Work It Blot That Bitch Crazy
January 22, 2011 3:20 PM Subscribe
Bad Project. For anybody who's ever worked in a bio lab, or know people who have. (SLLadyGagaParody.)
I was trying to find the actual lab that produced this, but couldn't figure out which Zheng Lab it is from Googling and comparing lab pictures.
posted by kmz at 3:33 PM on January 22, 2011
posted by kmz at 3:33 PM on January 22, 2011
Most of it rather grated on me, but the Blot blot western baby sequence was mildy inspired.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 3:40 PM on January 22, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by Cold Lurkey at 3:40 PM on January 22, 2011 [3 favorites]
Hilarious! Haven't worked in a lab since the 90's (undergrad) but this was so funny it almost made me sentimental for it!!
posted by bquarters at 3:43 PM on January 22, 2011
posted by bquarters at 3:43 PM on January 22, 2011
LOL, I am sending this to all the grad students and postdocs in the microbiology lab at my office.
posted by Jacqueline at 4:10 PM on January 22, 2011
posted by Jacqueline at 4:10 PM on January 22, 2011
I'll be bringing this to grad orientation this week, for sure.
posted by ltracey at 5:40 PM on January 22, 2011
posted by ltracey at 5:40 PM on January 22, 2011
I'm going to go fix myself come ice cream and lament some poor life choices.
That said, this is amazing beyond words, especially the dresses.
posted by Blasdelb at 5:40 PM on January 22, 2011
That said, this is amazing beyond words, especially the dresses.
posted by Blasdelb at 5:40 PM on January 22, 2011
"I was trying to find the actual lab that produced this, but couldn't figure out which Zheng Lab it is from Googling and comparing lab pictures."
This is the Zheng lab at Baylor which would do Western blots
posted by Blasdelb at 5:52 PM on January 22, 2011
This is the Zheng lab at Baylor which would do Western blots
posted by Blasdelb at 5:52 PM on January 22, 2011
Huh, I thought the references to crazy mice meant it was this other Zheng lab at Baylor (studying Alzheimer's).
posted by Gator at 5:57 PM on January 22, 2011
posted by Gator at 5:57 PM on January 22, 2011
That was way better than I expected.
posted by The Biggest Dreamer at 7:03 PM on January 22, 2011
posted by The Biggest Dreamer at 7:03 PM on January 22, 2011
This is awesome. Hits a little too close to home, but this is frakking brilliant!
Also, I love how a lot of the elaborate Lady Gaga dresses are made from random lab equipment (most telling is the blue and white dress cleverly made with benchtop absorbers aka 'bench diapers').
posted by porpoise at 7:15 PM on January 22, 2011
Also, I love how a lot of the elaborate Lady Gaga dresses are made from random lab equipment (most telling is the blue and white dress cleverly made with benchtop absorbers aka 'bench diapers').
posted by porpoise at 7:15 PM on January 22, 2011
As a grad student, I'm not sure if this makes me want to laugh or cry. But it's really done well.
posted by pemberkins at 7:26 PM on January 22, 2011
posted by pemberkins at 7:26 PM on January 22, 2011
the "Blot blot western baby" bit was great, and so were the strange outfits fitted from labstuff (the shoes!)
posted by dabitch at 7:29 PM on January 22, 2011
posted by dabitch at 7:29 PM on January 22, 2011
Move over, weird Al!
It could be worse: A metallurgist working on his PhD talked me into doing his Immunology work-study job for two months: cleaning out the mice and rat boxes (hundreds of them). Amazing how long a person can remember the smell.
posted by Twang at 7:30 PM on January 22, 2011
It could be worse: A metallurgist working on his PhD talked me into doing his Immunology work-study job for two months: cleaning out the mice and rat boxes (hundreds of them). Amazing how long a person can remember the smell.
posted by Twang at 7:30 PM on January 22, 2011
"What's in this box?" Yes, what the heck is in that box?
