Fishy business

If Germany goes on to the finals of Euro 08, I'm gonna get the jersey. $79.

I need a big reason because I don't have oodles of cash now.

Also. Lab was mad yesterday - I don't know what possessed me yesterday in depressing the plunger on the micropipette without checking that it was the correct one. That resulted in me wasting some reagent... which apparently costs an obscene amount of moolah which I shall not repeat here. We also did the 1st RNA extraction from our first fish - a hapless red tilapia.

Okay that merits a lengthier post. Basically after lunch, we drove out to Sheng Siong at west coast where they sell live seafood. Picked out a small tilapia, bagged it and drove it back to the lab... so essentially that was the first time I ever had an open bag of (a) fish and water on my lap. We realised we didn't have a clue on how to kill it and extract the RNA immediately to prevent extensive degradation... which resulted in us consulting nearly everyone in the lab, who had different opinions on how best to kill it quickly and humanely and also allow us to excise sufficient meat without too much difficulty.

We considered dropping the entire fish in liquid nitrogen, which was deemed the most humane AND the most cruel method, depending on who you spoke to, not to mention the sheer difficulty we would have in cutting it up later. We didn't want to suffocate it, because it will take time to die and RNA degradation would be extensive by the time we dropped the excised meat into liquid nitrogen. A quick decapitation was impossible because we didn't have a sharp knife nor scalpel, and fishes have scales. Eventually decided on packing it on ice and putting it in the -20 cold room so that RNA degradation would slow down even when it died, and the flesh would still be soft enough for us to cut.

Unfortunately, the fish only... lost consciousness... or its metabolic rate just slowed down... because as my friend was cutting a huge patch of meat from its side.... it heaved. And started flapping feebly. So. On one hand, we expect really decent results from the procedure since the RNA would not have degraded. On the other hand... we've just cut out a good amount of flesh from a living creature in the name of science, for the benefit of humanity.

Then again, the fish would have been killed, chopped up, fried/steamed and eaten by someone else out there anyway. Rest in peace, Mr. Tilapia - Your RNA lives on. (Spread out over several eppendorf tubes shivering in the -86 degrees fridge)

I was in the lab from 8.30am to 8.15pm yesterday. Trust me when I say I was quite frustrated by 6pm upon realising that the procedure would take more time than expected, and downright close to extreme sian-ness at 7pm when I was told that the final 10 minute procedure had to be repeated 5 times - because I could see my dinner and dessert at bugis sprout wings and fly away. Thankfully dinner was still on... and I even got a lift home =D