Now I know how a Mormon or Scientologist or Baptist feels when some heathen tries to earnestly explain their religion. This video is well done, but gives me a bit of the heebie-jeebies.
I started working on zebrafish in 1979 (I wasn’t the first, or even particularly close — that honor goes to the crew in George Streisinger’s lab), and all through the 80s our lab group had a reputation: at every meeting in every talk, we’d recite what was called the Zebrafish Litany, a listing of all the virtues of this quirky new model organism that nobody else knew much about. In fact, at the Friday Harbor lab meetings in developmental biology there was a kind of tradition where the students would linger in the auditorium late at night and mock the speakers and professors with imitations on the podium, and one year a group made fun of us by having a series of students march robotically to the lectern and recite the exact same series of words. And those words are in this video. How dare the unbelievers speak our catechism!
The video doesn’t quite capture the true nature of the Cult of Danio, though. Everything in it is about how zebrafish research contributes to the study of human diseases, which is a nice perk of the system, but we study the fish because the fish are fascinating, not because we are wannabe human disease researchers. Also, the part where he explains the flaws of the zebrafish, that they have many duplicated genes (so do we) and that they have unique genes not found in humans? Those aren’t flaws.
It is nice to see, though, that our orison is now part of the general public awareness of the zebrafish. That’s why we were saying it so often. Soon, you too shall be a believer. All praise George!
I misread the title and thought the OP would somehow involve an Hawaii Five-O cult — “Book ’em, Danio!”
Today is “cinnamon bun day” in Sweden. Can we please introduce the eating of ciinnamon buns as part of the cult of Danio?
It cettainly beats those tasteless white thingies that are eaten in churches. The Zebrafish Litany should be read as a procession is carrying an aquarium with a zebrafish down the hall. while the congregation eats fresh cinnamon buns and drink coffe. Debauchery is optional.
Calling bullshit. The whole point of a “model organism” is that it’s more convenient and tractable to study than the other species (possibly plural) of real interest. In this case the real subject may not be human disease per se, but vertebrate development in general. If you were looking for a fascinating fish to study just because it’s a fascinating fish, there are about 28,000 others you could choose from.
It is certainly more convenient to use zebrafih -which grow and reproduce rapidly- as a model organism than the Greenland shark…
Is there any reason to suspect you wouldn’t also “call bullshit” should poopyhead happen to study one of those? The bullshit here is because’s poopyhead’s claim doesn’t match your prejudices & assumptions, it is poopyhead who is mistaken.
Whilst poopyhead can certain speak for himself, I rather do suspect he knows much better than you, me, or anyone else why he is studying zebrafish.
The coecelanth would be a cool model organism, but it is an endangered species. Not good to slice and dice up the few specimen that are left.
Yes. We are well aware of what a model system is, and its limitations, but that doesn’t mean we’re only interested in clinical applications. When I first entered Chuck Kimmel’s lab, the work was split between axolotls and zebrafish, studying general principles of neural connectivity. Zebrafish won out because they were more tractable, but Chuck also set up a colony of bowfin, and his interests broadened to cell lineages and cartilage development. I don’t think I ever heard him express any interest in human diseases.
I know, though, that Monte Westerfield’s lab is much more focused on human diseases, especially Usher’s syndrome, and that’s a fine and useful thing. But it’s a mistake to assume that all of us working on zebrafish are using it as a proxy for people.
Heretic! It is only through out lord and saviour Xenopus that man may be redeemed!
Ah, but does the Zebra fish stand the test of time like other life forms in proving the non-existence of God?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p5mWQFGF7w8
@birgerjohansson #2, I dunno. Those tasteless white thingies in church are about all some can handle on the Morning After Saturday Night.
Bland, some carbs, light…
In such a subject, cinnamon buns may very well provoke an unpleasant for all reaction. ;)
But, encouraged.
Put down that trout!
I am a bit bummed, I never learned what the Zebrafish Litany actually is. :/