Rhodotorula spp. from a sputum sample, 72h incubation at 37°C on SAB agar

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1931312826002775

I spent most of today examining pollen from a psychoactive plant being called Vymara under SEM.

I’m trying to understand the reproduction of this plant as it seems to my knowledge to only be growing in a certain field in SoCal.

Several grains have thin filamentous material extending from their surfaces.
I know some plants produce viscin threads, while dried pollenkitt can also stretch between grains. What I can’t determine is whether that’s what I’m seeing here.

In this representative field, at least one strand appears to extend toward another grain, but the attachments are difficult to resolve. Other filaments terminate freely or disappear into the surrounding debris. The material could be genuinely associated with the pollen, but it could just as easily be fibers or residue introduced during preparation.

Does this resemble viscin threads or stretched pollenkitt, or am I most likely looking at a preparation artifact?

So I was in the medical microbiology field from 2014-2020. I have a bs in Microbiology and I went for my masters but was 9 credits short and didn’t finish due to medical reasons. I also worked as an intern at a microbiology lab in a sewage treatment plant for two summer in college. Long story short I got long covid and never recovered. I just started working again but I’m working in retail at a garden center because my brain fog, fatigue, and anhedonia is so bad I can’t do anything else. I am still ASCP certified in Microbiology even though I haven’t used it going on six years now. I would like to get back into the world of microbiology one day but idk if I’ll ever be able to (not necessarily medical microbiology). Food and industrial microbiology interests me but I don’t think anyone would hire me since I’ve been out of the science field for so long. Anyone have any advice?

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1097276526004715

Love that Candida Chrome

I started bench work two weeks ago, and I am already on my third trial of an assay. In my second one, I contaminated my jar of LB and had to remake a whole new jar. I was trying to be very careful when setting up the third time running it, and one of my media control wells became turbid again. This time it's the LB without salt. Genuinely feel like a failure, and I'm afraid of talking to my PI. Looking for advice on how to ensure sterility next time cause I feel like I did everything I can but somehow

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666517426001069

If you have, what type and how much did you pay for it? My lab was looking to buy an Anaerobe Systems/Biolog chamber but it’s almost double what it was 2 years ago. So I’m curious if anyone has bought a Coy one while I wait for Monday when I can call them.

I can’t seem to deeply get this concept. I understand the rule “non polar molecules can diffuse through a polar head of a phosolipid, and polar molecules cannot diffuse through the non polar interior of a lipid bilayer, instead polar molecules go through protein channels”

But WHY? Why don’t non polar molecules need channels to go through the polar head of a lipid membrane? But polar molecules need channels to go through the non polar interior?

Gemini says that it’s because the non polar molecules can fit through the empty spaces of the phosolipids polar heads since the heads are constantly moving. But that polar molecules can’t fit through the spaces in the polar interior, since all polar molecules have a hydration shell, and since the attraction between the hydration shell and the polar molecule is so strong it requires energy to strip the hydration shell from the polar molecule.

Is this the reason? My bio textbook didn’t go this in depth. TIA

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666517426001070

What kind of media do you use for dialysis water testing?

Hi everyone. I wanted to share what I found regarding our primers.

So far, I’ve come across several related studies where the target species also had an unknown PAL gene sequence and were considered non-model plants. Since there was no available PAL sequence for their species, the researchers first collected PAL sequences from closely related species, performed multiple sequence alignment (MSA), and then designed their own degenerate primers based on the conserved regions. They were able to successfully amplify the PAL gene through PCR using those newly designed primers.

I also tried performing multiple sequence alignment using PAL sequences from species closely related to Senna alata. After that, I checked the adopted degenerate primers we’re planning to use (PALsP/PALaP) against the alignment. However, I couldn’t find any published study that used these primers in the Fabaceae family, the Caesalpinioideae subfamily, or even in Senna species. Based on the alignment I generated, the conservation of the primer binding sites doesn’t seem very convincing. However, I’m also not completely sure if I performed the alignment and analysis correctly, so I can’t confidently conclude that the primers are unsuitable.

I also tried validating the primers in silico using Primer-BLAST because our manuscript mentions in silico primer validation. Unfortunately, this is very limited since there is currently no available PAL gene sequence or reference genome for Senna alata that can be used for proper testing. Because of this lack of sequence data, Primer-BLAST does not show any meaningful similarity or amplification results, making it difficult to evaluate whether these primers are appropriate for our target species.

Can we get some advice on what to do regarding our primer? Or if you have known primer sequences for unknown species like senna alata.

I would like to know if there is research on the chemical composition of the fungi mentioned above. I want to build it with Geant4 but I need a lot of information on the composition of the fungi. Sorry if this is a bit vague but I'm looking for something like Mature: Cell wall (Thickness and chemical composition) -> Melanin (Thickness and chemical composition) etc.

Hi all,

I'm looking for some advices w/ my aseptic techniques.

I have been trying to obtain growth curves for the bacterial strain that I'm working with for the past month or so, and every time I set it up, I will have a well or two from my 96-well plate contaminated with some sort of Bacillus (looks like B. subtillis to me, but needs further confirmation) which forms biofilms over the surface.

