Funny lab mistakes

Anonymous confessions from the lab bench.

1. The Western blot transfer went backwards

   Set up the Western transfer. Came back and realized I’d assembled the sandwich backwards. My proteins transferred into the void with incredible efficiency.

2. A PCR plate without a seal

   First time running rt-qPCR it somehow eluded me that the film should go on top of the plate. Evaporated all samples.

3. Purifying protein from the wrong colony

   Expanded, induced, and purified protein from a contaminant colony instead of BL21.

4. The ÄKTA sent the sample to waste

   That moment when you misprogram the Akta purifier and your entire sample goes straight to waste..

5. The missing tubes were in a lab coat pocket

   Spent 20 minutes looking for my “missing” protein tubes. They were in my pocket the whole time. Bonus: they were warm.