Decapod73

To add on the answer to the 1st question,

I'd say that this particular site is too new for us to know what the connotations are, but I'm encouraged by the review process that was required before my proposal was accepted. We had to provide detailed budgets, timelines, and supporting information suggesting that our idea would work. All of this was reviewed internally before it ever appeared on the website for the public to donate, ensuring that poorly thought-out ideas don't dilute the validity of the site.

Just wanted to say, Elizabeth MacMillan is an undergrad researcher working in our lab on phytoplankton ecology, and she's LOVED the chance to work with you on the bee project. Whenever she's had a bee day it's all we hear about :-)

Antibiotic Discovery is here :-)

You guys might also know me from this post, which went viral all over the internet.

The last manufacturer of plicamycin shut down production in 2000... and it sounds like OP is too far gone with the number of organs that now have tumors.

Sometimes researchers who aren't part of our project will collect samples for us in Fiji and send us a random grab-bag, but we DO prioritize what we look for when group members can go on collection trips. We're primarily interested in algae that show low grazing by fish and/or low biofouling by things like sponges, bryozoans, and fuzzy mats of cyanobacteria - all things that like to colonize any free surface in the ocean. Algae that avoid being eaten or grown on usually have some interesting chemical defenses at work.

Beyond that, we also consider the phylogeny of the algae; we focus on species that are from underexplored groups to maximize the chances that we'll find new compounds.