various shenanigans

1w9 | twenty | anxious stem major

[cardiganemperor]

sometimes college is getting an education and bettering yourself.

and sometimes college is also drinking rosé out of a water bottle on the floor of your dorm with a girl you met one time in the library a month ago and one of your roommates’ friends’ friends.

[newtonpermetersquare]

Oh the Irony

[luulapants]

Story time:

In middle school biology, we did an experiment. We were given yams, which we would sprout in cups of water. We then had to make hypotheses about how the yams would grow, based on descriptions of yam plants in our books, and make notes of our observations as they grew.

Here’s what was supposed to happen: we were supposed to see that the actual growth of the plant did not resemble our hypotheses. We were then supposed to figure out that these were, in fact, sweet potatoes.

What actually happened was that every single student in every single class lied in their notes so that their observations perfectly matched their hypotheses. See, everyone assumed the mismatch meant they had done something wrong in the process of growing the plant or that they had misunderstood the dichotomous key or the plant identification terminology. And, thanks to the wonders of a public school education, everyone assumed the wrong results would get us a failing grade. We were trying to pass. We didn’t want to get bitched out by the teacher. Curiosity, learning, science - that had nothing to do with why we were sitting in that classroom. So we all lied.

The teacher was furious. She tried to fail every student, but the administration stepped in and told her she wasn’t allowed to because a 100% fail rate is recognized as a failure of the teacher, not the class. It wasn’t even her fault, really, though her being a notorious hard-ass didn’t help. It was a failure of the entire educational system.

So whenever I see crap like Elizabeth Holmes’s blood test scam or pharmaceutical trials which are unable to be replicated or industry-funded research that reaches wildly unscientific conclusions, I just remember those fucking sweet potatoes. I remember that curiosity dies when people are just trying to give their superiors the “right” answers, so they can get the grade, get the job, get the paycheck. It’s not about truth when it’s about paying rent. There’s no scientific integrity if you can’t control for human desperation.

[msaprildaniels]

There’s no scientific integrity if you can’t control for human desperation.

[cardiganemperor]

someone please help me, my HeLas hate dividing :,)

[themedicalstate]

“Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world.”

— Louis Pasteur

[plaguedocboi]

I am in the lab sipping test tube substances and critiquing them like fine wine

[everythingfox]

Baby axolotl

(via)

[cardiganemperor]

6 things i’ve learned in my research lab as an undergraduate research assistant:

• it’s more important that you find an understanding/friendly mentor than getting caught up in the specifics of what the lab studies (there is a very slim chance you’ll understand it in its entirety anyway)

• not all scientists are mean and scary (some can be real douchebags, but most just want you to learn and understand how cool science is!)

• some labs are really concerned with keeping as little skin exposed as possible, while others are pretty lenient about dress code (i wear a dress to lab sometimes) but whatever you do, wear closed-toed shoes. it is SO easy to spill all kinds of stuff on your feet - gravity is a real bitch sometimes.

• ask questions!! working in a lab is so much more fun when you understand how YOU are contributing to the research.

• WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN. seriously. write down what you’re told to do, write down what you do after you do it, all of it. that way if you fuck up an experiment you can go back through your notes and look for what could’ve went wrong.

•don’t be afraid to ask for help. you are not at all expected to know things. some undergrads come into lab having done research, others come in having never stepped foot in a lab before. it’s so much easier to look a little foolish for a minute instead of ruining an entire experiment and having to redo it. if you are ever criticized for asking questions or needing help - look into the possibility of finding another lab.

*picture isn’t mine*

[kimchiwaffle]

real scientists do it, let’s put dinosaur stickers on all the Vortex Genie 2s! c’mon guys!