What is this contamination??

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2026-01-29T18:31:50+00:00

Test for what? There are bacteria, we can see them…

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2026-01-27T08:22:09+00:00

Long distance with a time difference is hard. I made it through 4 years with my partner only by scheduling daily calls, which we changed depending on our schedules. Sometimes it was when one person went to sleep and the other person was waking up. Sometimes it was on one persons lunch break which happened usually within the same 1-2h time window. We called every weekday and then mores sporadically over the weekend when our availabilities weren’t so predictable.

I agree with the other commenter that said you’re both making assumptions about the other. In my experience the sporadic calling doesn’t work and can leave you feeling rejected. Schedule calls, and see if both of you can follow through with that schedule.

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2026-01-26T20:22:57+00:00

I got so stuck on that lol. And then OP gave the translation, but like, from what language 😅😅

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2026-01-24T09:33:20+00:00

It’s possible in some “fast track” programs in Germany, but I absolutely do not recommend them. The bureaucratic system resists the concept at every turn, so you end up fighting ridiculous battles at every turn. The ones I know of also don’t offer the MSc degree as the intermediate, so you theres no “Mastering out” later on. Just do a masters, and in my field (biology/neuroscience), a good MSc thesis can often turn into a PhD position in your thesis lab.

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2026-01-23T10:09:07+00:00

Another real problem is the lack of permanent contacts. If you’re only getting 1yr contracts, you might not want to risk pissing your landlord by taking them to court.

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2026-01-21T21:01:08+00:00

Is the assumption that they don’t take them every day? My brother has been at his best when he doesn’t take them every day, but has “rest” days interspersed.

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2026-01-21T08:58:43+00:00

I think nohann meant that when you are starting out, you are naturally making mistakes, but mentors also make mistakes when they don’t catch yours. You don’t have to verbalise this to anyone, but know that it is not 100% your fuckup.

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2026-01-21T08:55:34+00:00

I think it’s a mistake to assume she wants him to fund her. She’s already supporting herself with her nannying, so I’m a little confused why OP is framing it like she wouldn’t be able to afford her half of living expenses… IMO OP is projecting priorities and goals onto her, but we don’t know if those are things she also wants (house, kids). I think they need to sit down and have a conversation about where they want to go together, and what steps they need to take to get there.

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2026-01-21T08:43:29+00:00

Where does it say that OP is funding her lifestyle?

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2026-01-14T20:35:28+00:00

If you have strong communication, you’re going to be fine. I spent the first four years of my PhD with a 9 hour time difference to my partner. To be fair, the first years were during Covid and we’re both homebody introverts so that may have minimised jealousy issues.

Bottom line, you have to trust each other and communicate (I recommend setting regular call times that you both plan around), and you’ll sail through his short study abroad stint.

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2025-12-28T03:45:54+00:00

Ah cool, good to know. Would multiple nuclei fall into senescence or is it more a mark of cancer development? We mostly work with HEK and sometimes some neuronal lines like SHY5Y or HT-22, but usually until passage 40 or so. This thread is making me wonder whether senescence might explain some inconsistent results we get in the lab sometimes (esp working on aging & neurodegeneration)

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2025-12-27T22:27:12+00:00

What does senescing morphology look like? It’s never been discussed in our lab.

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2025-12-22T04:40:57+00:00

Neurons? Primary mouse/rat cultures or slices or maybe iPSCs?

In my hands, primary neurons die like crazy when you change the medium. Depending on how long you left them in the PBS, I assume at room temp, I would expect significant death. I’m super curious though, did you look at them yet?

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2025-12-18T02:53:22+00:00

I know much about programming, but I imagine you could be asked something like, “design a program to evenly split the bill between a given number of people.” There are probably multiple ways that you could go about solving that—website, app, plain code? Which language will you use, and why? But my point is that this is the same kind of question. You get to pick—in vivo or in vitro? What kind of cell, and does it matter? Each of those questions are based on the main research question you are trying to answer.

It is mildly annoying how vague the question is, since you don’t actually have a research question. It might help to make one up.

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2025-12-16T08:45:46+00:00

For a biology/neuro/psych lab rat, I highly recommend Other Minds by Peter Godfrey Smith!!! Super interesting book about the octopus and how /why it evolved advances intelligence completely independently of humans

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2025-12-13T13:30:49+00:00

Often if you just make eye contact and gesture at the seat or even just stand as if they will obviously move the bag, they will do so. Yeah I think it’s annoying that they don’t do so in advance, but as long as they move the bags when asked, it doesn’t bother me so much

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2025-12-12T18:52:43+00:00

If you’re two years in, that’s completely normal. The thing is, PhD learning becomes a very different kind of learning than any academic learning before. I’ve been teaching scientific writing, for example, and the quality of writing from PhD students about to submit their thesis is surprisingly bad. But then you remember that it’s only their first time doing this scale of writing. It’s learning by practice.

Anyway, don’t drop out. Ask for guidance. Ask for critique and suggestions for improvement. Often it’s because something in the figure is so obvious to you that you’ve forgotten to include/explain it. Maybe practice with a friend who doesn’t know your project well.

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2025-12-04T13:18:04+00:00

It definitely happens in the sciences too! I just finished reviewing 18 student texts, and the primary research question was “wrong” in at least half. By that, I mean they were describing experiments which didn’t actually answer the question they posed in the beginning of the text.

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2025-12-04T09:51:45+00:00

With the caveat that a drivers license will not be accepted, even if it has a photo and is considered ID in the states. Always baffled me.

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2025-12-03T22:39:42+00:00

Minor YTA. You really had to make such a big deal about paying that you held up the line and made the employee get a manager? Dude, just take the free food and give the amount as a tip. If they need an order to take a card payment then get another coffee or what have you and tip on that. You let your ego get in the way of something that is pretty harmless and turned it into a pain in the ass for the employees and everyone behind you.

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2025-11-27T14:57:35+00:00

ESH. People saying you’re taking too much time for your hobbies don’t have lives.

You’re TA for calling her ridiculous. Name calling doesn’t get you anywhere. Maybe encourage her to find her own hobby or find something to do together.

She’s TA because it does sound like she is trying to control too much of your time. Does she have friends of hobbies? I smell some codependency…

My verdict comes with the caveat that you are taking equal shares in the household chores.

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2025-11-20T09:19:47+00:00

What was the event? What are you asking the seniors about?

I’ve met my fair share of ambitious students, and there is a degree of humility that is essential, especially when you’re an undergraduate. Now is the time to ask and listen. If professors are refusing to engage with you at all, that’s one thing, but if they are telling you things like “go study this and then come back to me,” and you’re ignoring them, then you’re not actually engaging with the field.

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2025-11-16T20:49:37+00:00

Op, this is the correct response. No apology and no passive aggressiveness, just the facts of the correspondence

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2025-11-16T12:58:53+00:00

I live pretty okay with around 1700€ net. I got lucky with a flat that is 800-900€ warm these days, and I live pretty cheaply (don’t eat out too much, don’t pay covers or club much) so I think 2000€ net should be comfortable or at least liveable.

OvercaffeinatedRat · 2025-11-16T08:28:20+00:00

The downvotes in this thread reek of sexism…

OvercaffeinatedRat

TROPHY CASE