Ok I get its for the movies plot. Shush. But in the movie he made those magic logs that got the train up to 88mph. On a steam engine. Ok so the guy is not just a chemistry ignorant physicist. He knows what hes doing. He built a time machine, out of a Delorean? And he couldn't whip up a half gallon of gas? He goes to the local bar and tries to run the car on 1885 strong hooch?? That plot point upset me before I ever picked up a chemistry textbook. He had a whole Smith shop. He made a big ass refrigerator! He could have cracked some oil and made gas. Right?? My question is how would you handle Doc Browns situation? How would you make gas in 1885? Or i guess maybe just pay the $80. Nevermind just a chemistry rant.

Hi everyone, I’m a psych 3rd year undergraduate in a psych lab and have been since the end of my 2nd year-so about 6 months now. I’ve loved being an RA and on the side also on the side working on a project in the same lab co-authoring a paper. As an honours undergraduate student this was amazing exposure for me and I’m so grateful i could learn about such an advanced cool statistical analyses. I should mention i was supervised by my lab PI as well as the post doc in my lab (both were co-supervising me, although my pi ended up getting very occupied with other things so he was actually barely involved and would never attend meetings, my post doc would occasionally update him on how the analysis went and how we could make the study better etc, but it was mostly my post doc who guided me through writing the whole paper as well as how to interpret results etc). I was a bit heartbroken once i finished the whole paper and submitted it to my pi, he said since our results are negative and journals wouldn’t want to show our negative results so it may not be a good idea to publish right now. Is this a red flag or does this happen often in academia? I was also hoping my first publication on my cv would look great but now that’s not possible either and idk if it’s appropriate to ask if we can do a pre print. I feel like our findings are still valuable to other researchers and they may waste time doing the same study as ours, it feels like i put in so much work into it and it’s going to be a waste. I can’t help but think my pi just dosent want me to publish or if he really thinks the findings are not good enough to publish even though it’s filling a big research gap. Do i reach out about the pre print?

EDIT: thank you for all who helped. And those who just wanted to take out their frustration on a random person: go take a walk…

I am having the hardest time trying to format the primer sequence on their website. I keep running into error messages. Can someone show me an example of how they wrote their sequences and generated a melting temperature?

Hi I’m currently a junior majoring in microbiology and I’m feeling pretty lost about what career I want to pursue after graduating.

I enjoy the technical side of science. I like performing experiments, pipetting, preparing samples, following protocols, and analyzing data. I honestly don’t mind repetitive or mundane laboratory tasks.

I’m currently an undergraduate research volunteer in a cardiovascular disease/biochem focused lab and have some experience with PCR, genotyping, histology, and data analysis. I’m also interested in microbiology, immunology, and molecular biology.

However, I realize that I’m not particularly interested in leading my own research projects or developing independent research questions. I’m also pretty introverted and would prefer a career where I can spend most of my time doing bench work rather than having frequent scientific discussions like conferences. I understand that communication and teamwork are unavoidable, and I’m fine with smaller meetings and discussing results with coworkers.

I’ve been looking into careers like a lab technician, and QC microbiology analyst in the biotech or pharmaceutical industry. I’m not sure whether I want to pursue research and development, testing products, etc. since these sound appealing to me.
I’m also considering getting a master’s degree, but I’m unsure whether it would actually benefit me or if I should just enter industry after finishing my bachelor.

Hello, I'm wondering about a piece of furniture that I've grown up with in my childhood home and living with currently. It is an antique wooden cabinet with 15 cubbies that what I've learned is for microscope storage. It's possibly circa 1900. In old photos I see that we had previously used it as a bookcase, and in more recent decades storing vases and other knick-knacks. Since I've become more aware of just how prevalent asbestos is, I'm wondering if we've unknowingly been exposed to any residual stuff like asbestos or mercury. Being that I've always been disorganized, I can see how easily it could have been adapted in it's past life as a lab fixture and used to store all kinds
of lab related things, and I'm mostly concerned about the possibility of it having had asbestos or
mercury or anything my OCD mind can think of. I need to go through the contents, some to keep and some to sell, and theres an innocent looking layer of dust behind the glass door, but now I'm
afraid to open it. I'm wondering what do the labrats here think? Should I worry?

