Malpighian tubules? - vertebrates RULE!

I've been reading and reading and reading for my osmoregulation in deserts essay. The entomology guys all laughed at me because I had no idea what Malpighian tubules are until I was readnig a really cool article on tenebrionid beetles (I know what tenebrionids are at least).

I always thought my ecophysiology was better than it's proving to be. I thnk it's because of the focus on deserts. I've never been to a desert. I want to go to one (as my rather confused atempts to care for the Lithops show - I feel awful because I'm not watering it, but watering it will kill it...). But I know all about temperate region physiology and I'm really good with diving physiology. I hope the next part of the course covers diving physiology. Bird metabolism and deserts in general have been disappointing.

I stuck up newspapers on one side of Melville's tank so she'd have a nice quiet 'refuge' and would stop being crazy. For a while it seemed to work, she sat and stared at it (it looked like she was reading!) but now she's standing on her back legs scraaaatching the glass at the door. IT sounds horrible... but I can't let her out, she keeps trying to go into small dark places that I can't get her out of and when I try stop her she attacks me. After yesterday I look like I've been trying to kill myself, I have deep scratches all over my arms.

Anyway I'm going to email the university I want to go to next year about possible projects. I have some ideas that are really interesting, and pretty cutting-edge where the field is at the moment.

Then I'm back to osmoregulation. Frogs are really cool when it come to living in deserts!