Be Excellent To Each Other

Might be renamed, according to today's times. Which would suck as I've become quite attached to my memories of the eighty thousand of the little blighters that I bred and the eggs I cut up. This is more important than renaming pluto as a not planet and something must be done.

They are going to be renamed the "Fly Fly".

Hands off the Drosophila!

It's asylum seekers gone mad, I tell ya!

(I used to rip the saliva glands out of the maggots, and breed wierd ones with white eyes & stuff)

Here's a fly embryo, that I done stuff to, and stained with antibodies, showing the nervous system and how it's a bit fucked.

This one is interesting, as you can see the "tip cell" which acts a a marker for the cells that will form the malpoghian tubules to follow and grow.

For reference, this is a wild type (non mutant) version of the nerves, as they should look:

If i recall correctly, the microscope was a Nikon something or other, and the computer used to image was a G4. Fucking good kit it was. Also, fly embryos are a bitch to work with at times, and we had to use some meccano to help us along the way.

I miss my flies, greatly.

There ain't no flies on us

Even flies have taste.

(Plays tiny drum kit.)

Oh no?

I fear the witchcraft you employ to direct the course of proto-baby-fly innards.

TWISTED BRAIN WRONG OF A ONE OFF MAN MENTAL.

Antennapedia Kicks Ass

It was incredibly interesting: I managed to map two new genes that affect development.

Cool! Are those genes named after you now or anything?

What was the overall aim of your study? If it wasn't the creation of some sort of insectoid super-solider, I'll be very disappointed.

MaliA: Pretty fly for a white guy.

GRAAAAAAAAH! No culture vessel can contain me!

It was investigating the Malpighian Tubules, which is what the flies use to breathe, and how they develop. it was interesting as it was an epithelial transport tissue. From a developmental genetics point of view, the best way to do this is to get a bunch of flies, zap them with radiation, then let them breed and see what comes out the other end. From this, and by doing careful crosses, you can work out where the gene that causes that effect lies. So, every morning at 8am, it was time to go into the 18 degree fridge, and get the vials out. From there, you stick CO2 into the vial, and tap out the flies onto a pad which ahs CO2 perculating through it to keep them asleep. using a paintbrush, separate the boy flies from the virgin females, throw the non virgin females away. place in seperate jars. Repeat at noon and 6pm. Breed one male with 12 females and look at the eggs. repeat. After a few crosses, and what the flies look like, you can work out where the gene lies.

Zio flies!

I got it the wrong way around once....

Slag.

Heh.