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Formaldehyde and alcohol are still the best way to preserve samples for physical examination when no genetic work is expected. It's a trade-off. If these had

Formaldehyde and alcohol are still the best way to preserve samples for physical examination when no genetic work is expected. It's a trade-off. If these had been stored in a genetically-safe way (say frozen, or dried), they may not have been noticed at all, as it tends to collapse structure, especially with gelatinous animals.

jccooper 12y ago
Better that they did what they could, certainly. I expect a modern study would take into account DNA, molecular, and even RNA analysis where possible, which were not concerns at the time. (Modern sample preservation techniques have to consider about half a dozen different types of analysis. Drying, freezing, alcohol, formalin, bleach, are all used for different things. The best all-purpose preservative is high-percentage ethanol, which is okay for DNA for 5-10 years and also preserves structure reasonably well. A NOAA publication on corals suggests you procure some Everclear in an emergency.)
- squidfood 12y ago
  Heh, I've done vodka once! For modern shipboard collections, time is still the enemy ($20K/day to run a ship exhausts a scientific budget quickly, not to mention weather, etc). Surveys have multiple studies going on, so deck operations may be negotiated by scientists down to the minute. Many of the various molecular techniques require careful cleaning of surfaces and tools for each sample, so it's prohibitive to do "general molecular sampling". For unusual things - in spite of us being scientists, and loving unusual things - the rule is still "Tag it, bag it, look at it later". The "bag it" is usually formalin. If it looks interesting back in the lab, conduct a special study next year to collect some genetics. Of course, we're not expecting to find new phyla very often! So I'm absolutely sure that 20 years from now, someone could be going through my old bottles, find something truly weird that I missed, and wish that I'd thought to get some $!@#$$(## DNA!

jccooper 12y ago

Better that they did what they could, certainly. I expect a modern study would take into account DNA, molecular, and even RNA analysis where possible, which were not concerns at the time. (Modern sample preservation techniques have to consider about half a dozen different types of analysis. Drying, freezing, alcohol, formalin, bleach, are all used for different things. The best all-purpose preservative is high-percentage ethanol, which is okay for DNA for 5-10 years and also preserves structure reasonably well. A NOAA publication on corals suggests you procure some Everclear in an emergency.)

squidfood 12y ago
Heh, I've done vodka once! For modern shipboard collections, time is still the enemy ($20K/day to run a ship exhausts a scientific budget quickly, not to mention weather, etc). Surveys have multiple studies going on, so deck operations may be negotiated by scientists down to the minute. Many of the various molecular techniques require careful cleaning of surfaces and tools for each sample, so it's prohibitive to do "general molecular sampling". For unusual things - in spite of us being scientists, and loving unusual things - the rule is still "Tag it, bag it, look at it later". The "bag it" is usually formalin. If it looks interesting back in the lab, conduct a special study next year to collect some genetics. Of course, we're not expecting to find new phyla very often! So I'm absolutely sure that 20 years from now, someone could be going through my old bottles, find something truly weird that I missed, and wish that I'd thought to get some $!@#$$(## DNA!