Frog-in-bucket-of-milk folklore hits jackpot.

• Position: Antibiotics - Brief article

Following up on an ancient Russian way of keeping milk from going sour--by putting a frog in a bucket of milk--scientists have identified a wealth of new antibiotic substances in the skin of the Russian Brown frog.

Researcher A.T. Lebedev of Moscow State University explains in the Journal of Proteome Research that amphibians secrete antimicrobial substances called peptides through their skin. These compounds make up the majority of their skin secretions and act as a first line of defense against bacteria and other microorganisms that thrive in the wet places frogs, salamanders, toads, and other amphibians live. A previous study identified 21 substances with antibiotic and other potential medical activity on the skin of the Russian Brown frog.

Lebedev set out to find more of these...