Craig is temporarily a post-doctoral fellow at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute who is looking for a permanent position. He spends most of his time balancing his overwhelming geekdom with normalcy so he can function in the real world. Luckily his wife likes his geekiness.
Peter Etnoyer is a Graduate Research Associate at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. He studies deep corals and ocean fronts, and he loves to be on the water.
Kevin Zelnio is a Graduate Student Researcher at Penn State studying the ecology of hydrothermal vent and methane seep communities. He raises awareness of the plight of the spineless through folk music.
Snail over at A Snail's Eye View, one of the best blogs on the triple -W, casts a firm vote for the Mollusks. Snail reminds also reminds us that Google delineates a clear winner. Arthropods also suck. And just in case Peter and Kevin get a little confused and start thinking about corals. For a recap of everyone's stance...
Mollusca:
Cephalopodcast
Snail's Eye View
DSN 1, 2 , 3, & 4.
Crustaceans:
DSN (thanks to that traitor Kevin)
Not Exactly Rocket Science To Figure Out Mollusks Are Better
Echinoderms:
Dr Joan Bushwell's Refuge For Invertebrates That Suck
The Intersucktion
A Blog Around Something Or Other
Comments
Wait, I thought it was the Poriferans that sucked.
Posted by: JasonR | March 23, 2008 1:58 PM
And DSN bounces off the ropes, grabs Bushwell's and chomps hard! But he's ambushed! Ambushed! Rocket Science trips DSN, and Bushwell rolls on top, grabs the hair, and bounces his chin off the floor!
There goes bell.
Stay tuned for the next round of Invertebrate wresting.
Posted by: blf | March 23, 2008 3:20 PM
It's simply the natural order of things.
Posted by: Snail | March 23, 2008 5:23 PM
It's probably fair to say that Sheril is the best thing that holothurians have going for them at this point... :)
Posted by: Peter | March 23, 2008 7:15 PM
Ehem...MICROBES kick everyone's butt at 4,110,000:
http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=microbes&word2=mollusca
Posted by: CK | March 24, 2008 7:36 AM
Maybe this is simply an indication that those who study echinoderms have better things to do (like real research) than waste their time blogging or discussing the wonders of echinoderms online.
Posted by: Dr. Whore | March 24, 2008 9:42 AM
No, Its just a vindication of their inferiority. If they thought so highly of their study organisms, they would be spreading their love for and knowledge of their spiny-skinned objects of affection.
And who is wasting time by reading blogs? ahem...
Posted by: kevin z | March 24, 2008 10:57 AM
Well, I'm not studying echinoderms currently and unfortunately. I'm studying the effects of estrogen on guinea pig and mouse brains; therefore, I have lots of time on my hands for distractions of the marine kind.
Posted by: Dr. Whore | March 24, 2008 12:41 PM
So, if we were going with tunicates here, could we use their Phylum? 'cause if we can, I somehow get the feeling they might trounce y'all. TUNICATA 4EVAH!
Posted by: jebyrnes | March 24, 2008 3:40 PM
Take your tunicate comments elsewhere, they are not welcomed here
Posted by: CR McClain | March 24, 2008 3:50 PM
Oh yeah, I'm bringing it right back at ya, big guy
Posted by: Jim Lemire | March 28, 2008 12:05 PM
I've noticed this Mollusca vs. Echinodermata fight as well, and have posted my vote for Echinoderms at
http://biojournalism.com/81-echinoderms-vs-mollusks.html
Posted by: Kallen | March 31, 2008 6:25 PM