Thank you!

Hey lab rats ~

I’m dipping my toes into totally new territory to kind of help a friend out and was looking for some cornerstone papers to orient myself. We’ve been chatting about doing some in vitro work in neurology, and I’m looking for those seminal papers that have “built up” neuronal cell culture. Who is an author that I absolutely should read? Are there any technical manuscripts that you really love? Do you have tips for isolating or culturing these tissues that I might not find in a lit review? Any and all advice appreciated! :)

Hey everyone, I’m interested in pursuing the clinical lab science degree at stony brook and will start completing my pre reqs next semester. Can anyone who’s in or has been in this program please list the stats and ec’s that got them in as well as gpa? I’m super nervous since it’s a competitive program.

Feel like having fun. Hit me with your best shot.

Does having a penicillin allergy prevent you from working with ampicillin or other antibiotics of this class in the lab? Do you work with it with extra precautions?

I teach an undergrad lab and the next lab is E. coli transformation. We use a teaching kit and the protocol says students with penicillin allergy should not participate in this lab. But the LB ampicillin agar plates are prepared by the TAs ahead of the lab. The ampicillin is embedded in the LB agar, and there is no suspension culture (they count the colonies and are done). The lab is done on an open bench, but I don’t see how they can get exposed to the ampicillin unless they eat or inhale the LB agar or touch it and stick their hands in their nose or mouth. I am wondering if it’s necessary to exclude these students from this lab or to allow them to opt out.

We run cell-based in vitro screens as part of our work, and the most common mistake we see from teams ordering their first screen is jumping straight to cells before the question is defined. So here is the decision logic we walk through - useful whether you outsource or run it in-house.

Biochemical vs cell-based vs in vivo:

Biochemical: fastest, cheapest, cleanest to interpret. But it only tells you about the molecular interaction, not what the compound does inside a living cell.

Cell-based: closer to real physiology. You see integrated functional effects - proliferation, apoptosis, cell-cycle shifts, pathway readouts. Slower and noisier than biochemical, but far more informative per compound.

In vivo: most physiological, highest cost, longest timeline, most variability. The wrong tool for triaging hundreds of compounds.

For early hit-series triage, cell-based is usually the sweet spot: controllable conditions, decent reproducibility, and it batches well.

What actually decides the timeline: the growth rate of the cell line you pick, the dosing scheme, and how many readouts you stack on top (cell cycle, apoptosis by flow, ELISA, Co-IP, reporter assays). That is why "how long does a screen take" has no fixed answer - the panel defines it, not the vendor.

One thing to decide before commissioning anything: what decision will this data change? If the answer is "nothing specific", the screen is not ready to be ordered.

Disclosure: I work at a contract research organization offering these services. General information only.

I'm a microbiology student and I keep running into the same problem: a new protocol is usually a long PDF or a paper's methods section, and I end up rewriting it by hand into a checklist so I don't skip a step or miss a safety note.

Curious how others deal with this:

1. Do you rewrite protocols into your own checklist, or just work from the original?

2. What's the most annoying part of following a protocol you've never run before?

3. Have you ever lost time or a sample because a step or warning was buried in dense text?

Not selling anything, just trying to find out if this is a real problem or just me. Thanks!

I am working in a lab that primarily works with vector-borne disease (lots of mosquitoes, some ticks). It's a small company and we don't have a department that I can specifically ask for help. I am currently preparing to start trying for a baby in March. I'm not naive enough to expect it to happen right away, but if it does happen in the first few cycles then I will spend the majority of next year's busy season in my first and second trimesters. One of the things that I need to do over the winter slow season is go through all of our reagents and check what additional PPE will be required in order to complete extractions and qPCR safely. Can anybody point me in the direction of specific resources that I can look at to get this guidance? Of course I plan on checking all of the MSDS sheets and contacting the manufacturing companies, but having a central database or something that I can reference would hopefully make the process a bit easier. TIA!

this is probably an easy one :)

Original publication : https://www.reddit.com/r/labrats/s/4p6OKHcH8Q

So guys !!

