salamander heads and cytoplasmic inclusions!
I feel dumb using an Ambystomatid larva icon for this entry...I need a Desmog or at least a Plethodontid....
I started my thesis research on Thursday and I'm SO excited! I'm sampling local populations of Desmognathus salamanders for a blood parasite. The bacterial parasite isn't selective by sex and isn't habitat specific-mildly positive correlation with age though. It also doesn't hurt the 'manders at all! They're totally asymptomatic! So it's a weird little bug, and my mentor really wants to know more on it.
The first batch of D. ocoee arrived fresh and ready on Wednesday from Coweeta! The process was pretty bloody (we had so sacrifice them all to get enough blood). My partner set a lab record by extracting enough blood from a teeeeny little 'mander that only weighted 0.32g; less than a paperclip! Anyways, the exciting part was that we found the parasite in 30% of our sample group! The EVEN MORE exciting part?! It was a NEW SPECIES of parasite! I will be meeting with the vet school after Thanksgiving to brief them on my research and hopefully they will allow me to use their PCR equipment to figure out what this new bug is.
It's hard to believe that I started my college career drawing pictures, and now I'm in a lab discovering new species. I NEVER would have expected myself to be here. I'm still drawing pictures though when I can! Sadly, class has kind of got in the way of my fingerdraws :C I can't wait for this semester to be over so I can be creative again. Here's some stuff that has built up!
Sorry about the shitty thumbnails. Click to make 'em bigger!
Owwllll
Pokemans pokeymans pokemons.
KakaPokemon
From my skull haul!
I don't even remember drawing this...let along WHAT it is. Eelthing.
This year's Halloween picture. Unfinished, of course.
Back in the day...all I did was draw wolves.
I need more coffee shop doodlepagings to get me through my week, I think.
Well, that was it! Meager pickings with the hope for more in the next few weeks when this semester is over!
I started my thesis research on Thursday and I'm SO excited! I'm sampling local populations of Desmognathus salamanders for a blood parasite. The bacterial parasite isn't selective by sex and isn't habitat specific-mildly positive correlation with age though. It also doesn't hurt the 'manders at all! They're totally asymptomatic! So it's a weird little bug, and my mentor really wants to know more on it.
The first batch of D. ocoee arrived fresh and ready on Wednesday from Coweeta! The process was pretty bloody (we had so sacrifice them all to get enough blood). My partner set a lab record by extracting enough blood from a teeeeny little 'mander that only weighted 0.32g; less than a paperclip! Anyways, the exciting part was that we found the parasite in 30% of our sample group! The EVEN MORE exciting part?! It was a NEW SPECIES of parasite! I will be meeting with the vet school after Thanksgiving to brief them on my research and hopefully they will allow me to use their PCR equipment to figure out what this new bug is.
It's hard to believe that I started my college career drawing pictures, and now I'm in a lab discovering new species. I NEVER would have expected myself to be here. I'm still drawing pictures though when I can! Sadly, class has kind of got in the way of my fingerdraws :C I can't wait for this semester to be over so I can be creative again. Here's some stuff that has built up!
Sorry about the shitty thumbnails. Click to make 'em bigger!
Owwllll
Pokemans pokeymans pokemons.
KakaPokemon
From my skull haul!
I don't even remember drawing this...let along WHAT it is. Eelthing.
This year's Halloween picture. Unfinished, of course.
Back in the day...all I did was draw wolves.
I need more coffee shop doodlepagings to get me through my week, I think.
Well, that was it! Meager pickings with the hope for more in the next few weeks when this semester is over!