Arkham Asylum

I have finished my first week at the NIMR (aka the building shot as Arkham Asylum (only some of you will know what that is :-))) and its been pretty stressful. I knew what I was getting myself into, but commuting an hour each way everyday is going to take it out of me... But.... My lab is really awesome! I am working with chick embryos studying left-right asymmetry in the development of the male and female gonads. In mammals, ovaries and testis form symmetrically, but in chickens only the left ovary develops. The developmental factors involved in this asymmetry is also found in mammals, but do not develop this asymmetry. The overall project involves elucidating this mechanism. More details on my exact project will be posted soon!