As a professional systematist**, this is the kind of claptrap I have to deal with on a daily basis. I use both types of data (morphological and DNA) and people should understand that molecular biology does not replace morphological taxonomy, but it provides another useful source of data. What is used for DNA data these days are a tiny part (especially DNA barcodes) of the functional organism, and the phenotype comes about in ways we do not completely understand yet. Because of the attitude shown in this post, several generations of biologists are not taught how to identify animals of any sort; zoological and botanical survey courses are being dropped from cirricula at most universities, especially here in Australia. I won't even work with Australian students anymore, because they both don't know anything basic, and because of their background seem more interested in their smart phone than looking down a microscope. So yes, taxonomists like me are becoming a rarity, both because of declining interest but also because of a lack of jobs for anyone who wants to take up the field. And yet I regularly get requests from the molecular only students to tell them what they have -- for free.
**((I name species and groups, but I am also interested in evolution biogeography etc))
In fact, those hairs are cuticular hairs, and probably not sensory. Other crustaceans have similar hairs, but this species just has a lot on the first legs. An isopod crustacean, Peludo , also has a lot of cuticular hairs. I wonder if this is indeed a new family, as it looks like other members of the galatheid group.
This sounds a lot like something that has been around for years. Check out the "The Postmodernism Generator" - quoting http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/community/postmodern.html , a Monash Uni site: "written by Andrew C. Bulhak, using the Dada Engine, a system for generating random text from recursive grammars. More detailed technical information may be found in Monash University Department of Computer Science Technical Report 96/264: "On the Simulation of Postmodernism and Mental Debility Using Recursive Transition Networks"." Now available at http://www.elsewhere.org/cgi-bin/postmodern/
Sounds like a great idea, until the beetles (not the fossil rock group) get into your CD collection. We once used corn-based packing material at our Museum (smelled great, made me hungry every time I had to send a package) until we discovered it was the source of a beetle infestation. The little buggers loved the stuff, and tried to spread their love around into our collections! Not good. So how about an army of beetles getting into your music and data backup collection?
Check this site
http://www.smh.com.au/news/0111/24/spectrum/spec tr um1.html at the Sydney Saturday Herald
for a better news article, and this website
http://www.austmus.gov.au/
at the Australian Museum (where the Thylacine research is taking place) for links on the project. Another factoid: even though the Tasmanians exterminated the Thylacine, its image graces their regional beer, Cascade. Go figure.
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As a professional systematist**, this is the kind of claptrap I have to deal with on a daily basis. I use both types of data (morphological and DNA) and people should understand that molecular biology does not replace morphological taxonomy, but it provides another useful source of data. What is used for DNA data these days are a tiny part (especially DNA barcodes) of the functional organism, and the phenotype comes about in ways we do not completely understand yet. Because of the attitude shown in this post, several generations of biologists are not taught how to identify animals of any sort; zoological and botanical survey courses are being dropped from cirricula at most universities, especially here in Australia. I won't even work with Australian students anymore, because they both don't know anything basic, and because of their background seem more interested in their smart phone than looking down a microscope. So yes, taxonomists like me are becoming a rarity, both because of declining interest but also because of a lack of jobs for anyone who wants to take up the field. And yet I regularly get requests from the molecular only students to tell them what they have -- for free. **((I name species and groups, but I am also interested in evolution biogeography etc))
In fact, those hairs are cuticular hairs, and probably not sensory. Other crustaceans have similar hairs, but this species just has a lot on the first legs. An isopod crustacean, Peludo , also has a lot of cuticular hairs. I wonder if this is indeed a new family, as it looks like other members of the galatheid group.
This sounds a lot like something that has been around for years. Check out the "The Postmodernism Generator" - quoting http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/community/postmodern .html , a Monash Uni site: "written by Andrew C. Bulhak, using the Dada Engine, a system for generating random text from recursive grammars. More detailed technical information may be found in Monash University Department of Computer Science Technical Report 96/264: "On the Simulation of Postmodernism and Mental Debility Using Recursive Transition Networks"." Now available at http://www.elsewhere.org/cgi-bin/postmodern/
Sounds like a great idea, until the beetles (not the fossil rock group) get into your CD collection. We once used corn-based packing material at our Museum (smelled great, made me hungry every time I had to send a package) until we discovered it was the source of a beetle infestation. The little buggers loved the stuff, and tried to spread their love around into our collections! Not good. So how about an army of beetles getting into your music and data backup collection?
Check this sitec tr um1.html at the Sydney Saturday Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/news/0111/24/spectrum/spe
for a better news article, and this website
http://www.austmus.gov.au/
at the Australian Museum (where the Thylacine research is taking place) for links on the project. Another factoid: even though the Tasmanians exterminated the Thylacine, its image graces their regional beer, Cascade. Go figure.