Really soft and surprisingly puffy. After recrystallizating crude afatinib from butyl acetate, the compound takes on this extremely light and soft crystalline form. Feels like touching fluff from a pillow.

My rating - 8.5/10.

Next issue will come as soon as I move on to another project.

the longer i work as a lab manager, the more it occurs to me that this specialized equipment shit is a racket. not only do you pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for whatever machine, but then there’s consumables (that you can only buy from the company and sometimes they’re not even in stock), maintenance fees, and service contracts. and don’t even get me started on software.

i’m lucky that my lab is well funded these days, but it all just feels so wasteful.

I AM NOT ASKING FOR HELP JUST WANT TO VENT

Prism has corrupted the file with a HECKING LOT of my analysis data, and of fucking course I don't have an online backup because google drive was being an annoying prick. I still have the excel sheet with the data, I will just have to redo the analysis and input the data, because why not? Thesis defense is just knocking at the door.

DUCK ME SIDEWAYS

Mine: ten consecutive dead plaque assays. Positive control also dead. Samples I knew were full of phage. I re-ran it for weeks and never found the cause; it just started working again one day.

I still think about it. My money's on batch of host in stationary phase but we'll never know.

So: what was yours, and how long did it take you to find it?

Also curious — for anyone who's tried asking an AI chatbot to troubleshoot a failed protocol: did it actually help, or did it just give you the textbook list you'd already ruled out?

I'm a bio undergrad trying to figure out if "re-run it and hope" is universal or if some labs actually debug things systematically.

I have been down this rabbit hole a million times. I am constantly working up my qPCR data, then reading a different way of doing it. I understand that ddCt seems to be the widely accepted option. Is this true? And if so, what’s the best way to run statistical tests on this data? Should I run an Anova on the dCt values and not the fold changes? Is best way to represent it with log2fold changes? Please help! Any literature for reference would be greatly appreciated! I just want to be confident in the work I put out there

Hello everyone

I had a few concerns about the safety standards at my school. My primary concern is pipetting using our mouth to create suction. Today we were instructed to a titration experiment and it involved transferring 10 milliliters of oxalic acid we prepared in a beaker to a conical flask but none of us were allowed to use regular pipettes or heck even a test tube to measure out the acid.

All of us had to use mouth pipettes to transfer over the acid and 2 concerns are:

1. Hygiene: These pipettes were stored in dusty reagent shelves and as far as I'm aware, we aren't instructed to wash them after use either. And even if we did wash them, it's just regular water and no soap or detergents to clean it thoroughly.

2. Ingesting the chemical: This happened to me today. While I was trying to transfer over the acid, I ended up getting some of it in my mouth. I did spit it out immediately and it was very diluted but still this could be a bigger concern for other chemicals imo

So, I wanted to know if my school has outdated safety standards. From googling around, it does seem so but I've seen many online tutorials also doing the same thing so I'm confused if my concern is valid or not.

Thank you

So im an intern in a somewhat prestigious lab, but ever since starting, ive been doing no lab work, PIs and supervsiors are nowhere to be found, despite emails and telling them i dont mind helping with literally literally literally anything, im not given any tasks but to read papers, which i am and have read. My internship is graded, meaning it affects my college gpa, so id say it's rlly impt. But days are long and the job description detailed a bunch of tests and experiments but im not halfway into the internship and meet ups with my supervisor are always ending off with, if there is anything i can do please let me know but i get nothing back in return. Labs here dont even wash/autoclave, they are done by a different lab party, pipette tips are all already bought prepackaged. . They labs are separate from offices so i dont want to just barge into the lab and start organizing. Help me out here guys T-T. People are nice but i also dont want to constantly nag at them.

My real viva is in three weeks, and I had a mock defense with my lab yesterday. I was completely destroyed.

I had a really hard time preparing the presentation because I was second-guessing everything, but I didn't realize just how bad it was until yesterday. I was SO nervous, way more than I usually am when presenting. My voice was breaking, but somehow I was still speaking at about 3x my normal speed.

My lab basically tore the whole thing apart. My advisor was particularly passive-aggressive, and even some labmates seemed confused by it. The PI told me to throw out 90% of the presentation and basically dictated what I should say on each slide, in a pretty condescending way, like I don't know how to make 30 slides about my own thesis. Some of the things they wanted me to say were also, in my opinion, pretty inaccurate.

The point of a mock viva is to get criticized, I get it, but now I'm completely terrified about the actual day. I know my committee isn't my lab and that the real thing will probably be different, but somehow I am just not myself anymore?! I was freaking shaking the whole time! And now my family and all my friends are going to be there watching me collapse.

Has anyone had a mock defense go absolutely terribly and then had the actual defense go fine? I'd really appreciate some stories, or any advice for dealing with completely freezing under pressure.

