Double, Double Toil And Trouble;

Introducing the most versatile piece of laboratory equipment: the septum. It’s a septum! It’s a makeshift SureSeal! It’s a makeshift vial adapter! It’s a holder for reaction tubes!

Always Have Ice

hey, your blog is super great and you seem like a beautiful human being. i find you to be super inspiring! i know you get a lot of these questions, but is it okay to punch boys who tell me that i "can't can't be an engineer because I'm a girl"?

Not that I’m advocating violence, but if hypothetically you were to punch a shitty dude for being sexist, you should aim for the solar plexus or the stomach, not the face, because you’re less likely to hurt your hand and you’ll do more damage. Hypothetically of course. 

The cellular structure of wood as seen through a Victorian microscope. (via)

if you give me a task with no deadline i will literally never do it but if you give me a deadline i will get it done exactly 1 hour before the deadline even if the deadline is in six years

Terrarium Lamps by Nui Studio Light Your Space with Suspended Ecosystems

CRISPR/Cas Just Got About One Hundred Million Dollars Hotter

CRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced  that they will be entering into a 105 million USD strategic research collaboration focused on developing therapeutics for genetic disease.

In more detail, what does that mean? A number of genetic mutations are responsible for inherited diseases, and two examples of this are cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anaemia.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by mutations within the CFTR gene which lead to a broken or non-folding protein, this in turn prevents the proper dilution of mucosal secretions and thus leads to numerous pathologies. Sickle cell anaemia/disease, by contrast, is due to mutations within the gene coding for haemoglobin leading to protein aggregation and disruption of red blood cell structures. It is predominantly found in descendants from malaria-prone areas, as the mutation – at least in heterozygotes – provides innate resistance against malarial infection.

The collaboration between Vertex and CRISPR will initially focus on developing therapeutics for cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anaemia, with other unspecified genes also on the target list

Full Story: Syniobeta

All the planets as one

never don't reblog labphoto

Distillation of the reaction product from a pressure tube. 

This picture may look like that’s nothing special with it, but in the receiving flask (left side) there is a really-really special disulfide what I was able to prepare first time in pure form with a high yield. For months I was unable to prepare this molecule with a high selectivity from the starting materials. Always at least 2-5 side products formed and the product was only isolated in a low, 10-20% yield. 

Spidery crystals appeared after rotovap-ing. I think they look like dandelion fluffs.