Checking out the far side of the pond

Checking out the far side of the pond, originally uploaded by powersdale.

Seven students and Lisa swam nearly to the other side of the pond -- to one of the underground conduits that connects this pond to the ocean.

This pond has the same salinity (salt) as the ocean because some of daily mixing of the water due to tides. Inspite of that mixing, some of the clams and snails are different than those in the ocean. Lisa Laterman, Julie Button, and Rob Erdmann were the first to discover some of these differences and published them. Since that time, many other scientist have taken an interest in the life in the pond.

One of the benchmarks of good science is when others note your work and take an interest -- and sometimes even compete to make new findings.