Allow me to set the stage: a summer evening. A group of strangers pile into a cafe to play board games. Amid the discussion of what games to play and food to order, introductions abound. Then, you hear the fellow next to you say that he works at a
Many frustrating experimental results happen because you made a mistake. In hindsight, you realize you set up the reaction incorrectly or you were rushing and messed up the purification. Mistakes happen. Sometimes, though, you cannot find any good
As I enter into what is likely the final year of my PhD in the Biomedical Sciences program at the University of California San Diego, I regularly find myself contemplating the last four years. Although my experience has been a generally positive
With the demands of research as they are, labs often become bustling centers of activity. Ultimately, we all want to generate a substantial amount of exciting data that would further our projects and publications in a timely manner despite also
The Polymerase Chain Reaction, PCR, is one of the cornerstones of molecular biology. It allows the selective amplification of a target DNA sequence that occurs only once within a large and complex DNA structure such as genomic DNA. PCR is composed
Sterile cell culture practice is key to avoid contamination by microorganisms, which would then interfere with the integrity of your cell system and your experiments. While most of us are careful and well trained in proper cell culture technique,