3 ms·
I accidentally pulsed an ant in micro-centrifuge once, achieving a few thousand x g momentarily. The ant was still walking after, albeit less well. I was surpri
by vibrio 5y ago
I accidentally pulsed an ant in micro-centrifuge once, achieving a few thousand x g momentarily. The ant was still walking after, albeit less well. I was surprised the ant made it.
Note: I am not a sadist nor an ant-torturer. The ant evidently crawled, unnoticed, into one tube of a series. I was preparing on my lab bench [A bench shared with an ant-contaminated incubator-- ants like agar-media plates]. The presence of the ant was noticed after the centrifuge pulse. A long-term follow up on the ant's status was not performed as the ant was let go after. The sample in which the ant was found was discarded and re-prepared.
- husarcik 5y agoI loved this story. Reminds me of all my failed biochemistry experiments. Perhaps, mine were also contaminated by ants.
- vibrio 5y agoThat incubator held bacterial plates for cloning. The ants would walk across the plates and sometimes leave a trail of bacterial colonies showing the path they took. Cleaning the area and turning the incubator up to 45-50 Celsius for a day or so ended the infestation. I’m nostalgic also about the science and experiences. Although not about making $13k/year while in my mid-twenties with a college degree.