We, at the Science Creative Quarterly, as well as the Science Scouts wish you a happy International Year of Biodiversity. Please go outside or something. If not, then do check out our phylomon project..
Our sister site, Terry, is pleased to say that our student conference, TEDx Terry talks was a rip-roaring success. Videos have all been released and are viewable over here. To check out details on the conference overall, do visit here.
Note that the "physical laws of the universe" are now on twitter. Please follow accordingly.
STILL LIFE WITH A MODEL ORGANISM
Last Thanksgiving, I needed to bring my flies home for the holidays in anticipation of the eclosion of important potential recombinant male progeny. My goal was to use my freezer, a tray of ice, a dissection pad, a paintbrush, and some hoisted fly food vials from my lab to separate the males and the females.
At some point during Thanksgiving, my mother asked if they “needed to be on the countertop” and when I said “no” they were moved to this photogenic area. Remarks were made about the apt proximity of fruit to fruit flies, the galosh representing the Earth and Nature, etc.
Overall, they were a hit. So don’t be embarrassed to bring a model organism home for the holidays– it can add so much.
Lena is a 4th year graduate student at Brandeis University where she repeatedly asks fruit fly maggots whether it is, in fact, getting hot in here. They have yet to disrobe, but she's waiting.