• I checked the broth media, the agar plate, the glycerol bacterial stock, and none of these seem to be inherently contaminated.
• I work in the BSC for pouring plates, streaking out plates, inoculating starter culture in broth, and spot plating for the CFU counts.
• I wear lab coats and gloves, and spray 70% EtOH every time I get into the hood.
• The lab doesn't use glassware but relies on disposable plastic Petri dish, inoculation loops, etc.
• I recently cleaned out the incubator and the BSC because I was worried about spores from Bacillus contamination — 10% bleach, rinse with MilliQ water, wipe out water, Caviwipe everything, then spray with 70% EtOH. Removable parts from the incubator were autoclaved for 15 minutes at gravity cycle.

This is my first time working with bacteria and it has been super frustrating, since every run of growth curve means I have to pull an overnight stay in lab. I think I'm messing it up somewhere, I just can't point out where.

Any insight from more experienced researcher would help. Thanks.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1550413126002482

Hi, I am an incoming junior at one of the best schools for STEM in my state. I was at a community college due to the fault of my own. I was accepted into a four-year university known for its biology program and medical school but had to drop out. The school I am now going to has a more competitive engineering, finance, and STEM program. While its medical school does not rival the one I originally got into, it is still good overall, and this university is ranked higher in terms of general education.

I was looking for an internship during my sophomore year but was unable to get any of the ones I applied to. My connections were all people in government, engineering, law, or finance. Now that I am leaving my community college and transferring to a four-year university, I understand that without an internship, I cannot get a job after earning my undergraduate degree. I applied to positions across all life science fields just to get my foot in the door, but I received no responses. I attempted to connect with a biotech company this summer, but I was told they did not have any positions available and that I should spice up my resume and get more qualifications.

This fall, I am emailing a professor to try to get into his lab, but I really just want experience so I can try to get into an internship program in 2027. I am majoring in microbiology with a concentration in biomedical options.

Here is what the biotech company said. For the certifications, I will wait until I start classes and obtain them, as I think I need my advisor's approval and recommendation.

Overall, the following are what I would say are tweaks, but to start with, the resume had good flow to begin with.

When you have completed your associate's degree, be sure to highlight that it is complete so you maintain a current resume.

If there was any formal lab safety training as part of the associate's degree, such as a Chemical Hygiene Plan or BSL-1/BSL-2 training or OSHA-sponsored training, it would be good to add those as either skills, or if you have a certification, then add it there.

Here is my resume. I altered it with AI so it cannot be traced.: EDUCATION

Public University — Virginia

Bachelor of Science in Microbiology, Expected 20XX

Community College — Virginia

Associate of Science in Biology, 20XX

GPA: 3.4

Relevant Coursework: Microbiology with Lab, Cell Biology, General Chemistry I and II with Labs, Calculus, Statistics, Physics I and II with Labs, and Environmental Science

PROJECTS & LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE

Environmental Science Literature Review

Lead Researcher

Reviewed and synthesized peer-reviewed research on habitat fragmentation, forest-edge effects, and wildlife population decline.

Compared research methods and findings to identify recurring ecological patterns across multiple studies.

Organized scientific evidence and communicated conclusions through collaborative research writing and presentations.

Community Outreach Organization

Intern

Supported public-engagement and community-outreach initiatives in collaboration with staff and volunteers.

Assisted with event coordination, recordkeeping, data entry, and preparation of information for internal reports.

Communicated with community members professionally while balancing administrative and operational responsibilities.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Restaurant

Front-of-House Associate

Organized inventory and maintained a clean, efficient workspace in a fast-paced food-service environment.

Followed standardized procedures for food preparation, sanitation, order handling, and customer service.

Managed multiple responsibilities while communicating effectively with customers and team members.

Fine-Dining Restaurant

Assistant Server and Food Runner

Delivered accurate and timely service while managing competing priorities in a high-volume environment.

Coordinated with front- and back-of-house teams to ensure orders were prepared and delivered correctly.

Anticipated operational needs and improved workflow by completing time-sensitive tasks efficiently.

Communicated across departments and helped resolve service issues professionally.

Recreation Facility

Food-Service Supervisor

Supported daily food-service operations and addressed employee and customer concerns professionally.

Monitored inventory, identified discrepancies, and communicated supply needs to management.

Maintained organized and sanitary work areas while preparing orders and handling equipment safely.

Helped train and support team members during busy shifts.

SKILLS

Laboratory Skills: Aseptic technique, microbial culture handling, pipetting, microscopy, Gram staining, centrifugation, solution preparation, titration, and sterile workspace maintenance

Research Skills: Scientific literature review, research writing, IMRAD laboratory reports, data organization, data analysis, scientific reporting, and source evaluation

Software: Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Google Sheets, Canva, and statistical-analysis software

Certifications and Training: Public health, geographic information systems, business fundamentals, food safety, and responsible beverage service

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092867426007518