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In frogs, the first sensory neurons that develop play a role in the animals hatching response. Heathcote, a professor of biological sciences, and graduate student Peter Feud want to know what guides the development of sensory neurons, so they will fertilize eggs to create embryos.

Professor David Heathcote sticks his hand into the space-age looking tanks that hold collections of Xenopus laevis-African clawed frogs.

Usually a dark brown color, David Heathcote's collection of frogs include a single albino.

One of many frogs in the lab that are used for the study to fertilize eggs and create embryos.

Eggs are harvested with gentle pressure in order to make accurate experiments.

Graduate student Peter Feud prepares vials of seminal fluid to fertilize the eggs. Frogs are an ideal model for this type of research due to their embryos are large, transparent and can develop outside the female's body.

Fertilization of the eggs is completed in the petri dish.

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