natural waste product of muscle metabolism in many species of frogs. Phrogsucker et al. (1957) first reported that up to 60% of this chemical is reabsorbed from the bladder before excretion. One recent study showed that injection of JCl- into the bloodstream increased muscle mass in the grass frog Rana pipiens (Hylaflex and Smith, 1988).

Ten specimens of Rans pipiens were given 1.0 ml. of 10% JCl solution Ten control frogs were given injections of 1.0 ml of a salt solution. All frogs were maintained at 25C for 1 day in 1 inch of water. At this time each frog was placed on an open floor and induced to jump 2 times by slapping the ground behind the frog.

The results presented here also have serious implications for the use of JCl- in frog jumping contests. Our results support the conclusions of Twainson (1990), and suggest that government regulation and drug testing may be in order.