A friend of mine called me yesterday to tell me about an astonishing discovery. Forty new species, including fanged frogs, super-sized rats, and a grunting fish have been discovered in an extinct volcano in New Guinea. He was marveling at how cool our planet is while I was wondering to myself why these new discoveries couldn't include soft, cuddly new dog species. Maybe these discoveries were best left undiscovered. Then it dawned on me... What if the cure for cancer is contained in one of these new plant or animal discoveries? Could fanged frogs save us all? Many of cancer's most innovative treatments have been derived from plants, sea creatures, etc... Don't believe me? Check out our Summer 2006 cover story "Surf & Turf: Nature's Hidden Medicines." To read more about the 40 new species, go to www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/07/discovery-species-papua-new-guinea
