Scientists say that “Toads ‘could be used to predict earthquakes’”
December 2nd, 2011 - 10:15 pm ICT by Aishwarya BhattMadrid, Dec 2 (THAINDIAN NEWS) A group of scientists have concluded that toads could be good warning system for earthquakes. The scientists say certain species of the animal have the capacity to sense changes in the soil which could eventually mean an earthquake is eminent.
Researcher from the United Kingdom studied previous earthquakes and the actions of the toads just before the quake struck. One of the cases that they studied was the devastating quake that struck the Italian town of L’Aquila. Just days before the quake, several colonies of toads were seen leaving ponds in the area.
The scientists found that the animals were able to sense some chemicals in the ground which accurately predicts earthquake. Scientists say studying the creatures will help in the early prediction of earthquake which will save lives.
NASA’s Friedemann Freund, who was the leader of the research, told BBC that, “Positive airborne ions are known in the medical community to cause headaches and nausea in humans and to increase the level of serotonin, a stress hormone, in the blood of animals.”
The study which was conducted by researchers from NASA and Open University, UK was published in the journal Environmental Research and Public Health.
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Tags: aquila, chemicals, colonies, earthquake, earthquakes, headaches and nausea, ions, italian town, medical community, nasa, open university uk, ponds, public health, quake, researcher, scientists, sense changes, stress hormone, toads, warning system