About the author – Ana
Hi! I am Ana. I am a Biologist and I love everything that has to do with animal behavior. Something as simple as a fly escaping the swatter becomes a convoluted affair in front of the eyes of a neurobiologist, a cascade of successive intricate steps where everything is carefully calculated. And there is so much beauty in that complexity.
Unlike many scientists I don’t have a cool and inspiring origin story.
No, I did not collect insects in my backyard and wrote down my observations in a notebook (in fact, I grew up in a very populated and highly polluted city).
No, I did not participate in science fairs or Biology competitions during high school (I was not even a great student at that time).
No, I did not spend my afternoons reading books about science and autobiographies of famous scientists (I preferred to watch telenovelas* and was in loved with Gustavo Bermudez).
And, no, Charles Darwin was not my personal hero (although I do consider him a cool guy now, except for his misogynistic comments. Not good, Charles, not good).
I was actually hesitating between studying Biology, Medicine, Visual Arts or Spanish. But I chose Biology and I couldn’t be happier with my decision. I still don’t collect insects or read science books for fun in my spare time, but I love science. I am a nerd for learning new things all the time and I think there is no better place to do that than in the framework of science.
And when does the fly appear in this story?
Well, it was not right at the beginning but pretty close. I started working with flies in the middle of my undergraduate studies. I wanted to do neuroscience experiments and there was a good opportunity in a fly-lab working on behavioral genetics. And this time I did not hesitate, I say yes as fast as a fly escapes from the fly swatter. It was a great decision because I got to know two very important living organisms: the fly and my future husband (here listed alphabetically and not in order of relevance).
I did my doctoral thesis in that lab on circadian rhythms, and then moved to France for a postdoctoral stage, now studying how flies detect and respond to relevant odors present in their natural environment.
I have been outlining my field of study throughout my career, but somehow, I think I could have studied anything else in Biology. Everything is fascinating, or at least, everything sounds fascinating when the story is told with passion. I hope I can do that for you. Tell you a story or two so that you finish it and have a little smile on your face, a hint of happiness because today, today you learned something new.
*Latin-American soap operas
