Ling raps her knuckles on the Prof's door a few times, to see if he's in. Over her shoulder is slung with her black shoulderbag, laptop inside.
Professor Mark calls out, "Entre vous!" He's writing something in a notebook, tapping his pen thoughtfully against his chin as he nods at Ling.
Dr. Murphy walks up to Prof. Mark's office behind Ling. "Hello Dr. Mark, Ms. Chan."
Professor Mark smiles tolerantly. "Well, Doctor Murphy. A pleasure to see you at long last. I was afraid you'd abandoned us for the Loch Ness Monster."
"Wanted to see if you were in." Ling steps in, glancing behind her as Murphy also appears seeming out of nowhere. Or maybe she's just absent minded. The joke about Lochness gets a short laugh. "You should see what they've come up with here," she notes, pulling out the newspaper from a few days ago. "Seen this?"
[looking at Dr. Murphy]
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Dr. Murphy is a man who seems to be in his forties. He is somewhat short, under six feet tall, and a bit pudgy. He wears glasses with thick frames and a thick, dark beard covers most of his face and neck. He's dressed for the outdoors, as if he's going on an expedition, with rugged, worn khakis, heavy-duty hiking boots and a nylon jacket with many pockets to protect himself from the elements. The pockets are bulging with various items. He carries a large pack on his back and around his neck is a good quality 35mm camera. He looks relatively cheerful, if a bit odd.
-----
Professor Mark arches both eyebrows curiously. "What's that? Ogopogo migrated south, has he?" He takes the paper, looking at it.
[looking at Professor Mark]
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An older man, about fiftyish, with brown hair graying at the temples. He wears faded put pressed blue jeans, a white Oxford shirt, and a tweed blazer. On his feet are Birkenstocks (since its winter, with socks). He's got wire-framed glasses and a wry expression, and often seems preoccupied.
-----
Dr. Murphy takes the comment with a good-natured chuckle. "No, no, not yet. Just curious about any new developments."
"No, but the aliens have landed in St. Claire," Ling replies. "Crop circles... amongst theories of BigFoot."
Professor Mark purses his lips, looking to Ling. "I think these people have gone stark raving bonkers." He shakes his head. "Ah, well. The locals will have their fun with the gullible tourists, I suppose." He folds up the newspaper then leans on it, looking at Ling expectantly. "So, by that look in your eye I take it you have our results?
Dr. Murphy rolls his eyes. "Oh, that. Yes. Ridiculous, of course. Amazing that they're still on crop circles, even though they've been repeatedly debunked."
Professor Mark arches an eyebrow in suprise at Dr. Murphy, but says nothing, letting Ling take the floor.
Ling smiles. "Told you last time the skeleton had a 61 chromosome count. Also, that it was 47 percent related to canis lupus, timber wolves, as compared to the 23 percent for Ursus arctos horribills, the grizzly bear. Well I've checked and double checked, and the data's all the same." She fingers the necklace around her neck. "Maybe we've got something new. New, but sterile. No animal on earth has odd numbers of chromosomes."
Professor Mark purses his lips thoughtfully, steepling his fingers and pressing them to his mouth. "Perhaps some kind of accident? Could the samples have been contaminated?"
Dr. Murphy blinks and leans over to glance at the data. "Really? Interesting. A mutant, perhaps. Or a genetic dead end. Perhaps it was just deformed, like an animal version of Down's Syndrome."
Ling shakes her head. "The DNA I used was taken from predominantly the ribs and places I marked along the skeleton. You accompanied me on one of those trips, Dr. Clark. I did that before the bones were.. uhm..misfiled." She furrows her brow, still having no idea of who did that little shifting around. Turning to Dr. Murphy, she tilts her head briefly. "It could be, and might. There doesn't appear to be any nuclear radiation for radioactive mutation. So, it could've just been a fluke of a species." She looks back to Clark. "The age data came back. And.. it's really interesting."
Professor Mark takes the DNA data to study it more closely as Ling speaks. "Go on." Dr. Murphy says "Oh? How's that?"
