Re: NANFA-- cells smashers and ichthyologists

Bonnie Ullmann (ullmann_at_uoneuro.uoregon.edu)
Thu, 21 Feb 2002 12:10:47 -0800

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I think we are all seeking the answers to questions and so, maybe it
comes down to what you prefer to look at all day long, a
microcentrifuge tube and a pipettor or the whole darn fish. Myself,
I'm into looking at the fish. Others here prefer to look at what they
CLAIM is going on in the bottom of the microtube, invisible though it
may be. More power to them, I say, they are answering my questions
without my involvement in more than a casual relationship with my
pipettor. Actually, although we are basically developmental
anatomists in our fish lab, almost no one in research gets away
without making the acquaintance of a pipettor once in a while these
days.
bonnie

At 5:33 AM -0800 2/21/02, Mike Bessert wrote:
>Jay -
>
>I couldn't agree more. Although I probably came off a bit defensive of
>"cell smashing," I believe that scientists / naturalists / individuals at
>either extreme really do miss out. I think "hybrids" - people in the middle
>ground - can make especially important contributions in terms of defining
>genetically distinct conservation units, providing supplementary genetic
>information to better understand previous behavioral observations, etc.
>
>Thanks for the read.
>
>- Mike
>
>
>
>> Mike, I'll be happy to send you the article. I think you may have
>> misunderstood some of the attitudes expressed here. I think most of us
>> would agree that people at either extreme are missing important parts of
>> what is natural history, and subsequently miss opportunities to contribute
>> to the protection of biodiversity.
>>
>> --
>> Jay DeLong
>> Olympia, WA
>>
>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: owner-nanfa_at_aquaria.net On Behalf
>>> Of Mike Bessert
>>> Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2002 12:34 PM
>>> To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
>>> Subject: Re: NANFA-- cells smashers and ichthyologists
>>>
>>>
>>> Jay -
>>>
>>> Foremost, I consider myself an ichthyologist (I don't know...
>>> does spending
>>> approximately 160 hours snorkling/observing fish spawning in the prairie
>>> potholes of SD last summer qualify me as a field guy?); however, I also
>>> "smash cells" to answer important questions about the natural
>>> history of the
>>> species I am investigating. How does that grab everyone?
>>>
>>> Anyway, I understand some of the prickly, er, pessimistic views towards
>>> molecular guys that do no field work in their system of
>>> interest... and I'd like to obtain a copy of the article you describe.
>>>
>>> Thanks.
>>>
>>> Mike Bessert
>>> Lincoln, NE
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
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>/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
>/ Association"
>/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association
>/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
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/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association"
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association
/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org
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