Just have to brag on dear SIL!

  • Thread starter Thread starter dixieagle
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
D

dixieagle

Guest
I just had to brag a bit on my sweet SIL, who will complete his Ph.D. in biology next spring. He is co-author of a paper, published yesterday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, detailing a new “ant from Mars”, as they are calling it, that his colleague found, quite by chance, in Brazil. My SIL is the scientist who did the DNA analysis that determined it is of the “oldest living lineage of ants.” Here is just one of the numerous online articles:

telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/09/15/sciant115.xml

You can just google “ant from Mars” and tons of others will pop up - MSNBC, FOX News, National Geographic, among others. The Science Editor of the NY Times will also apparently be writing an article about this.

Now, I know that none of us (except biologists!) likely spends a whole lot of time thinking about ants, but this is an amazing discovery. The best thing, to me, is that SIL is a PRACTICING CATHOLIC evolutionary biologist!

OK…bragging over.
 
That is pretty interesting. Maybe these South American ants can migrate to the US, the way their Fire Ant cousins did in in the 1918-19’s. On a boat from Brazil to LA(Lower Alabama). Haha.
 
GratefulDad said:
That is pretty interesting. Maybe these South American ants can migrate to the US, the way their Fire Ant cousins did in in the 1918-19’s. On a boat from Brazil to LA(Lower Alabama). Haha.
Click to expand...
I think we in LA have enough critters of any type! 🙂 Plus, they likely couldn’t find their way, as they are blind, subterranean ants. The one my SIL did the DNA testing on was found by his colleague, purely by chance, totally out of its element, having somehow emerged from its underground habitat.
 
Outstanding! PNAS is a top-tier journal, publishing in it is a good deal. Is your SIL in the group from Texas mentioned in the Telegraph article? (Just curious, I went to UT. Hook 'em!)
 
JWC said:
Outstanding! PNAS is a top-tier journal, publishing in it is a good deal. Is your SIL in the group from Texas mentioned in the Telegraph article? (Just curious, I went to UT. Hook 'em!)
Click to expand...
Indeed, he is (JB.) He performed the analysis that actually identified and classified the ant. I was astonished to see the story on the front page of AOL, on Foxnews.com, Msnbc, National Geographic, to name just a few.

His UT experience has been outstanding, and I have a feeling he won’t be lacking for post-doc offers next year 🙂 He is such a sweet, humble young man who gets most annoyed if anyone tells him how darn smart he is.

He has already been published numerous times, including in Science as an undergrad. We’re so happy for him and for his colleague who actually found the little critter by accident.
They discovered tonight that Jane Goodall is actually halting production of her newest book until she can speak with them about this discovery!!!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top