And where’s PETA? Hayes has used 100,000 frogs in his “research.” Amphibians in decline? No, they’re all in Hayes’ cages!
The Daily Californian reports:
Tyrone Hayes, a UC Berkeley professor who has been a longtime vocal critic of the common herbicide atrazine, is facing potential obstacles in his research due to a recent notification from the campus that his lab is running a deficit.
Hayes, a professor of integrative biology, says that his lab’s financial woes are a result of what he alleges are unreasonably high fees from the Office of Laboratory Animal Care during the last 15 years. The office provides services including feeding, watering, cleaning cages and health monitoring for the more than 100,000 amphibians Hayes conducts research on…
According to UC Berkeley spokesperson Dan Mogulof, Hayes’ past contention with Syngenta is unrelated to the lab’s recent funding issues.
“As a result of keeping a relatively large number of frogs, (Hayes) had a deficit,” Mogulof said. “The result of paying that bill is that his funds have been depleted to a level where [sic] cannot continue his research”…
In order to continue his research, Hayes said he expects funding from private donors, such as the Mitchell Kapor foundation, in September. Hayes also said he is considering a lawsuit against the university.
“We’ll get the money, I’m positive,” Hayes said, “and if not, we’ll take care of things.”
According to the article, it cost him $125,000. Even at grad student wage-slavery that’s full time for 6 people excluding materials. Given the sheer number of animals, 100,000, that’s ~$1.25 a year per frog.
Quite frankly, it sounds like he’s getting an insanely good deal.
Integrated biology seems to be the latest thing to cover every aspect of biology. http://ib.berkeley.edu/
No grant funding? Seems like no one wants to touch his research, possibly because of a continuing history of lack or reproducible results. Also, the article mentioned a grad student who has been with him since 2008 (not doctoral candidate). Sounds like he isn’t doing all that well in moving his grad students along.
I bet he is tenured, so he has no worries.
What is “integrative biology”? Is it something like “integrative medicine”?
That’s where we get homeopathic nonsense and naturopathis medicine, both of which are implausible and generally quackery.
So long, Tyrone, baby.
I suggest he kiss as many of the frogs as possible.
One may be his “Prince” and be well heeled enough to fund his “research”.
Always fun to see the parasitization of a host body, and UC Berkeley makes for such a nice fat warm fuzzy host.