According to a well-known scientific anecdote, if a frog is placed in cold water and gradually heated, it will cook alive without realizing the danger. But how true is this?
This widely circulated scientific anecdote often serves as a metaphor for describing calmness and inaction in the face of a slowly approaching threat.
If a frog is placed in boiling water, it will immediately jump out. However, if the animal is in room temperature water and it is gradually heated, then, according to the legend, the frog will cook alive without realizing the danger. But do frogs really fail to notice threats and do not try to escape?
Origin of the Anecdote
This phenomenon was first discussed in the 19th century. Researchers studying the spinal cord of animals conducted a series of experiments and noted that frogs in heating water remained "calm under all temperature changes, never showing signs of distress or pain, never attempting to avoid imminent death."
However, many retellers forget to mention that the brains of the test animals were dead. The bodies of the frogs were only performing basic functions, such as breathing.
Some observations show that frogs try to escape even from water at a temperature of 25 degrees, regardless of how slowly it is heated.
However, there is a lack of data for more definitive conclusions, as such experiments are considered unethical and are not conducted in the modern world.
Despite the refutations, the story of the frog in boiling water has become an ideal metaphor for people who do not react to slow and steady changes occurring before their eyes, such as climate change.
