The Journal of Real and Conceptual Tartigradology

One of my Dad’s minor fantasies was “The Journal of Real and Conceptual Tartigradology,” which, it was envisioned, might serve as upstart competition for the “Journal of Irreproducible Results,” then a comic fad among certain scientists and notorious for its tantalizing flatworm research.


Nor would the proceedings restrict themselves entirely to “Der Kleiner Wasserbar,” cute though he is:




Instead, through some elegant thought experiments involving this little fellow we would foster a renaissance in experimental design.  Meanwhile, our minions, hardened into their spore stages by harsh upper atmospheric conditions would wait for the call.


Tartigrades are indeed remarkable creatures, Rebecca’s blog from which the image comes says it well:

http://biologicalbeachcombing.blogspot.com/2012/01/tribute-to-tardigrade.html


I think it was the tardigrade’s compact form-factor and absolute resemblance to an animal that fired Dad’s imagination to employ them as an experimental subjects.  Drosophila are so dirty, the lab always stinking of fermented banana paste, white rats present their own set of problems.


Today at “Cal Day” on the UC Berkeley Campus, I saw the quarry in person for the first time, a colossal boar, immobilized on a microscope slide in a smear of saline solution, without the dramatic ruddy armor plates seen above, but otherwise the same chitinous yellow coloration.  Suddenly it wriggled and completely resembled an eight legged dog.   How ever could we have imagined mistreating it, even for scientific purposes...