First Posted 4 February 2013
G’Day Mates!
I had my first swim in the Indian Ocean. It was absolutely glorious. I had gone to the Swan River yesterday, but there were all sorts of jellyfish and as I did not know if they had stingers or not, I elected to do my physical therapy on the beach and watch the Black Swans. See, I may be crazy in my ambitions, but if I don’t have information about something, I’m not going to be stupid. I did not realize that the Black Swan is native to Western Australia. They are so beautiful in the wild and there was no shortage of other bird life including a hawk that passed 30 feet/10 meters overhead.
I am going to backtrack a bit because I met the most fascinating gentleman on the flight from SFO to SYD. Here’s another reason to come visit me; you never know who you may end up meeting on the flight.
Todd is the inventor of the SX Sorter which makes it possible to determine the sex of offspring. This could have significant implications for endangered species populations. By super-ovulating an endangered species female, collecting the ovocytes, and fertilizing them to produce primarily female offspring, the breeding population could be substantially increased. The University of Sydney contracted with Todd to make the SX Sorter for them and Todd was able to give me contact information for the former head of Animal Reproductive Sciences. Todd thought they would be very interested in my circumnavigation of Australia and data that I could collect for ongoing endangered species research. Additionally, there may be funds available that I may be able to apply for through the University or they may be able to direct me to other public or private sources of funding. I am very excited about following up with the University and will keep you posted on any developments.
I must be living somewhere since you are getting these emails, right? Tune in next week to find out where I am and how I got there. Of course by then, I may be somewhere else…
