For all you lab rats: A relationship guide

Mar 26, 2025 3:29 PM

As a former lab rat and cell culture biologist for 12 years, this sort of lab humor is like unicorn horns or chicken lips: Rare to the point of mythical.

biology

lab_rats

science

relationship_memes

esoteric

This is some deep cut nerd humor. Carry on imgur, you crazy bastard that you are.

1 year ago | Likes 194 Dislikes 3

For $5000, what is pipetting olympics Alex? https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10558238/

1 year ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

This is the content I want to see on the front page.

1 year ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Labrat Harry: "I know what you're thinking, did he drop 6ml or only 5, to tell you the truth in all this excitement, I lost track myself. But being as this is a Gilson manual delivery, the most accurate pipette in the world, loaded with solvent that could melt your cell membrane clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question. Do you feel lucky? Well do ya germ?"

1 year ago | Likes 79 Dislikes 1

1 year ago | Likes 15 Dislikes 1

the guy she tells you not to worry about

1 year ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 0

Thought those were meat marinade injectors at first

1 year ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

The crush is definitely not a Gilson, it’s a Labnet 200 microliter. Still a nice pipette, but it’s no Gilson.

1 year ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

You are absolutely right; I was confused by the similar color. Form follows function, I suppose. I never found anything as reliable as a Gilson, though; quality is expensive.

1 year ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Meanwhile, me:

1 year ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

MLS here... I appreciate... Thanks!

1 year ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

We used Finnpipette in our lab. Crazy expensive but very nice and accurate. We also had 2 Finnpipette Novus, which is the electronic version. I loved those things, 0.6% accuracy if I recall correctly, and none of the thumb strain.

1 year ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Thermo Fisher or gtfo

1 year ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

Eppendorf or gilson, fuck multichannel

1 year ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Drummond: "Don't you wish more things relied on batteries?"

1 year ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

What am I looking at here?

1 year ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I want me the Integras and Rainins. Also that drawing isn't a Drummond, it's an Integra Pipete-boy, I've spent too much time in the lab and need friends.

1 year ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Rainin electronic pipets are great.

1 year ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Drummond also made a similar model in the 90s. I will never understand why people felt they were safe to use in aseptic conditions, given there was only a tuft of cotton in the pipettes as a barrier. Contaminated a lot of those with culture media at first until you got used to the draw speed. They were a pain in the ass to clean and sanitize.

1 year ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Eppendorf sponsored this post.

1 year ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Sent this to my sister who's a chemist, and she snorted. 😜

1 year ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Thought these were tattoo tools

1 year ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I, also, am a former lab rat lol and I approve this meme

1 year ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Have you been mouth pipetting again ?

1 year ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 0

A teacher told a story of how she once had been mouth pipetting some acid and messed up. The old style glass pipettes with no filter. The entire epithelium of the inside of her mouth came loose.

1 year ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

JfC!!!!! My teacher just set the ceiling on fire.

1 year ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 1

🫨

1 year ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Used to work in a micro biology lab doing dilution series and counting colony forming units on agat plates for the most part. I've used some version of all of these haha.

1 year ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I both miss and don't miss lab work.

1 year ago | Likes 31 Dislikes 0

Bunsen burners, Loops, Petri dishes, Stain, Stain, "What do it do?"

1 year ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 1

FACS you!

1 year ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

1 year ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

The fun part was finding out Trypan Blue is a potent teratogen. Not sure of it's effects in humans but it's double plus ungood for rats, mice, chickens and amphibians.

1 year ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

I'm sure it's not a full fledged teratogen for humans, right? That's why the FDA allows it right? They wouldn't feed us poison, right?

1 year ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Teratogen, mutagen, carcinogen. If you've been drinking trypan blue, you have critically misunderstood how it's supposed to be used. That said, its whole deal is that it's not good at permeating live cells, so if you happen to get some on your skin, just rinse it off immediately.

1 year ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

Used to work with cycloheximide. That shit'll kill ya ded.