Ling pulls out a folder, containing the report. "300 years old, give or take a few hundred years." She looks dubious. "I was told these things are really unreliable though. And given the recent fire history of this area, it may have thrown off their calculations at UWashington. But... if we suspected thousands of years, and this thing turns up a few hundred, then either we have an outdated dating method, or something very peculiar." How about just plain 'whacked'.
Dr. Murphy says "300? Really? Well, there goes my dire wolf theory. Did you use Carbon-14 dating?"
Professor Mark arches an eyebrow. "It has to be the fire. The carbon from those trees..." He takes this report, looking at it, frowning. "Yes, they did."
"It could still be something new. Or old, rather. Carbon dating doesn't affect the DNA data I have." Ling shrugs. "I'm not all that fresh about evolution of predators either, but classes are kind of slow about it. I guess that is where Dr. Murphy and Gillian can help me out." She quirks her lip up at the cryptozoologist.
Professor Mark pages to the room: I also found out that the arcus arcturus bear had a peculiar pelvis that allowed it to stand upright easily, so my current theory is this is the offspring of some fluke genetic survivor of arcus arcturus mating with a more modern-day bear that produced the flawed specimen.
Dr. Murphy strokes his beard, puzzling about the new details. "Well, I can't really say right now where this fits in with canine evolution. Any conjecture would be pure speculation at this point."
Professor Mark nods. He looks at Ling seriously. "You're sure you've triple-checked these DNA results?"
Dr. Murphy says "Of course, you could try and use the DNA itself to determine if the animal diverged from another canid lineage in the past. You could even get a rough estimate of the date it happened."
Ling nods curtly. "If I ran anymore tests, I'd be straining the funds." She turns her attention to Dr. Murphy. "How's that?"
Professor Mark echoes Ling, looking at Dr. Murphy. "How's that?"
Dr. Murphy says "Well there are ways of dating using amino acids, but they're not much more precise than Carbon-14. You could use it as a comparison to the C-14 dating, though."
Dr. Murphy says "The same type of methods used to recently date the Australian fossils and propose the possible alternate vector of human evolution there."
Professor Mark nods, slowly. "I think we need a second opinion on the dating, definitely." He settles back in his chair, thoughtfully. "Well. Quite the information to digest, eh? Wolf. Never would have thought it." He shakes his head. "Well, no use speculating until we're sure on the date."
Ling runs a hand through her hair. "Amino acids for dating? I'll have to look into it. Would you happen to have some people you know who can do this method?"
Dr. Murphy says "I know a few labs in the area that do it. I can talk to some people and see what can be done."
"What sort of materials do you need for it? And ...how much?" Ling queries. Not just how much materials...but there is implication of how costly.
Professor Mark nods. "I'd appreciate that." He frowns a little at Ling's worry over the funding. "I'm actually thinking we may need to host a benefit of some sort."
Professor Mark says "Both to quiet rumors of what exactly it is we've got and raise money."
Dr. Murphy says "Well, that's the thing, it's expensive, like any genetic work. I'm not sure how much material is needed to get a date. So are we going to release these results to the public in any way?"
Ling nods slowly. "Maybe we can get a dinner set up. Invite the original rumour man too... and his oh so famous claw." She glances at Dr. Murphy and then to Dr. Mark. "I think we can release basic details. But I don't want to have my results messed up or stolen."
Professor Mark nods. "Nor do I wish my reputation tarnished by speculation or..." and here he looks at Dr. Murphy sternly, "...fabrications of what it is we've got, here. It could be a new species, it could be a mutated version of some kind of dire wolf throwback, it could be a hoax. I'm still not ruling that out. But until we're a little more sure of our dates, at least, I don't want this going public. Not to your friends, not the press, and certainly not to those curiousity-seekers making circles in some man's grain. Do I make myself clear?"
Dr. Murphy clears his throat. "Certainly, Professor."
"Like crystal, Dr. Clark," Ling replies. "We still don't know who misfiled the bones that one time?" she queries curiously.
Professor Mark shakes his head, frowning. "I'm wondering if maybe one of the other students didn't get curious then get interrupted. I think we may have to think about putting them in more secure storage, especially now that we've got the casts made. I'll talk to the city museum, see what they have to say."