These are my VERO E6 cells that I passage yesterday at 1/2 for seeding them tomorrow (2 days after) in well-plates

As you can see there are some holes in the monolayer. The issue is I don’t think it is because of the growing but more because they weren’t okay since my come back to the lab…

These are 3 different spots of my 75cm2 flask

And i really hope they will not do holes when seeding them in well-plate like they did last week bc I will lost time with that…

My PI saw the cells today and she told me that they are ok I don’t have to do anything and can keep growing them / culture them as I did…

Also in the other hand, I start a new stock of cells but I didn’t change my media.

I think I will start with a new media tomorrow but the problem is the new stock of cells has been defrost with my potential contaminated media…

What are your thoughts ?

Also if some of you work on nucleotide compositions codon biases and stuff like that, would you please DM me ? Ahahah thank you for your help

Saudações!

Estava verificando a energia do FTIR Spectrum Two e o monitor de energia está marcando 303, fiquei um pouco assustada porque há quatro anos, aparentemente, a energia estava em 1470. Alguém tem alguma opinião sobre? Ele foi comprado em 2020 e quase não foi usado, nos últimos tempos estamos tentando usar mais e ele tem apresentado alguns erros.

Recently my local uni offered a 4 month hybrid biotech technician course with the fourth month as a practicum. It's grant funded so I didn't have to pay anything. Cost was always the largest barrier to me going to school, that and being first gen, having hangups about how meaningful a degree is, feeling if I truly cared for something I could self study, general bad experiences with compulsory edu. But I decided to sign up for this course when I read about it with hopes of entering a career with a better growth or at least pay ladder, to do more intellectually stimulating work, for a better chance for my peers to have similar work ethic, and just to experience something new, to go to new places and have new social experiences.

Almost every other labmate of mine has BS is a grad student or has experience in industry, and said they took this course because they couldn't find a job and it has direct placement. I definitely have catching up to do, my labmates say they don't even read the course material but I've been poring over it taking extensive notes, doing extra research and trying to learn as much as possible.

But I was surprised. Most of my labmates seem bored and disinterested, I found myself being the only one to start conversations, answering the most questions, being the most willing to pose new questions, and taking charge of each lab session with my partner. It's probably nothing new to them if they've already taken many classes, but still, I definitely entered this thinking I'd be the one needing to follow and learn from someone else's lead. The professors are pretty hands-off too, the course is very much sink or swim, since day one they have been drilling "lab tech is often also LSO, this is your responsibility" and so on.

I had to return some papers to my professor and he told me to bring them to his office, since I'm non credit I don't have a student badge and had to get some other students to let me in through multiple locked doors in this very serious biotech building. Standing in a service elevator that smelled strongly like animals and had animal-related warnings on it I had a strange feeling of foreboding... not that I have it, but if imposter syndrome were ever to be validated, I am essentially a random guy off the street. Have I really been conducting myself appropriately? Is this initiative I have been taking really the best? Why does this course exist at all? Where is it taking me? Surely there must be a catch, there must be some terrible work that absolutely no one wants to do. And I also feel the perplexing remorse, maybe despite my perhaps illusion of a better career it won't take me anywhere interesting after all, maybe I will end up like my bored and disinterested lab mates.

Sorry for the essay, I just needed to get my thoughts about this out. I am thankful for any kind of feedback or thoughts on the situation.

Hi,

I am currently doing IF on whole tissue choriodal flat mounts. I am unable to see signal for a certain marker which has not been evaluated in flat mounts before. However antigen retrivel was conducted for this marker in sections. How can I adapt antigen retrivel methods - proteinease K for whole tissue flat mounts?

​

Hi everyone!

I’m a new master’s student in pharmacogenomics with a particular interest in pediatric oncology, and my long-term goal is to pursue a PhD in this field.