posted by dabitch at 7:32 PM on January 22, 2011
posted by dabitch at 7:32 PM on January 22, 2011
I just watched this video and am feeling pretty confident that I can now take the prize at my hospital's next annual Personal Protective Equipment fashion contest!
posted by troublewithwolves at 7:43 PM on January 22, 2011
posted by troublewithwolves at 7:43 PM on January 22, 2011
Immediately went out to everyone I shared lab space with.
posted by scblackman at 8:18 PM on January 22, 2011
posted by scblackman at 8:18 PM on January 22, 2011
I'm just popping in to confirm that this was put together by the Hui Zheng Lab at BCM, not the other one mentioned above. I'm a grad student there and I know the guy who filmed the video.
It was created for an annual skit competition that takes place at the retreat for the department of Molecular and Human Genetics. The prizes are substantial enough (at least to a broke grad student) that they get some really good entries. Most skits are laced with inside jokes and jabs at the faculty, but this one is a little different because it's got such broad appeal. Oh, and in case you're wondering, yes, they won the competition this year.
Oh, and while we're on the topic of nerdy lab videos, you should totally watch Most Beautiful Girl in the Lab, which is one of my favorites.
posted by chrisamiller at 9:47 PM on January 22, 2011
It was created for an annual skit competition that takes place at the retreat for the department of Molecular and Human Genetics. The prizes are substantial enough (at least to a broke grad student) that they get some really good entries. Most skits are laced with inside jokes and jabs at the faculty, but this one is a little different because it's got such broad appeal. Oh, and in case you're wondering, yes, they won the competition this year.
Oh, and while we're on the topic of nerdy lab videos, you should totally watch Most Beautiful Girl in the Lab, which is one of my favorites.
posted by chrisamiller at 9:47 PM on January 22, 2011
chrisamiller, if you can also find out what's in that box, I'm sure blond-wigged lab girl will be your BFF.
posted by dabitch at 8:47 AM on January 23, 2011
posted by dabitch at 8:47 AM on January 23, 2011
That was great. I've been there, she really captures the palpable hopelessness of the Bad Project and makes it danceable.
posted by Mister_A at 9:09 AM on January 23, 2011
posted by Mister_A at 9:09 AM on January 23, 2011
Brilliant. And, as someone who transferred out of a Ph.D. program in molecular biology after three years, it hit way too close to home and was painful to watch in parts. But still brilliant.
Although, as I worked in an RNA lab and did my share of Northern blots, I have little sympathy for those who find Western blots difficult.
(For those unfamiliar with the procedures: biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins can be separated by running them through gels, typically in an electric field. The gels themselves have only slightly more structural integrity then Jello, so once that's done the compounds are transferred to a membrane for further analysis. This process was first established for DNA and called a Southern blot, because the person who invented it was named Southern. When analagous procedures were later developed for RNA and protein, they were named Northern and Western blots, respectively, as sort of a pun.)
(And RNA is a pain in the ass to work with, more so than either DNA or protein, because it degrades very easily.)
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 8:57 PM on January 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
Although, as I worked in an RNA lab and did my share of Northern blots, I have little sympathy for those who find Western blots difficult.
(For those unfamiliar with the procedures: biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins can be separated by running them through gels, typically in an electric field. The gels themselves have only slightly more structural integrity then Jello, so once that's done the compounds are transferred to a membrane for further analysis. This process was first established for DNA and called a Southern blot, because the person who invented it was named Southern. When analagous procedures were later developed for RNA and protein, they were named Northern and Western blots, respectively, as sort of a pun.)
(And RNA is a pain in the ass to work with, more so than either DNA or protein, because it degrades very easily.)
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 8:57 PM on January 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
She could have easily kept the name Lady GAGA.... G-A-G-A-G-A-A-T-C-C-A-A-A-T-G-T-G-T-A-C-C-A-...
posted by dracomarca at 7:27 AM on January 24, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by dracomarca at 7:27 AM on January 24, 2011 [3 favorites]
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posted by Gator at 3:30 PM on January 22, 2011