Hi everyone, first off, power to ya during these times. No where near a reasearcher/ a 'lab rat', but I worked closely in a lab and your job is scary / no joke. Getting in those 384 wells with no mistake/contamination is too much stress for me.

Anywho, family friends Toxicology / PCR testing lab needed a data entry clerk, and they picked me up. My background being in tech, I started building software that helped automate tasks around the lab.

The 2 main features of my software is:
* Automatically creating test templates for our machines, no longer manually creating these tests, which they were super happy about

* Programmatically streamlining sample check in. They where manually checking sample entries, and organizing for the actual testing process. My software automates that by using barcodes, and assigning sort number for each sample.

Small other features like making daily work list to pass inspection and what not.

So far, since I am not Storing, Transporting, or Processing PHI on any of my computers, I believe I am not needed to be HIPPA compliant. I plan of course to be HIPPA compliant once I grow with this software. I grow, they grow, it's why I want to give them a good price as well.

But for these 2 feature sets, which are almost used daily, I want to figure out a number, and I dont want to overcharge much because I know similar software exists (Haven't seen much advertisements for the actual check in process tho)

Being lab workers, how much value would you associate to a software that auto generates your files for you? I am thinking somewhere around $300 a month? Or am I selling myself short here? Or maybe too much? Thanks in advance!

Started working in a genetics lab, the post doc im working under yells at me when i dont do the calculations right and wont explain it to me even when I ask nicely. Can someone here give me a step by step direction on examples for using dilution calculations and cell count calc that can be easily done in my head?

We treat mice with a drug in their drinking water ad lib. Our usual strains of mice drink this plenty and it's all good. Recently tried a different strain of mice for an experimental purpose, and they seem to be drinking a lot less of it.

The drug water is pretty acidic (pH 3), but the other strains had no problem. We also add 5% sugar in all cases.

We make this solution sterile by using autoclaved MilliQ water (Type 1 ultra pure), letting it cool down to temp, adding drug + sugar, and 0.22 um filtering.

Anything we can do to increase drinking rate? Any idea why some strains of mice would have no problem drinking a normal amount but a different one might?

Does anyone have suggestions on equipment/techniques for sub-microliter molecular biology, for scaling very low volume reactions. I have had good luck with the Echo, but curious what other techniques exist.

I can’t really figure out how it works. I’m seeing some crazy expensive printers but I can’t even tell if they will work for what I want.

I know this is not a question that anyone besides my boss could answer, I’m just wanting some communication with other professionals with NIH and NSF funded jobs. Especially any women/BiPoC/“DEI” in the field of academic research. I have never experienced anything like what we are seeing. I just need people to talk to as my boss is also very confused rn.

With the current state of science and research, I am concerned about the future of my job. My lab is funded almost exclusively via NIH grants and with the executive orders to pause federal spending, I don’t know what that means for the security of my job in academic research. Anyone have any advice?

I sent samples for Sanger sequencing to Eurofin via overnight service on Friday evening. I received results on Saturday morning, but the email mentions 'partial sequencing results,' even though all samples were sequenced. The sequence quality is poor, with almost 80% of sequences failing, despite clear amplification on the gel. Could the 'partial results' indicate that sequencing is incomplete, and they will send another email with complete (good quality sequences) results?

hi everyone im looking for research assistantship jobs in CT (psychology/Neuro) if anyone is aware of any leads! I will be graduating in May and I am looking to do research for two years!

For context, I’m an undergraduate researcher finishing college, and I hope to pursue postgraduate studies soon. A friend of mine (let’s call them A) recently started their postgraduate journey and needed to repeat a few experiments for a paper. Because there was a lot to do and little time, A asked if I wanted to co-author it to help them. I was surprised since I had no prior experience in this area of their research. Additionally, a doctoral student (let’s call them B), whose original idea had made A’s project possible, was already set as a second author. Despite my inexperience, I agreed because it seemed like a great opportunity.

However, a few days later, A told me that B had reconsidered and felt I shouldn’t be a co-author due to my lack of experience. A then asked if I’d be okay with contributing as a collaborator instead (while still receiving credit), with B remaining the second author. I agreed, as I felt somewhat uncomfortable myself and was relieved that I wouldn’t need to help write the report.

The experiments began, and some days were incredibly exhausting—often requiring over 11 hours of work. At first, B was on vacation, which we knew about in advance, so it wasn’t an issue. But when B returned, A and I were still working hard, while B barely contributed. They saw us working non-stop all day but didn’t offer to help, spending their time in the lab on personal matters instead. I expressed my frustration to A, who agreed that B’s lack of commitment was disappointing.

Eventually, B did participate in a few experiments but contributed very little—essentially running three western blots. They didn’t even attempt to help with the report writing, which was part of their responsibility. In short, B’s involvement was minimal compared to the work A and I had put in.

