moment of awesome

I was SO RIGHT about an obscure topic relating to my project, and the professor's story about finding that out was darkly hilarious.

Earlier this week, I found the first acorn worm ever to be described from Friday Harbor! (This is not a good thing per se; it means they may be able to escape in larval form from the Labs, though they could easily have arrived via ballast too. Still, a winner is me.) It has since been pickled for posterity.

All my ideas came together today, and after talking to the profs they are together still, amended, and extended. This is going to be really fun.

Photos coming soon, as I am now camera-enabled courtesy of the excellent hattifattener.

nightlighting 23 July 2008

Acorn worm update: It is not the same kind of hemichordate that researchers here had in the lab, so its provenance is being investigated by detailed sectioning.

"Nightlighting" is the charming practice of taking the Labs' two underwater lanterns, hanging them in the water next to the docks until after dark, and lying on your belly watching the animals come to investigate. And, of course, taking pictures.

( Not such big pictures )

Tomorrow: Going out on the boat again in the morning to dredge for animals for my own real live project. Molgula pugetiensis and possibly M. taylori are around here, and it would be, well, more fun than helpful, but still cool to have them on board.