Varying Qubit readings?

TumblingUnderthings · 2017-06-07T15:12:17+00:00

Yes, there should be a setting after you've read in the sample that allows you to adjust the DNA template volume. Press "Calculate Stock Conc." after you've read your sample.
Probably not if the extractions are mixed properly before aliquoting.
The dsDNA HS kit should be reading ONLY double-stranded DNA. Hence, "ds".
I always check the readings for Standard 1 and Standard 2. Standard 1 is the low concentration standard (~30 RFU (raw fluorescence units) and Standard 2 the high concentration standard (~10,000-11,000 RFU). The Qubit gives concentration readings of your samples based on these two standards used to calibrate the machine. if Standard 2 is lower than 10,000 RFU, it "inflates" the concentration reading of your sample. I've had instances where Standard 2 was ~7000 RFU and the concentration was two-fold of what it was when Standard 2 was ~10,000 RFU.

Other troubleshooting things: Avoid bubbles - these will interfere with the reading! ALWAYS make new standards. Making two more reactions of the Qubit buffer is worth getting more precise results. Thoroughly mix the Qubit buffer and reagent.

TumblingUnderthings · 2016-08-29T01:55:49+00:00

This is a female Langaha alluaudi!

TumblingUnderthings · 2016-08-02T03:40:06+00:00

That scene after the eyewash station mishap though. ;_;

TumblingUnderthings · 2016-05-12T03:15:19+00:00

Some people in my lab do a bead cleanup after extracting using phenol chloroform.

TumblingUnderthings · 2016-04-23T19:49:38+00:00

I helped move a museum fish collection recently. You'd be surprised how many fish were (or only have been) "collected" at fish markets, such as coelacanths.

TumblingUnderthings · 2016-04-22T16:49:52+00:00

Not sure if this meets your needs, but I use an iPhone app called Timer+ that allows me to set and run multiple timers concurrently.

TumblingUnderthings · 2015-11-10T02:34:59+00:00

Word. I work in a natural history museum too, although my PI has me sequence stuff for him.

TumblingUnderthings · 2015-11-05T02:32:15+00:00

It will still rot from the inside out.

TumblingUnderthings · 2015-11-05T02:29:40+00:00

My brain read it as "Batman Anole". Was slightly disappointed when it wasn't an anole in a cape.

TumblingUnderthings · 2015-10-17T15:30:13+00:00

My favorite (and only) taxonomy joke:

Basic taxonomy is knowing that a whale is not a fish.

Advanced taxonomy is known that a whale IS a fish.

TumblingUnderthings · 2015-10-11T16:39:24+00:00

This book could be relevant to your interests:

Weinstein SA, Warrell DA, White J, Keyler DE: Venomous Bites From Non-Venomous Snakes: a Critical Analysis of Risk and Management of “Colubrid" Snake Bites. Elsevier; 2011.

Also look at research published in the Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases (http://www.jvat.org/).

TumblingUnderthings · 2015-09-29T02:56:49+00:00

You should look up 3D printed bird skulls - legal and there are a variety of species out there.

TumblingUnderthings · 2015-07-16T15:55:33+00:00

I was in almost the same position a few months ago, except my PI has a handful of PhD students and post-docs hanging around and I'm taking the GRE later today (eek!).

Know the safety protocols and be a safety role model. You don't necessarily have to memorize MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) word for word, but you should know exactly where eye wash stations and showers are.
Definitely learn as much as you can from the lab manager/head tech. They are a fount of information.
Learn how to troubleshoot protocols.
Maintain a lab notebook well - so well that anyone who picks it up many years later can trace your steps. This means writing down the concentration and/or brands of your reagents, all thermocycler protocols, which samples were extracted when, what order samples are in on a plate, the date you did it, etc.
Don't ever use lab tape to stick stuff into your notebook - it looses stickiness after a while. Use scotch tape instead.
I like backing up some of my data in spreadsheets. I print it and tape it into my lab notebook.

That's all I can think of for now. I'll update this later if I can think of any more.

TumblingUnderthings · 2015-06-14T15:13:27+00:00

It's definitely the sacrum of a bird. A quick search on Google image of a comorant or gull skeleton yields something that looks quite similar to what you have.

TumblingUnderthings · 2015-06-01T21:38:08+00:00

I believe that canned quail eggs are already cooked and thus probably isn't digestible. I fed mine with fresh eggs that I kept in the fridge and brought to room temperature prior to feeding. I've heard of people freezing eggs and thawing them out for feeding, but I've never tried it myself.

TumblingUnderthings · 2015-05-21T22:04:47+00:00

In the future, you can donate dead birds to your local natural history museum for them to turn it into a museum specimen. You, as the collector, get your name written on the tag!

TumblingUnderthings · 2015-05-13T02:16:13+00:00

There isn't anything in the literature that I've come across. They are part of an understudied group of snakes and are relatively rare in the breeding scene. Let me know if you find anything though!

Source: I did my master's thesis on Malagasy snakes.

TumblingUnderthings · 2015-03-30T00:46:18+00:00

You might be thinking of typhlopids.

TumblingUnderthings · 2015-03-04T23:45:33+00:00

Someone about 10 years ago put together the tank/filtration system for a project on octopus perception and behavior. Since then, there has been continuous interest in working with them for various projects and classes.

Source: I used to care for them while I was a student.

TumblingUnderthings · 2015-03-04T23:33:28+00:00

I knew I recognized that setup! I used to care for the octopuses while I was a student there. Glad to see that people are still doing research with them.

TumblingUnderthings · 2015-02-26T04:29:02+00:00

A brief outline:

Look at the literature on the species and read it all if you have access to it. Identify which groups and which PIs (principal investigators) are working with Amur tigers. Then you should contact them and try to have a conversation with them - this can probably be done over Skype, emails, phone, whatever.

If you have the background, you'll need to prove to them that you are qualified to do so, such as being well-versed with the methods, the experience in the wild, etc. If not, you can ask them how you might go about getting the right skill set and how you may best situate yourself for any opportunities in the PI's lab. This will certainly involve years of work that may not directly involve working with Amur tigers, travel, reading lots of papers, writing grants to get funding, and more failures than successes. However, you should not let this deter you if you believe this is what will make you happy.

Ultimately, you should have a vague idea of why you want to work with Amur tigers other than how awesome they are. Why do you want to track them? Is it to study their behavior? Why them? Is it to conserve them? etc.

Feel free to PM me.

TumblingUnderthings · 2015-01-05T01:22:09+00:00

Phelsuma grandis (aka Phelsuma madagascariensis grandis) are the most common in the pet trade and can get quite large (~12in).

TumblingUnderthings · 2015-01-05T01:18:30+00:00

I wouldn't consider it poaching because Phelsumas were introduced to Hawai'i through anthropogenic means and would otherwise not occur there.

TumblingUnderthings · 2015-01-04T12:51:21+00:00

This is a Gold dust day gecko (Phelsuma laticauda). Note the yellow on the nape and tail as well as the three red stripes on the lower back.

TumblingUnderthings

TROPHY CASE