"If you put the bones in the city museum, it would be harder to get at maybe, given the security here isn't... exactly competent. But what's to keep the curators or possible curios thieves from it?" Ling presses further. Then, she shrugs and nods in assent. "Probably be easier to find too, given their system is a lot less Greek than ours."
Dr. Murphy nods "It could even be the security themselves. Those bones are quite valuable to some people. They could have been bribed. Tabloid newspapers are notorious for that sort of thing. But, I haven't seen anything about them lately, so..." He pauses, realizing that he just admitted that he reads tabloids. "Er, what I mean to say is, those vicious rags are full of nonsense and bunk and would pay through the nose for the bones." His face reddens a bit.
Professor Mark looks at Dr. Murphy intently, frowning. "Really. Well. Perhaps I'll make other arrangements, then." He leaves it at that. "Good work, Ling. I hope you've thought up a name for your beastie if it turns out to be the real McCoy." He smiles a bit. "You've certainly done quite a bit of legwork on it."
Dr. Murphy nods to Ling. "Yes, good work."
Ling chuckles and flushes slightly at the compliment. "Well it's not there yet. I doubt Rumour Man will enjoy it if he gets a complete lack of credit. But thank you." She turns to Dr. Murphy. "I'll email you, or call you, for some details about that amino acid dating?"
Dr. Murphy nods. "Yes, that'll be fine."
Professor Mark nods. "I think we're about done here, then?" He smiles at you both. "I'll leave that carbon dating report with you then," Ling nods towards the folder on the professor's desk. "And... think that's it." She smiles, and closes up her satchel before moving to the door and opening it. "I'll see you both around."
Professor Mark nods, standing and waving as she walks out. "A word, Doctor Murphy, if you would."
Dr. Murphy begins to leave, then turns back toward Dr. Mark. "Yes?"
Professor Mark motions for him to close the door, sitting back down in his seat.
Dr. Murphy closes the door after Ling leaves, then turns back to Dr. Mark.
Professor Mark clears his throat. "Two things, but first I would ask if there's anything you'd like to tell me."
Dr. Murphy thinks about that a moment, the shakes his head. "No, I don't think so." Professor Mark nods. "Very well, then. First thing: I am not accusing you of anything, yet. But should I find out that you have been perpetrating or assisting someone else in perpetrating a hoax upon me, this department, this school or most especially these students, your professional reputation, what there is of it, will not be the only thing at risk. There will be criminal charges. Am I understood?"
Dr. Murphy looks quite affronted and opens his mouth to say something, but then closes it tightly. "Yes."
Professor Mark nods, curtly. "Very well. Second: You seem to know quite a bit about how finds are...misplaced. If this does indeed turn out to be the real thing, as they put it, it will need quite a bit more security than it is currently getting. I wold ask that you look into places where the find could be safely stored, in both a scientific and secure manner, and further that you investigate any weaknesses within the ranks of those in charge of its security. I'm tired of having curious art students rummaging through my finds."
Dr. Murphy nods. "Yes, I can do that."
Professor Mark nods, sighing wearily. "This McQuire man is getting on my nerves. Do you know he's actually threatening a lawsuit to get the bones back?" He runs his hands through his hair, shaking his head. "And the phone calls I've been getting..." He stands, offering his hand. "I'm sorry if I've offended you, but you must understand the position I'm in."
Dr. Murphy shakes the professor's hand. "Yes, I understand. I didn't know about the lawsuit, but I'm not surprised. McQuire seemed to be a shady character. Wanted to know what the bones were worth, what was in it for him."
Professor Mark nods. "The man is only in it for the money, though I think the fame is being enjoyed while it lasts." He sighs. "I don't know how you can conduct your research in the face of such howling lunatics."
Dr. Murphy chuckles. "Well, I'm used to it. You wouldn't believe some of the people and the stories I've come across. Occasionally, though, you find a tiny nugget of good science in all the insanity."
Professor Mark nods. "Well, you're a better man than I, Gunga Din." He chuckles. "Have a good night. And do get back to us on those amino acid tets."
Dr. Murphy nods. "Yes, I will. Goodnight, Professor Mark."
Dr. Murphy heads out the door and out of the office.