FGSC BLOG ARCHIVE

1/23/07
 
Its been icy here and so there has been much sledding. This was taken at Brookside park in Kansas City, MO. It was a very diverse group of people who came to the hill by foot or in a diverse variety of vehicles.

Another popular sledding hill in Johnson County, KS was similarly fun. At this suburban location, however, everyone drove to the hill in a shiny huge SUV or mini-van.

1/19/07
 

      Puccinia teliospores

 

  

It has been a big week for Fungal Genomes.
The Phycomyces genome was released at the JGI. Phycomyces is a Zygomycete and has been studied for years both because it has interesting biology and because it is a large easily manipulated cell. For more information see this interesting web-site.

Meanwhile, the Broad Institute Fungal Genome Initiative has released the genome for the wheat rust Puccinia graminis. This weird fungus is studied extensively because it causes significant crop losses.

Phycomyces sporangia            

   
I have a somewhat cynical idea about global warming.

The US government is in denial about the fact that Global Warming associated with carbon releases could lead to  rising sea level.  Could their denial be associated with the possibility that much of the oil producing areas in the middle east would be subject to flooding?

 

 

1/10/07

The news of David and then Dot Perkins passing away has shaken the fungal genetics community and evoked strong feelings from many.

I first knew David when I took his advanced genetics course at Stanford in 1984. I was a student working in Dow Woodward's lab and was welcomed to attend the Perkins lab meetings.  I have also been privileged to interact with  him extensively through my position at the FGSC. When I first considered applying for the position at the FGSC one of my running partners and a long-time friend said that one benefit of the job would be that I got to work with Jak Kinsey; working with DDP was an unexpected benefit for which I will always be grateful.
A few years ago someone asked me who my heroes were. This caused me to think. I suppose that I am jaded or cynical and find few heroes in the mainstream world. I have always admired Buckminster Fuller as it was he who inspired me to seek to be a generalist. I think that Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were noble chaps. But among the living I only really considered David Perkins to be a hero.
I would like to think that DDP would have been honored to be considered in such fine company.


 

 

 

The opinions and ideas expressed here are my personal opinions and do not represent the position of the FGSC or the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Any resemblance to persons, alive or previously alive, is purely coincidental, except when I mention living or previously living people explicitly and especially when I include photos of living or previously living people.

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