what, even?

[asimplechord]

I was trying to explain to Post-Doc that I have to use the confocal microscope to take slices of the cells I'm imaging because they are mitotic and therefore round like beach-balls, where interphase cells are relatively flat, and that various parts of the cellular structure wouldn't be in focus if I simply focused on one plane.

She suggested that I "squish the coverslip to the slide" to flatten it and get everything in one plane. And she was completely sincere about this being good advice.

I was speechless. Seriously. Squish them flat. Because that'll maintain all the 3D structure I'm trying to investigate. Really. How did she earn a Ph.D.? HOW?

Comments

[chemm80]

Well, I seem to remember that working in Bio I lab when we looked at onion root tips...

[asimplechord]

I get that it works for slices of tissue in histology, and you get a global picture of staining via epifluorescence. But we're already talking about a height of less than 10um, and I'm trying to determine volume and intensity of the mitotic spindle and centrosome. Flattening the cell will alter the dimensions that I'm trying to measure.

[chemm80]

Sorry, I meant that sarcastically, as if I were your post-doc. I should have been clearer. I understood completely why you were so exasperated. I should know better than to try to pull of sarcasm in typescript probably—half the time people can't tell I'm joking face to face. :D

[asimplechord]

LOL, no, I'm just bad at reading context. And my nerves are short because of work and moving stuff. *facepalm*