scientific process

Where the wild (*and infected) things are

science

Read our OA manuscript in Molecular Ecology Resources

Parasites are tricky animals in their own right. We forget that sometimes– thinking of parasites as a symptom or a consequence of something rather than as their own entity. Macroparasites, the tapeworms and cestodes and flukes of the world– they are animals. And they have wild ways of living their lives.

During my postdoctoral work, I fell headfirst into the world of parasites. The parasites we have been working on are a fascinating tapeworm called Schistocephalus solidus which must be consumed by three different animals in order to reach adulthood. Isn’t that insane? They begin in the wilds of lake sediment as eggs. They must be consumed by a zooplankton (copepod), which then must be consumed by a fish. That fish is eaten by a bird. Only then—inside a warm-blooded avian gut—can the parasite finally reach sexual maturity and reproduce. It’s less “circle of life” and more “gauntlet of digestion”.

Everyone knows tapeworms. Tapeworms have wrecked havoc on the world. They affect our dogs and cats, our cattle and sheep, and can be absolutely debilitating for humans. The thing is. . . we know a lot about tapeworms once they are big. But how tapeworms start their lives is kind of a mystery. How do they get from an egg floating in a lake to the body of that first host? This early chapter is surprisingly mysterious.

This paper is all about generating that first insight. What is the infection intensity in first-intermediate hosts in wild populations?

To answer that, we turned to a powerhouse molecular tool: droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). Imagine regular PCR, but supersized—replicated 20,000 times in parallel. It’s incredibly sensitive, able to detect the faintest traces of parasite DNA in a single, transparent zooplankton drifting through the water column. It’s a first and important step to systematically quantify infection dynamics in first-intermediate hosts. It took a lot of troubleshooting, a lot of learning, and more than a few “why won’t this work” moments. But in the end, we developed a set of primers and probes that can detect early-stage helminths, not just in S. solidus, but n a range of tapeworms and flukes.

If you’re interested in cryptic infections, trophic transmission, or just love a good parasitic mystery, this paper is for you. Take a peek and maybe you too can be a space-traveling Indiana Jones, following parasites through space and time. Oh my!

Stay tuned for really sexy papers about infection dynamics in first-intermediate hosts across time. I am cooking with gas now, friends.

Design Portfolio Example :: Scientific conference poster

Uncategorized

Process shown with kind permission from Eldon Ager.

When designing a poster, my guiding light is to limit myself to 250 words and fewer than 3 graphs. You have only half a second– the time someone is walking by– to win their attention.

Design

The process

You aren’t going to get it on the first try. Or the second. Or the third.

I work by first setting the dimensions of the poster in PowerPoint and then building on top of that. Don’t delete anything, just create a new page! Sometimes an idea from a forgotten draft is just what you needed for the final.

Experiment with different shapes. How can you use the least amount of words while still communicating your message?

Try sketching your ideas out on paper. Get your thoughts and story written, then refine them. Here, one of my best friends Ilmur Jónsdóttir, illustrates her process to designing her poster for the CRISPR2023 conference. Notice her use of space, emphasis and colour throughout her design.

Trust me, I know it’s difficult. But imagine in a conference of 100s of posters after many hours of talks (poster sessions are usually scheduled at the end of the day, or at the end of a conference), people are tired and sometimes it’s hard to engage in a meaningful way after riding a conference high all day. So, cut cut cut. Say it in pictures, say it in shapes. If someone really wants to know more, they will scan a QR code, e-mail you, or talk to you if you are there in person!

Make it as easy as possible for people passing by to understand and get excited by your work.

The before and after of the design process.

SHAPE

If you look up scientific posters, a lot of them are a ton of text and incredibly boring. Look at interior design books! Or google “winning [insert conference] poster”.

You DO NOT have to conform to square-text-square-text pattern.

COLOUR

+ Limit the use of colours. Be careful with your palette and be consistent throughout words, plots, and emphasis.

KEY WORDS

+ What words do you want people to focus on? Spend time really about your story, and how you would summarize your work in 1 sentence. (yes, it can be done!)