New preprint! Proud to be part of this important study on the #genome of an African #snail vector that transmits #parasites causing #schistosomiasis, one of the most prevalent #NeglectedTropicalDiseases affecting >200 million people. I know, you've seen genome papers before, but wait there's more! We actually sequenced several inbred lines, allowing us to find and characterize highly variable genes of possible immune relevance.
🐌🧬🐌🧬🐌🧬🐌🧬🐌🧬
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.01.565203v1

This week’s #blacksmith challenge was to make a snail from the largest stock you have. Here’s my snail. Saw things i could have done differently, but the experiment seemed to have worked. I upset the end of the bar, then fishtailed it to provide the bulged centre of the shell. Body is split down the middle and opened out.
Finish could definitely have been better.
Stock was 16mm round bar.
#mastoArt #art #metalwork #snail