Genetics class begins this week, and I am ready for the first week. Syllabus: done. This week’s lectures: done. This week’s lab: done. I can sit back and relax and maybe go for a walk today, that bit of stress is gone.
Now the lab for the second week…that’s another story. That week the students are supposed to start breeding flies, and I got my fly stocks all set up in December, and I was supposed to be at the stage of expanding the colony to have a surplus in time to hand them out. Some of the lines have been duds. Wild type flies are doing fine, the scarlet mutants are proliferating like gangbusters, but the white miniature forked mutants are barely getting by, and I’m down to a handful of brown flies, because they keep dying off. Fresh stocks have been ordered, but I’m going to be cutting it close — every step in these crosses has to be carefully timed in order to get results that don’t conflict with those stupid interruptions in our schedule, like spring break.
So I’m fine this week except that I’m going to be panicking about next week. There’s always something to elevate my anxiety.
moarscienceplz says
That’s what you get when you use spiders for lab assistants.
I’m guessing the scarlet flies are not as tasty.
PZ Myers says
None of these flies have been subject to the depradations of arachnids! I have a separate line of wingless flies I use for spider feeding that are not used in the genetics class.
shermanj says
Dear Prof. Myers, it appears that you, too, suffer from Mel Brooks Syndrome. (a reference to his movie ‘High Anxiety’). I hope you can find a way to breathe deep and calm your mind. After all, you just survived a Friday the 13th. (I always tell people ‘For those who are superstitious, it’s Friday the 13th. And, for those of you who are not, it’s still Friday the 13th.
Artor says
Who has been forking your white flies, PZ? One of your lab assistants has some answering to do!
ANB says
I’m 62. I’m glad I finished my tenure in education (teaching and administration at all levels: primarily, e.m). Sad, however, at what education has become.
basementboi says
Who cares about flies? See, the problem is all these mouse models in medicine that modern Big Pharma relies on to make shitty overpriced cancer drugs.
Please stop wasting energy on mice and flies .