i read the times (so you don't have to)
Nature Notes
Pond mud snails (Omphiscola glabra) have evolved to make use of dry summer weather — in fact, they rely on it. The annual drying-out of their favoured habitats of small ditches, boggy seepages, marshes and muddy ponds prevents other competing species from colonising their patch, thus leaving the pond mud snails a free hand. These resourceful molluscs, with their elegant, conical shells, survive the water-less periods by burying up to 6cm in the wet mud and falling dormant until the rain arrives. This process is known as aestivation. However, in extreme droughts, when the mud becomes too desiccated, the snails also dry out and die.
Jonathan Tulloch
The Times
27-8-22
Mortality? “I sometimes think about that but I’m not very successful at it. Why?” He pauses: “It’s quite hard to imagine a life without me in it.” We both laugh. “Which is what you’re asking me to think about."
oh yeah ... a student ... with $26 million to invest!