A later asked me if I felt wronged by the situation. I thought B might have a chance to make up for their lack of effort with more experiments, but now it seems there’s little left for them to do. Next week, B will be taking another vacation, meaning they won’t even be present for the results discussion with our professor.

As it stands, B is receiving significantly more credit than I am, even though I’ve contributed far more to the project’s execution. A, as the first author, has offered to defend my position and argue that I should be the second author instead of B.

I don’t want to cause any issues in the lab, but this isn’t the first time B has done something like this, and it never sits right with me. Having my name as an author would be incredibly valuable for my postgraduate applications, and I believe I’ve earned that right. While B did provide the initial idea, A’s project is not their property, and it feels wrong to let go of this rightful authorship and allow someone else to take advantage of our hard work.

I’m not a confrontational person by nature, never have been, but I feel I need to stand up for myself and my future. It’s daunting to challenge a doctoral student as an undergraduate, but I feel it’s necessary. I could really use some advice on how to handle this situation.

Thank you for reading.

EDIT: thank you all so much for the feedback. I might not be able to give proper answers to everyone as I am kinda busy right now and I pretend to take the post down by the end of the day, but I’m reading everything and taking every opinion into account. It’s been very clarifying, thanks!

If you’ve been paying attention to the news, major scientific governing bodies that fund research, including the USDA, the CDC, and the NIH have shown they are complying with administration - or have been forced to comply.

As with everything else about the first two weeks in office, everything is in line with project 2025, under the guidance of project of 2025 staff - the scrubbing of federally funded research related to climate change, HIV, and gender has been swiftly and effectively implemented - as explicitly planned in the document. I believe the next step, as laid out in the project 2025 document, is to use the control of the levers pf power and the HHS to demolish our model of national research funding as we know it today. It says in the document that it would be up to states to pay for their own research, that the CDC and NIH must be dismantled.

Money is already tight. Research is expensive. If states are forced to pay for their own research, we are in big trouble. I think its time to try for non federal grants and making more intelligent decisions on how we spend our money.

I am just a scientist. I don’t know how politics works - but I can see the writing on the walls. Tell everybody you know, start talking about it. We need to be prepared for the worst.

Friends - there is still more to learn about how this beautiful world works. I believe there are still people we can help. I believe it’s going to get hard. Lean on each other for support. I’ll repeat the kind words of my close friend “There is always a place for what you’re doing. It genuinely matters.“

My company recently transferred over from just paper notes and physical notebooks to iPads. It was supposed to make life easier for keeping experiments updated and not backlogged, by OH MY GOSH it’s a pain in the ass. I’m Teams messaging my supervisor saying “Hey! These 4 entries need to be reviewed or they’re going to be rejected by QA for not being reviewed within the time period!” And nothing gets done.

Plus, since it’s Microsoft based, you do that thing where you put a single period and it shifts everything to the left or right, which is annoying.

We also have to sign these notebooks but the drawn signatures never stay in the same spot and they float all over the page. You know what signatures do stay in the same place? INK ON PAPER.

I’m with the boomers on this one, I wish we could just go back to paper ;-;

In light of the insanity and frustration we’re all experiencing was hoping to add something light hearted and fun.

Okay so everyone (or at least they should) has a late night lab song to get them through. It’s 7 pm you have cells to passage or you’ve extracted DNA and need to do a bead clean up. You’re somewhat delirious and start singing to your cells. What’s yours? Altered lyrics encouraged. Or possibly I’m alone in this and a little insane.

Take me home tonight, I don’t want to let you go until I’ve refreshed your media

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/federal-workers-told-offer-paid-september-resign-valid/story?id=118317566

Well I'm just a dumdum. I thought "government" meant a more... Nebulous thing... Like it's power, "reach" and inner workings aka bureaucracy.

Or even people with power. But no, as usual I very clearly do not understand.

So now govt = day to day scientists, inspectors, advisors, admin, so forth and so on. Hmm..

But is not inclusive of POTUS, vp, etc. Color me curious

I can see my protein on sds page and there is a thick band. but there is very low concentration according to bradford or 280nm reading. Please help.

Hello fellow LabRats!

I’m a PhD student and recently my laptop is dying (doesn’t boot/ freezes/ gives blue screen error after 20 min of launching) if anyone is capable of help and save me the Coin id appreciate

With that said, I’m looking for a new laptop. I work with Microbiome analysis, so a lot of data, a lot of R in-house analysis, confocal microscopy, all the deal.

Would you have any suggestions of a laptop powerful enough that doesn’t brake the bank?

