A Duttaphrynus melanostictus sheds its skin.

JASMINE VINK

While sloughing off their skin, amphibians can increase sodium uptake to make up for the ions that leak out, according to a new study by Australian scientists.

See N.C. Wu et al., “Living with a leaky skin: upregulation of ion transport proteins during sloughing,” Journal of Experimental Biology, doi:10.1242/jeb.151738, 2017.

Interested in reading more?

The Scientist ARCHIVES

Become a Member of

Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!