Yet another reason why scientific nomenclature is useful. Dead man's
fingers is also the common name for the green alga Codium.
George I. Matsumoto
Education and Research Specialist
MBARI
Andy Spencer wrote:
>
> These aren't the only errors - dead man's fingers are actually Alcyonium sp. an
> octocorallian. That is if they are referring to the white finger-like
> colonies that come up in trawls in the North Sea.
>
> Alex McDougall wrote:
>
> > Dear Martin Green
> >
> > I am sorry to say that I think the Times reporter, in his effort to sell the
> > story to his Editor, got a little colourful with the facts.
> >
> > They were actually reporting on the fact that we are using ascidians to
> > purify a protein that triggers calcium oscillations at fertilization (why I
> > do not know). Since the first paper by Swann, 1990 the search has been on
> > for the putative "sperm factor". Ten years on and it is clear that the
> > protein has proven difficult to purify using mammals. Since then three
> > groups have been using other species in an attempt to purify the sperm
> > factor: Cerabratulus lacteus (Stricker, DB, 186, 185-201 (1997)), Ciona
> > savignyi (Kyozuka et al., Development, 125, 4099-4105 (1998)) and
> > Ascidiella aspersa (McDougall et al JCS, 113, 3453-3462(2000)).
> >
> > Alex McDougall
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Martin Green <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
> > Date: 27 November 2000 18:59
> > Subject: Re: adult photoreceptors
> >
> > >Dear Dr Jeffries,
> > >>From your enviable vantage point in the British Museum perhaps you can
> > throw
> > >some light on a report which appeared in another bastion of the
> > >establishment, The Times of London : "The sea squirt, also known as dead
> > >men's fingers, is a small sluglike sea creature known for eating its own
> > >brain: once it has found an appropriate rock to set up home on, it has no
> > >further use for its brain, and digests it". This report was quoted in a
> > >Canadian daily, the Globe and Mail, Nov 24.
> > >What one earth are they talking about ? Martin
> > >
> > >
> > >>From: Richard Jefferies <[log in to unmask]>
> > >>Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
> > >>To: [log in to unmask]
> > >>CC: [log in to unmask]
> > >>Subject: Re: adult photoreceptors
> > >>Date: Fri, 24 Nov 2000 12:18:12 +0000
> > >>
> > >>Dear Colleagues,
> > >> Now that you are all talking about photoreception in tunicates and
> > Prof.
> > >>Tsuda has mentioned photoreception in the larva, may I remind people that
> > >>August Froriep, in a paper that some probably do not know, argued that
> > the
> > >>eye of a tunicate tadpole is homologous with the right paired eye of a
> > >>vertebrate. Somebody ought to think about this.
> > >> The reference is: Froriep, A. 1906. Ueber die Herleitung des
> > >>Wirbeltierauges vom Auge der Aszidienlarve. Anatomischer Anzeiger, 29
> > >>(Verhandlungen der Anatomische Gesellschaft. 20. Versammlung in Rostock):
> > >>145-151.
> > >> > Best wishes,
> > >> Dick Jefferies
> > >>*********************************
> > >>
> > >>Dr. R. P. S. Jefferies,
> > >>Department of Palaeontology,
> > >>The Natural History Museum,
> > >>Cromwell Rd.,
> > >>London,
> > >>SW7 5BD
> > >>Telephone Number:0207 942 5014
> > >>(Internationally 00 44 207 942 5014 )
> > >>Fax Number: 0207 942 5546
> > >>(Internationally 00 44 207 942 5546)
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >
> > >___________________________________________________________________________
> > __________
> > >Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download :
> > http://explorer.msn.com
> > >
>
> --
> Dr. Andy Spencer (Director and Professor of Biological Sciences)
> Bamfield Marine Station
> 100 Pachena Road
> Bamfield, B.C.
> V0R 1B0
> Tel. 250 728 3301 Ext. 215
> Fax. 250 728 3452
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