Scientific salutes,

A stressed PhD student

Might have ADHD

I’m a PhD student in Switzerland, and every time I do cell culture and my PI sees me, he complains about the way I do it. From how I handle things inside the hood, to washing cells, splitting, and even the trypsin protocol—basically everything. It’s gotten to the point where I start making mistakes when he’s around because I get nervous, and now he wants to “train” me to teach me the “proper” way.

The thing is, everything I do, I learned from highly skilled people before joining this lab—people from a highly renowned place in the US, some of whom published first-author papers in Cell, Nature, and Science. I have a lot of experience working with immortalized cell lines, maintaining and amplifying them, doing treatments for differentiation, transfection, etc. Never had any issues, never had a single contamination.

I find it frustrating (and honestly, kind of offensive) that he constantly criticizes my technique. It feels like it diminishes everyone who taught me before I came here. That said, I get that he has his own way of doing things and wants me to follow his method. I’m okay with that—it’s his lab, and I’ll do what he wants. But I want to have a conversation before the training to make it clear that just because I wasn’t taught his way doesn’t mean my way is wrong.

Has anyone else dealt with this? Any advice on how to approach this conversation without coming off as defensive?

"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, citation count and citation farms, h-indexes and impact factors, there is a field. I'll meet you there; where grants, and all the aforementioned things do not exist, where research can be done free of these stupid worldly things, where we do not blindly follow the authority that decides all these things. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about, and we can talk there freely."

I'm using 3mg/ml of collagen in 0.02 N acetic acid and trying to dissolve but it forms visible clumps only

Any suggestions on dissolving collagen

Also the next protocol is for gel formation in which a paper suggests adding 2x PBS of equal amount to neutralize and then add 0.1M NaOH to neutralize pH to 7.4 to allow gelation in next 1hr. Could anyone confirm if this can be done

Hi everyone,

I would like to see how bibliometric research/analysis is done with actual code (for example, bibliometric analysis and visualization of fingernail research over the last two decades). If you know a study with code available, please tell me.

Much appreciated!

Cheers,

Welcome to our revamped month long vent thread! Feel free to post your fails or other quirks related to lab work here!

Vent and troubleshoot on our discord! https://discord.gg/385mCqr

This may be the wrong sub for this question, but Im looking into grad programs and as of now my top choice is doing a masters in biomedical science at the Texas A&M vet school. Just about a year ago I started becoming more interested in the world of lab work and research and wanted to know if anyone here has been through that program before, or at any other university

Lab work is not where I shine as l am slow and clumsy (relatively! there's a reason I got into my grad program).

I just feel smarter when I'm writing about science. My plan is to get a job in science that doesn't involve lab work.

Any tips for how to get through it? Any tips for how to get faster at it?

I got an offer from this lab w/ DEVCOM it’s army job. But like there’s a lot of federal chaos. I might have an offer elsewhere should I take instead. The DEVCOM job is cool but like it’s seems beyond hectic

So hard to keep track of everything that is happening but it looks like a restraining order was placed blocking Trump from freezing federal funds again.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/federal-judge-blocks-trump-funding-freeze/#

https://rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/01/31/federal-judge-in-providence-sides-with-ags-agrees-to-temporarily-block-federal-funding-freeze/

so technically, my position was terminated due to the contract not being renewed and my PI cannot afford to pay my salary any longer. I am not sure what to do next. i feel like my skills are so specific? Any advice on transitioning into another field or perhaps going into industry? recommendations??

anything would help 😭❤️ thanks

My paranoia saved my ass today. We were trying out a new protocol to digest tissue for ion quantification. You mix nitric acid with hydrogen peroxide and digest your samples for an hour at 140C. The protocol calls this "pressure bombing", with the pressure generated inside the tube preventing the solution from boiling and allowing for rapid digestion.

We have a standard set of screw cap tubes that we use for this sort of thing. We've done high heat/pressure assays before (though not this one in particular), so I wasn't too worried at first. I had checked our past notes and they seemed fine at those conditions. However, I just had this weird nagging feeling as we put them on the heating block. I tried to ignore it and get some other work done, but I couldn't let it go. So I decided to give another look at our bag of tubes and realized it was a different material than usual. I quickly check our order list and realized we switched to a slightly different version of the tubes a couple months back. Searched the manufacture's site and saw that the melting point of these new tubes was 160C. We'd be pushing these tubes close to the melting point with extreme pressure. Ran over and switched the block off at 100C.

Thank you anxiety voice in the back of my head 🙏

Hi.

I have monday job interview for position of lab technician for ,,molecular microbiology". Honestly, aside from PCR, i have no idea what methods and tests could they use and for what. It is normal hospital lab, not some research, which confuses me even more.

Does anyone here please know what (side from PCR) might be content of the work position, so i know what to check before that interview?