tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7819688123764229065.post3903894847916235603..comments2024-02-18T03:39:19.390+03:00Comments on Notes From Kenya: MSU Hyena Research: What do we do with all this poop?MSU CNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997499077027854416noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7819688123764229065.post-52522275455216036502012-08-10T18:41:50.040+03:002012-08-10T18:41:50.040+03:00I'm very surprised that at the most crucial st...I'm very surprised that at the most crucial step—pouring off the fluids to get at the now radioactive pellet in the tube—there isn't a sieve or other barrier you use to prevent the processed pellet from falling into the drain. I would think you don't want to contaminate one sample with another, so you can't use the same sieve again and again, but what about a paper coffee filter? or even just some tissue? Use once and dispose. And then it'd only be to catch the pellet if it falls out; If your hand is steady enough to keep the pellet in the tube, the process ends up exactly as before. The barrier is there just in case the pellet falls.<br />If coffee filters or tissues contain substances that you don't want on the pellets, are there lab-grade filtration papers you can use? Or are the costs for such items prohibitive (i.e., the intended market is pharmaceutical or chemical research, studies with money to burn, as opposed to zoologists who must watch every cent spent on supplies)?<br />It's amazing not only that there's a link between old-fashioned field observation of animals and ultra-modern, highest of high technology biochemistry but that the link is something as humble as animal droppings! Thanks for the fascinating post, and good luck in your research. I'll be interested to know your results on stress levels among different populations, and—if there are differing stress levels by population—your hypotheses or findings on why this might be so.Bud Moranshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10243336191492279726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7819688123764229065.post-52393256961308134582012-07-20T23:42:21.088+03:002012-07-20T23:42:21.088+03:00Really enjoyed this post AND learned from it. Nic...Really enjoyed this post AND learned from it. Nice job! After watching Dr. Holekamp go through "the fires of hell" to keep the samples safe and then get them from the Mara to the lab, it's great to know that they are producing what you guys need. <br />Hw's Target II doing?deenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7819688123764229065.post-67276191183181388052012-07-20T21:23:26.156+03:002012-07-20T21:23:26.156+03:00Nice explanation! I have a great memory of spottin...Nice explanation! I have a great memory of spotting a high-ranking male produce a tiny sample for us right in the middle of the road. We pulled up next to it and politely waited for the comby behind us to pass. They then pulled up really, really close. We were worried about them running over the poo, so we kept staring down at it. Then all of the tourists in the comby stared down at it, and the driver said, "Is THAT what you're looking at?". That driver didn't follow our vehicle around after that.Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04604965517022418091noreply@blogger.com