SICB 2009 review

It was utterly appropriate that our lab's first research poster on Marmorkrebs be at the 2009 SICB meeting in Boston. Because Boston is a place that worships crustaceans.


If that is not a shrine to lobsters, I don't know what else it could be. Bow your head!

We went out to the meeting a day early with the aim of visiting some other Marmorkrebs labs in the area. We stopped off at Harvard university, and enjoyed the hospitality of post-doc Frederike Alwes, who works in Cassandra Extavour's lab on invertebrate development. Frederike rocks.

The doors on the Harvard Biology building again showed evidence of crustacean worship:


(In fairness, many other organisms were present on the doors and on the walls of the building.)

The SICB meeting itself was a packed to the rafters. I heard reports that attendance was around 1,800, and that this was about 50% more than last year!

Be that as it may, the poster session went well. We introduced many individuals to Marmorkrebs for the first time, and my co-author and poster presenter, Stephanie, had many interesting conversations.


We had hoped to make it to Barb Beltz's lab sometime during the trip. Unfortunately, first scheduling and then the weather conspired against us. We had a very small window of opportunity spoiled by the prospect of an ice storm. Having lived through the massive Montreal ice storm of 1998, I wanted no part of that. Others may brave the Massachusetts cold in the name of science.... but let's just say my students insisted taking a cab instead of walking to the nearby subway station when we left.

Luckily, there wasn't an ice storm that morning, but the rain on the window indicated it could very easily have been otherwise.


If you're one of the individuals who met us at SICB and are visiting the website for the first time, welcome! We hope you continue to visit, and hope we can provide resources for you. It looks very likely that we will be able to do so, as several more of our animals went into berry for the first time in the five days we were gone.

Thinking about the law

The question of legality of buying and selling Marmorkrebs crops up again here. I mused a bit about this before, but don't have more to say yet.

Note to myself: I really must work up a FAQ...

Another case of mistaken identity

Marble Crayfish (?)
Originally uploaded by aeschylus18917

When Marmorkrebs shows up as a Flickr tag, I pay attention. The comments for this picture, though, correctly point out that this is certainly a case of mistaken identity.

Though how that crayfish got to be over 20 cm is a puzzle...

Open Laboratory 2008

Just a quick one before I hit the hay after a wonderful full frantic day at the SICB meeting... A post from this blog, "How Marmorkrebs can make the words a better place," was selected as a finalist for the Open Laboratory 2008.

Put a little love in your heart.

2008 was the best year ever for Marmorkrebs research

Scientific publications on Marmorkrebs are showing a promising trend, with 50% more papers this year than last.

Of course, it's not really fair to throw around phrases like "50% increase" when the numbers are still quite small. But I hope that in one year's time, I'll be able to say that 2009 was the best year ever for Marmorkrebs research. The graph above does not include two papers still in press, which means that we're up two papers for 2009 already. That puts us about a third of the way towards another record breaking year before it even starts!

Additional, 10 January 2009: I just realized that the graph I posted is slightly wrong. I somehow miscounted the number of papers in 2007. I know, I know... "He can't count to five?" Sorry. But in science, the best thing is always admit error and try to fix it.

The correct graph is to the right. 2008 saw a 20% increase in Marmorkrebs papers from the previous year, not 50%.

The new phonebook is here!

This blog is now listed in the Nature.com blog list. Right below the more imaginatively named, "Monday Begins on Saturday" (a sentiment I fully appreciate, by the way).

I know blogging about being listed in a directory is a bit like Steve Martin's joy over the new phonebook in The Jerk (below), but this is about as close as I'll probably ever get to having something in Nature, so I shall enjoy it.

There must have been some magic in that old filter they found...

As a scientist, I am not allowed to invoke magic or miracles in my explanations, no matter what time of the year it is.

Nevertheless, this does seem an appropriate time of year to report the some people say that marbled crayfish are magic.

Had a tank, completely empty for the past month if not longer. Just put water in it again two days ago. Turned on the light today and there staring back at me was a marble crayfish.

First of all, I thought I had sold all of them a long time ago like a month before I moved, secondly, even when I had them, I never kept them in this tank. Perhaps she was living in one of the sponge filters I put in there? But that has been out of water for over a month as well! I dont know what to think. maybe she's magic?

Marmorkrebs also feature in this blog entry this blog entry, "Are there really virgin births?" Although I've jokingly used the phrase before, the thought creeps into mind if attaching an egg to a swimmeret should really be considered birth.