Foam from frogs' nests could help make bandages that release drugs

Male tungara frog

A túngara frog (Engystomops pustulosus)

Paul Hoskisson

The foam that some frogs produce to make nests could be a good candidate for future pharmaceuticals and cosmetics because it can keep its shape for more than a week, isn’t likely to irritate human skin and can slowly release drugs for days.

Most synthetic and natural foams – like medical foams, beer foam, and the “spit” left on grass by insects called leafhoppers – collapse into a liquid within minutes or hours. But some frogs produce an incubator foam – protecting eggs and tadpoles …

source: newscientist.com