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Upcoming Meetings

Date

Description Location
April 10
April Board Meeting
April 18 (Friday)
SSA General Meeting

Setup       6:30PM
Social      7:00PM
Meeting   7:30PM

Thomas Fogarty Winery

 Cats Are Not Peas:

A Calico History of Genetics

Guest Speaker – Laura Gould

Premiere Fogarty wines will be available. We request a donation of $5.00 per glass. Light hors d’oeuvres and soft drinks will be provided.

In 1984, Laura Gould and her husband Severo Ornstein decided to move to the western side of the Skyline, and purchased a 7.5-acre lot on Bear Gulch Road, with a nice view of the sea. In 1986 they moved into the house they had helped to build - and the rodents moved in as well. Without these vermin, her book Cats Are Not Peas: A Calico History of Genetics would never have been written (as explained in the Preface to its 1st edition):

My journey began in a brightly lighted garage where evidence of country mice was all too visible. Cats, we thought, we must get some cats - working cats who would patrol the property and keep the vermin at bay. A small and simple thought, reasonable and straightforward, easily implemented. Who could have foreseen its consequences?

In happy ignorance, we visited the local animal shelter and selected two kittens, George and Max, and the choice of George turned out to be the random event responsible for this lengthy odyssey; for George was a calico cat - a male calico cat - and calicos are invariably female. He was a genetic anomaly, a manifestation of something that isn't supposed to happen, a creature so rare that even most vets have never seen one.

Laura will read selections from the newly-released 2nd edition, which includes a lengthy Addendum on cloning and genetic sequencing, two new areas of research in which cats have had significant roles to play. She will also discuss what it means to write serious science starting from initial ignorance, and compare the different tactics used when doing research in libraries (as for the 1st edition) vs. staying at home and prowling the World Wide Web (as for the 2nd). All sorts of questions are welcomed.

Many thanks to the friendly folks at Thomas Fogarty Winery for once again hosting our spring meeting.

 

May 8

 

May Board Meeting

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