My Sphere
Fierer Lab:
Why are microbes cool?
“Because they’re like tiny little people!” —Gaddy
“Because they’re everywhere; they’re ancient, and 99 percent of described species are unculturable, which means no feeding, no tanks to clean, and no poop to pick up.” —Garrett
“Microbes make the world go round, some give us the runs while others give us a buzz!” —Bob
“The immense number of microbes, although individually small, affect chemical cycles on a global scale.”
—Chris G.
“Because there aren’t many things that can produce both cheese and diarrhea.” —Chris L.
“They’ve ruled the world for billions of years, and they’re incredibly diverse, but we’ve only just begun to crack their secrets.” —Kate
A vacuum pump—it really sucks.
Protocol posted in mid-air so as to be resistant to note-taking.
Flammables cabinet—doubles as tiny graduate student office.
Timer used to see how long it takes for a) experiment step to finish, b) donuts to disappear.
Polymerase chain reaction (helps look at DNA) cleanup kit with components missing to provide additional fun when working under deadlines.
The bar—helps make the “cocktail” reagents for samples.
Multichannel pipette for measuring out samples.
Tip jar for used micropipette tips—fills up in less than five minutes, sometimes even faster when Donna’s well-caffeinated.
Assistant Ashley blending in with lab equipment.
Sample wells—where thousands of little DNA’s live. Equals $5,000 in samples and one Ph.D. disseration (no joke).
Latex gloves stuffed back in box after failed attempt to “get the prize inside.” Used to prevent contamination.
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