Africa: Discoveries Await, But They Don't Come Easy

Melanie Strissany is posting on the NYT's "Scientists at Work" site - sort of a cross between a blog and a field journal. She has undertaken a venture in the Congo region looking for new species of fish and trying to figure out why local fish, most notably cichlids, have branched out into such a huge number of species. The lower Congo, she says, is "hyperdiverse." She adds, "...every trip I have made to Congo has resulted in new findings and the discovery of more fish species new to science — and I have a strong hunch that this time is going to be no different."
COMMENT: Science is far from becoming merely a computer-desk pursuit. If you go to this site, look down the right side at the many previous scientists who have cataloged their expeditions here. There's plenty of fascinating stuff!