I’m still at the beginning of my research journey, and I’d love to hear advice from people working in cancer research, pharmacogenomics, pediatric oncology, or related fields.

* What skills should I focus on developing during my master’s to become a good researcher?

* How can I make the most of my time in the lab and become a more independent and critical thinker?

* What should I prioritize learning in terms of cancer biology, pharmacogenomics, statistics, bioinformatics, and experimental techniques?

* How can I prepare during my master’s to become a strong candidate for a PhD, particularly in pediatric cancer research?

* Are there any books, courses, research papers, or habits you would recommend to someone just starting out?

* Looking back, what do you wish you had known when you started your master’s?

I’m motivated to learn as much as possible, strengthen my scientific skills, and build a solid foundation for a future in research. I’d really appreciate any practical advice or insights from your own experience.

Thank you!

If an application got rejected and triaged before review - where do you see comments (if any)

Basically the title, I was putting away my stuff after staining my cells but I forgot to put the FACS buffer jar back in the cool room and only noticed now, it would’ve been out for probably a day or two. The buffer just 2% FBS in PBS but is it still ok to use or should I play it safe and just make a new batch? Thanks!

Hey all,

I've worked as a laboratory assistant for 4 years across a few labs. The work is boring, unfulfilling and stressful due to increasing workloads, equipment issues, management and incredibly slow training/little room for progression. The pay is absolute crap too (just above minimum wage). Wanted to become a HCPC registered BMS but seriously can't see that ever happening or me even enjoying working as one now I have witnessed the work life. I have a bachelor's degree in biomedical science and 5 years work experience.

At this point I've given up trying to pursue a job in my favourite field (microbiology) due to the crap work hours and issues above and so would settle for anything that's low stress and decently paid. I see a job as a job now and want the most amount of money/time off I can get for the least amount of work I can do and stress I have to deal with. Bonus points if the job is interesting. Based in the South West. Any suggestions?

(...) They increasingly amplify human ingenuity and unlock new forms of creativity, empowering Americans to achieve what was previously impossible across science (...)

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/09/inaugurating-the-era-of-super-intelligence/

(...) Dr. Hye Ryeon Jang, Professor of Political Science at Morehouse College, points out that the rebrand stems from Executive Order 14434. However, she simultaneously notes it remains an uncodified presidential initiative rather than officially adopted federal law.

“We also need to make a distinction that it looks like they sort of agreed, but it’s not really a clear agreement on terminology,” Jang explains, analyzing the subtle friction between the White House and Beijing’s foreign ministry (...)

https://maroontigermedia.com/2026/10/president-trump-rebrands-ai-during-summit-with-jinping/

During the first year of my PhD, I worked under a PI (let’s call him Bob). Bob asked me and another first year grad student to each write a first author review to be published. Although I wrote my draft first and presented it first, Bob favored the other student and went ahead with publishing and editing that students paper first, without reading mine. I left the lab after a year of work due to an incredibly hostile work environment.

Today, I have found out that Bob has published my paper (with edits of course) with the other student as first author. My name is not mentioned in the author list or acknowledgements. Is there anything I can do about this? I think I’m screwed since I left the lab, but want to hear other thoughts. For context, I’m in the USA and the publishing journal is European.

EDIT: after I left, Bob left the research institution and moved to a new one in a different country. During my time in Bob’s lab, we were encouraged to save things to the shared drive which I no longer have access to. I also do not have access to the email address I used during my time in Bob’s lab, as I am at a different institution now. I have the first draft, as well as the outline and references I used.

Kinda just need another opinion on this happening today. So I went out of town the week before last for a big life event and PTOd the whole week, and the following Monday. I ended up being short 2 hours for the full 8 hours on Monday, so I made up for it by working late Tuesday- Thursday. Tuesday and Wednesday were like 9am-8pm, Thursday was like 9am - 7pm. I reported Tuesday and Wednesday as being 9 hour days to get me to 80. PI said today that this was a complete misrepresentation of my time, and will be reporting me to HR for time card falsification? He says the extra hours were not approved and that I needed to take the missing two hours as unpaid.