Hi guys, im master’s student and I’m starting to seriously consider leaving my current lab after my Master’s rather than continuing into a PhD with my PI.
I’m not planning on saying anything to my PI yet because I want to have confirmation from another lab/PI first. However, I’m trying to figure out how I should handle the conversation once I know for sure.
The main reason I don’t want to continue is that I feel like I’m not getting enough guidance or support on my project. I have very little to show in terms of results atp, and I often feel like I’m the one who has to figure out what to do next, come up with experiments, troubleshoot things, etc. i am super independent but at the same time i feel alone with 0 supervision, i have been doing the same experiments since the day o started (+1year) and nothing works and her solution is re-doing it.
So I’m starting to feel that my project is going nowhere. I’m worried that if I stay for another 3–5 years for a PhD under the same supervision, I’ll end up in the exact same situation.
I’m therefore looking for advice from people who have been in a similar situation:
How would you tell your PI that you’ve decided not to continue into a PhD with them?

How honest should I be about the reasons? Should I actually tell her that I feel unsupported and that I don’t think my project is progressing because of the lack of guidance, or is it better to keep the explanation more neutral?

If I get an offer/confirmation from another PI, how do I explain that I’m leaving without burning bridges?

What if the new PI asks me why I’m leaving my current lab?

And what’s really worrying me is : what do I do if the new PI asks for a recommendation letter from my current PI? I’m worried that if my current PI realizes I’m trying to leave, she might not give me a good recommendation.

PS: I completely understand that a PhD requires you to be independent, come up with experiments, troubleshoot, redo things, etc. I AM NOT expecting my PI to hand me a project or tell me exactly what to do. That’s really not the issue here. The issue is that my experiments have not worked for over a year, I have 0 results, and when I independently come up with alternative approaches or suggestions, they get refused because “this should work.” So if the same approach keeps failing and my alternatives aren’t being considered, what exactly am I supposed to do?

They are going to kill me at my thesis defense tomorrow

MDA-MB-231 out here moonlighting as a Jackson Pollock

Everything was fine! I was running my westerns with this powersupply that someone had already installed the adaptors into. However I got a new rig and started messing with things to shift the adapters onto the new one. Now I can’t get either of them to work.

I used the allen wrench it came with to put it in closed position, then slid it into the power supply and tried to tighten it until I felt resistance (I felt none). I also tried putting them in closed position, then attaching them to the cords before plugging into the power bank. I’ve tried both lids, the issue is for sure the adapters.

Now I’ve messed with them so much the black one won’t go back fit snuggly into the power bank, one of the black adapters screw is now falling out of it, and the other one won’t close around the retractable plastic cover anymore…

Is there a trick to this I’m missing??

I feel like my PI will be pissed if I give up on this and just hit the Invitrogen power supply when this one was working fine…

I'm doing my master's thesis currently and while searching for something completely else on this subreddit I've stumbled over something that I'm now losing my mind over.

In the CFX Maestro software by Bio-Rad, you can decide between two Cq determination settings: Auto threshold and regression. Now I've read on here that when comparing across different experiments regression should be used, as it's more robust because it infers Cq by fitting a non-linear line to each amplification curve - in contrast to the single threshold method, where a line is set in the exp phase of the amplification curve.

My experiments are cell-culture based - I have multiple biological replicates and different treatment conditions. Every replicate has to be run multiple times because I can't fit all my primers on one plate. Before, I was using the single threshold mode to determine Cq and I never changed the thresholds that the software automatically set. So now I tried out the regression mode and it changes my data in a way, that makes some comparisons between treatments more statistically significant (= comparisons that where not bordering on significance before, are now; some go from highly significant (***) to significant (**)).

But I am really confused as to which method to use for my experimental set up :( I cannot really find a lot about the regression mode for Cq determination.

Aren't both of these modes kinda doing the same thing? I don't really understand how regression mode is supposed to be more robust, because the best fit line SHOULD technically be similar for all traces of a given primer for each treatment replicate - but isn't that also the case for single threshold?

Plus, from what I understand, single threshold is applied per primer (so all samples with primer X get the same threshold, but that threshold varies from plate to plate/replicate to replicate), wouldn't that be more comparable/robust to regression, where a Cq is determined for every well?

If someone has any guidance or experience with this, I would be very glad!!

(On phone, formatting might be off)

I’m a Research Technician at a research institute and have been in my current PI’s lab for about half a year. I’m considering an internal transfer to another PI’s lab within the same institute.

The main reasons are scientific development and the working environment. I feel the other lab would be a better fit for my scientific growth. In addition, my current PI sends emotionally charged messages almost every day, often entirely in CAPS, which has made the work environment increasingly stressful and sometimes makes it difficult to get through the day. My experiments don’t stress me out, but my PI’s messages do. And the lab environment is just toxic.

HR has told me there is no fixed handover period, although around one month is generally considered reasonable. I also don't have a major handover, so I’m unsure what transition period would actually be appropriate.

