The Curious Biologist

A blog of my works and curiosities in laboratory science

[curiousbiologist]

My supervisor used to always tell me, “Some days you’re the pigeon, some days you’re the statue”. I think I know exactly what he means now. Despite my best efforts, Western blots just don’t behave.

[curiousbiologist]

Fresh plasmid, fresh transformation, and no growth on the negative control. Hell yeah!

[curiousbiologist]

Great shot of some cellulose biofilm. This sucker weighed almost 10 grams dry!

[curiousbiologist]

Urea makes the coolest crystal patterns!

[curiousbiologist]

6 litres, ready to go!

[curiousbiologist]

Anyone who does protein work knows how beautiful it is to see these!

[curiousbiologist]

Expressing.... again.

[curiousbiologist]

Is there anyway I could work in a lab without a degree? I took a micro class while going for my biology degree but never finished it. It was by far the most interesting & fun class I've ever taken but I don't think I can pursue it without a degree.

There are lots of great careers in microbiology both with and without degrees!There are many labs, both public and private, that perform routine microbiology testing for pathogens, water quality, food quality and safety, soil sampling, and public health concerns. These places often hire assistants and technicians with varying requirements. At my former workplace, you could earn a very reasonable wage with a 9-month certificate or be a supervising technician with a 2-year diploma.

[curiousbiologist]

Big yields mean big work-ups, which also mean big mugs of coffee and long days.

[curiousbiologist]

Is it just me, or do Western blots frustrate everyone else to no end?

[curiousbiologist]

Nothing puts a smile on your face quite like a gel that looks like this!

[curiousbiologist]

I think it looks a tad overgrown, don’t you?

[curiousbiologist]

What’s in your food? These plates came from a serial dilution of supermarket cabbage. While it’s not unusual to see some culture on any fresh food, you might be grossed out to know that the media on the right is DCM. 

Yuck! Always wash your lettuce!

[curiousbiologist]

@sporadicspinosaurus​ answered: I’m still a freshman, but from what I’ve heard, the main one is Organic Chemistry. Calculus has done some damage as well.

@femscinerd​ answered: ochem was always the big one, but i think that’s at least partly because it’s often taught poorly and students aren’t adequately prepared with study skills for it @saffythegeek answered: Biochem, especially metabolism @g0ldenpanda​ answered: Physics. I’ve never had a good physics teacher in college.. And it’s difficult to truly understand what’s going on when you can’t have them explained the concept without them surpassing the level of the course. @call-me-o answered: Berkeley's beginning bio course is pretty intense and fast-paced, and our physics requirements can scare people away too.

Ochem is always a popular answer, I was lucky enough to have a fantastic teacher, but others I’m sure weren’t as lucky! That’s what my roommate always says is the #1 GPA killer, but I disagreed. I can relate to physics. I had the worst prof you could imagine. We’re talking broken English, reading verbatim from the textbook and waving his hands around to demonstrate the laws of thermodynamics in what I can only describe as interpretative dance. I’ve never had it explained to me the same way twice since then, either. For me the worst was probability and statistics. The course was compulsory and taught through the math department, so it was a purely theoretical course rather than teaching from an applied or practical perspective. I will never forget the 3-page proofs...

[curiousbiologist]

I had an interesting debate with a friend of mine the other day, and we couldn’t come to an agreement, so I thought I might turn to my followers!  I’d love your thoughts: What undergraduate-level science course or courses do you think is/are the most difficult, or scare people away the most often? Why?

[curiousbiologist]

Believe it or not, it’s not fungi... some Actinomyces spp. on AIA from an environmental sample. Check out the funky colour on the background!

[curiousbiologist]

A perfect gradient is always so satisfying. Brownie points to whoever can guess which assay I’m running!