AH_Matt
Registered
Hello everyone,
Jose Lopez, PhD, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to discover why barrel sponges are under attack. The project has very modest goal of $17,600, but he has only raised about 5% so far with just two more weeks to go. As with every Kickstarter campaign, this is an 'all or nothing' funding model, so he only gets the donations if the project meets the goal. Please consider donating even a dollar or two, every little bit helps.
"A marine epidemic called small orange band (SOB) disease of the common yet iconic "barrel" reef sponge, Xestospongia muta, re-emerged on South Florida sponges in April 2012. Gross SOB symptoms appeared as bleaching, decaying and crumbling of the affected sponge tissues, followed by rapid death of the whole or most of the sponge individual.
In May 2012, our laboratory was able to collect multiple samples of diseased and healthy sponges for in depth genetic and microscopic analyses. We hypothesize that current molecular genetics biotechnologies may be able provide basic answers to what factors are possibly causing SOB.
Until adequate funds are obtained, the Xestospongia muta samples we have collected will remain frozen, archived and unanalyzed. Thus, this is a direct appeal for funds that will be carried out by our Marine Microbiology and Genetics Laboratory in the brand new Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystems Sciences of Nova Southeastern University (NSU), in Dania Beach Florida"
Campaign link
Full disclosure: I am a backer of this Kickstarter campaign but have no other association with it.
Cheers,
AH_Matt
Jose Lopez, PhD, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to discover why barrel sponges are under attack. The project has very modest goal of $17,600, but he has only raised about 5% so far with just two more weeks to go. As with every Kickstarter campaign, this is an 'all or nothing' funding model, so he only gets the donations if the project meets the goal. Please consider donating even a dollar or two, every little bit helps.
"A marine epidemic called small orange band (SOB) disease of the common yet iconic "barrel" reef sponge, Xestospongia muta, re-emerged on South Florida sponges in April 2012. Gross SOB symptoms appeared as bleaching, decaying and crumbling of the affected sponge tissues, followed by rapid death of the whole or most of the sponge individual.
In May 2012, our laboratory was able to collect multiple samples of diseased and healthy sponges for in depth genetic and microscopic analyses. We hypothesize that current molecular genetics biotechnologies may be able provide basic answers to what factors are possibly causing SOB.
Until adequate funds are obtained, the Xestospongia muta samples we have collected will remain frozen, archived and unanalyzed. Thus, this is a direct appeal for funds that will be carried out by our Marine Microbiology and Genetics Laboratory in the brand new Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystems Sciences of Nova Southeastern University (NSU), in Dania Beach Florida"
Campaign link
Full disclosure: I am a backer of this Kickstarter campaign but have no other association with it.
Cheers,
AH_Matt