I’d appreciate advice on how to approach my current PI, particularly regarding how much I should disclose about my reasons for wanting to leave and how to handle the transition if she is unhappy with the transfer. I’ve included my proposed Letter of Intent to Transfer below for context and please do kindly provided your advice! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Letter of Intent to Transfer

Dear Prof XXX,

I am writing to formally discuss my intention to transfer internally from your laboratory to Dr XXX’s laboratory.

I initiated this process myself and approached Dr XXX to explore the possibility of joining their team, as I am interested in the research being conducted in their laboratory. Following our discussions, Dr XXX has indicated that they would be happy to have me join their team, subject to the appropriate discussion and arrangements between the current and receiving laboratories.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to have worked in your laboratory and for the experience I have gained during my time here. I sincerely appreciate the opportunities, responsibilities, and guidance I have received during my time in the laboratory.

At this stage, I would like to discuss with you the proposed transfer and an appropriate transition period and transfer date. While I do not have a major outstanding handover to complete, I would like to ensure that any current commitments and responsibilities are appropriately concluded or communicated before the transfer takes effect.

During the transition period, I would be happy to:

• Ensure that relevant experimental records, data, and documentation are appropriately organised.
• Clarify the status of any ongoing or recently completed work where necessary.
• Address any outstanding responsibilities that you would like me to complete before the transfer.
• Assist with any reasonable arrangements needed to ensure continuity of the laboratory's work.

I understand from HR that approximately one month is generally considered a reasonable guideline for a transition period. I would therefore like to discuss with you a suitable timeline that provides sufficient time to address any outstanding matters while allowing for a smooth transition to Dr XXX’s laboratory.

I hope we can discuss this openly and agree on a transition plan that is appropriate for the laboratory and the ongoing work. I want to ensure that I approach this process respectfully and professionally, and I am grateful for your understanding.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my request. I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss the proposed transfer and transition arrangements with you.

what do you think is more important: being genuinely interested in the science or who you work closely with? ill be a research tech and i have two offers rn. a postdoc who seems more responsive and interested in mentorship but the science isnt as interesting vs a grad student who would be more hands off but with interesting work

This is an Eppendorf 5425 microcentrifuge. The lid is supposed to basically slide on with no resistance, and then a twist with a click locks it in place. Recently, it hasn’t been smooth, and it is now very difficult to remove the lid. I find there is a lot of metal on metal grinding. Am I supposed to lubricate the metal spots in the pictures? I am worried because I don’t want it to loosen the lock during a run, and then manual does not mention it at all.

EDIT: I applied some of the supplied lubricant to the outer red seal on the lid, and it seems to have completely resolved the issue. Thanks everyone!

Hi! Im an incoming freshman in college who really wants to pursue research in the future and HOPEFULLY all 4 years of college. Im in a molecular and cell bio/biochem major. I did a bit of research in medchem (making molecules for cancer) in high school (about one year). And so, I really liked chemical bio research. However, as Im looking through my labs at university, there are just sooooo many options to choose from. I know I wanna do a bit of chem and a bit of bio but its just so hard to try to choose. I feel like im kinda scared that im gonna miss out on opportunities that other labs have to offer by joining a lab. Is there any advice so i can reason through this kinda fomo feeling? How do i choose THE lab?

I already terminated my contract. Would it be rude to ask to hand over the material and lab book to supervisor instead of PI? I would say politely in the mail that "given the impact that the situation has had on me, I would feel comfortable having the meeting arranged with immediate supervisor". Is this okay?

I’ve been working full time as a tech for about a year now, and things were going so well in the beginning. Now a year in I am constantly making errors and I genuinely don’t understand how I can avoid them. Things like incubating at room temp rather than 37 degrees in an assay I’ve done before, or writing 37 instead of 27 as a weight for an animal. I’ve been making these errors for weeks, and have noticed them and been concerned about them myself. I had an open conversation with my boss about them, and felt we were moving in the right direction. But today something big happened and it could have been multiple people (I have no idea who it was it could have been me or others) but my boss assumed it was me. I said he absolutely could be right but I hadn’t used the item in months so I wouldn’t know one way or another. And then he basically told me that I need to be more careful, but in a big way.
He’s absolutely right but I just don’t know what to do. I’m at my wits end, trying to prevent errors as much as possible and still making them. I feel like I should just quit, I come into work every day already on edge for what I’m going to do wrong next, and have done for weeks . I know people make mistakes at work but it’s ramped up so much I genuinely considered seeing a doctor about it. Crying in the club… avoiding calling my mom, etc.

I'm an undergrad still learning molecular biology, I used the Qiagen DNeasy PowerSoil kit, added an extra 70% ethanol wash, but ratios are still really low:

A260/280 = 1.912, A260/230 = 0.471

A260/280 = 1.642, A260/230 = 0.177

Does anyone have tips or low-cost troubleshooting methods to fix this?