1 year ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

Grandpa just plotting along...

1 year ago | Likes 33 Dislikes 0

Used those a few times. Not as crap as you'd think once you get a hang of them.

1 year ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

I know, I kinda like them, especially when I have to work with thicker or layered gloves.

1 year ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I like them! Still can’t beat a glass class A pipet for compliance purposes.

1 year ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I learned to use those. Not a grandpa. Yet…

1 year ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

Great Grandpa was just a tube people sucked on with their mouths. Which were used for a concerningly long amount of time for some frankly quite hazardous experiments. But it was all they had so they made do, plus they didn't know how toxic everything was till later.

1 year ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

The lab safety manager once found the labrat mouth pipetting.
Thus, the safety manager spoke: "Do you know the difference between mouth pipetting and drinking reagents with a straw?"
The labrat thought for a while, then replied: "I do not know the difference, sensei."
The safety manager spoke: "Neither do I."

And like this, the labrat was enlighted.

1 year ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 0

When I passed my lab safety boards, they stressed that I was not to ever pipette by mouth. This was back when the year started with “19” - do they still include that in training these days?

1 year ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Nope, the oldest instrument I was taught on was the red suction thingummybob ParadpriteHugger posted a couple of replies above this comment. Otherwise just Gilson or older/other pipettes, pipet boy and if you're lucky volumetric flascs

1 year ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I mean our lab safety included never to "taste the chemical to learn its effects" but I think they are just afraid of my true potential.

1 year ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Yup

1 year ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I thought the multichannel was a FAST1 and was confused for a moment.

1 year ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

You can have my 20 year old genetics lab Gilsons over my dead body, also by now I can probably disassemble, clean, and calibrate them in my sleep.

1 year ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

We had a local guy who did all the cleanings and calibrations for about two dozen labs in the city. Dude made bank.

1 year ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I did calibrations as a side job for about 12 years. Made bank, but it's been 10 years and my hands still hurt. Took a pipetman to my first appointment with a hand therapist and she cringed looking at it and said it could not have been better designed for causing repetitive motion injury.

1 year ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Funny you mention. I met with a hand orthopedist last week for what I I thought was carpal tunnel due to years of lab work and repetitive motion. Turns out one of my wrist bones is misshapen and I need to wear a wrist brace at night. Arthritis is a pain.

1 year ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

She's tired of self centered men who thinks/knows they're always right. She's looking for someone more simple maybe a little less brutally honest but will still tell you when you're wrong for the most part.

1 year ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

After reading the description multiple times, I still have no idea. I feel like I am saving lives by not going anywhere close to the medical field.

1 year ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I've got a few lab/science memes for you, saved these back in 2020

1 year ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

This one has a professor's face on it because I found it IRL on a bulletin board, but it still tracks. Thought I had more, but unfortunately I have a lot saved on this phone and it took a while just to find these

1 year ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0


As former lab rat. There is more of this "series"

1 year ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Excuse me, I am a mouth pipette. Dangerous and antiquated

1 year ago | Likes 55 Dislikes 0

I am a pen shaped like a pipetter. Clever and occasionally useful

1 year ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Thanks, I laughed out loud. It's 2025 and still every test instruction is "do not pipet by mouth!" - I started my lab life in 2008 and it was already sooo outdated back then we made fun of it.

1 year ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 0

As someone in IT, I have long stopped laughing at outdated tech. It's a surefire way to get one on your plate next week...

1 year ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

I've used them lol

1 year ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

*hiccups* well fuck I'm dead now

1 year ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

*coughs* oops

1 year ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Started in the 90's and already banned... lol! Promote the profession we're losing much needed Medical Laboratory Scientists!

1 year ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Had a professor that still did it in 2015. He retired and died of cancer. Not sure if related.

1 year ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Depends on what he was pipetting I guess.

1 year ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Carcinogens.

1 year ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

If not related, that would be a hell of a coincidence

1 year ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0