Get up at 4 AM - what to do? Roll over, switch on NPR radio, listen for what's happening. NPR has a good rep for talking about strange things in the wee wee hours, and this morning was no different. I quickly learned that the Netherlands was the world's second largest exporter of meat, and that the country was having a problem with its excessive use of antibiotics to control animals' growth and health. I wasn't really up to listening to something this profound this early, so I sort of tuned it out, just paying enough attention to catch the ending. The Hollanders were cleaning up their act, the world was not coming to a cataclysmic end, and scientists were continually looking for antibiotics that do more good than harm. But then the story perked up a bit. Scientists are the ultimate nerds; if you're searching for antibiotics, where would you look? Over morning coffee, one place these guys thought promising was the saliva of a Komodo dragon. Of course, I thought. Where else?
Yeah, but thinking about Komodo dragon saliva and actually collecting it requires some class A nerd attention. What to do? A two-person team (Nerd Team 2) advances on the Komodo lair, both armed with long, bamboo sticks. One attaches a dead mouse and dangles it outside the lair; this attracts the dragon - they are a 24-7 eating machine. As he whets his whistle in anticipation, the other member of N Team 2 swabs his tongue to extract saliva. Easy-peasy.
Unrelated Komodo dragon story: This one-month-old cutie was rescued from the Komodo lair at the Houston Zoo this past August. EEEWW! She was named 'Komodo' (Not a lot of William Faulkners in Texas) and given to the ASPCA for adoption.
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