Doctors wrap a child’s burnt skin with sterilised tilapia fish skin at Dr. Jose Frota Institute in the northeastern costal city of Fortaleza, Brazil, May 3, 2017.

Researchers in Brazil are experimenting with a new treatment for severe burns using the skin of tilapia fish, an unorthodox procedure they say can ease the pain of victims and cut medical costs. Frozen pig skin and even human tissue have long been placed on burns to keep them moist and allow the transfer of collagen, a protein that promotes healing.