In the Molecular Discovery Lab at BIOS, a deli-style fridge with sliding glass doors houses vials and bottles of chemicals used to track proteins, stain cells, and analyze DNA – as well as a small bunch of lettuce in the corner. It’s been picked fresh from the garden to satiate the appetites of the lab’s current visitors.
“I suspect lettuce is a bit like chocolate for them,” said Postdoctoral Researcher Helena Reinardy. She has spent over two years working with the local species of variegated sea urchin, and keeps them healthy in the lab with a diet of seagrass and algae, supplemented with the lettuce that they love.......full article via link