Cleaning the ancient DNA lab

When I start lab work, I'll be in the ancient DNA lab: a dedicated space for working with ancient samples. Yesterday I joined in with one of the regular deep cleans. It was quite exciting.

First, I had to shower that morning and get into completely clean clothes. Then, once in the little ante-room next to the lab, I put on all of the protective equipment:

• Hairnet
• Gloves
• Plastic suit
• Crocs
• Plastic booties
• Facemask
• Hood
• More gloves

With me, the other new student, one second-year student and our mentor post-doc, there were four of us trying to cover ourselves with plastic in a space the size of a lift. Then we filed into the lab proper, which is more like living-room sized, and wiped everything with bleach followed by 70% ethanol, including the ceiling. The air smelled like a swimming pool, even through the mask. It is vitally important to clean with bleach and then ethanol, in that order, because if you mix alcohol with one of the nasty chemicals used for DNA extraction, it makes mustard gas. If anyone sees a yellow smear appear on something they've just cleaned, we have to evacuate the lab and possibly the building. So yeah.

The large amount of plastic, though, is less for our protection and more to protect samples. Ancient DNA comes in tiny amounts, so you have to be very careful to not let any contaminant DNA get into your work because it will completely swamp any ancient stuff. And, depending on the circumstances, it can be difficult to tell what's contamination and what's genuine. So we packaged ourselves to reduce the amount of us in the lab, and these deep-cleans are to regularly remove the small bits that do escape.

The plastic overalls are affectionately referred to as bunny suits:

Me, in the standard pose of 'I love science'

It's a bit culty but I'm enjoying it so far.

Overdue roundup

Hello again, dear reader(s). Long time no see.

A year ago, I started this blog with cautious optimism about how often I'd post, and I don't feel too disappointed, but I do regret not doing a summary last weekend. Now I have real work to do again!

Since the last post, I have:

• Finished the Siberian grave helminth project
• Moved out of London
• Signed up to stage manage two plays
• Handed in my dissertation on the project
• Given a presentation on the project
• Sat a viva on the project (like an interview about why you deserve to pass)
• Confirmed enrolment for a PhD at Warwick University, right next to my hometown
• Joined a new Brownie group
• Had the Warwick induction
• Made a to-do list that fills a page of A4 (font 10)
• Made six cakes, 24 mince pies and 30 fig rolls that were not on the to-do list

Apart from official results and graduating in May, my MSc is over! I'm now officially educated in taxonomy and biodiversity. Oddly, what I feel I've gained most from the year isn't actually much more knowledge about taxonomy or biodiversity than I had before. Instead, I took a risk and did a project on DNA, which involved some molecular biology, which I previously avoided like the plague. But it was great fun. And I took the even bigger decision to do sign up for something similar in a PhD, which will take at least three years of my life.

I read a book on learning that argued that whether you're interested in something just depends on whether you have enough background knowledge for it to be accessible. Now I've had a go at DNA things, and can actually read the papers without looking up every other word, I am finding it interesting. Warwick has been great so far, and I'm really excited to apprentice myself to some more real scientists and do something useful.

I said goodbye to my wonderful NHM supervisor with carrot cake and am still emailing Smith as she embarks on the complicated world of American postgraduate study. My birding photographer friend is hanging on at the museum, hopefully for the long term. My heart breathes a sigh of relief to be back home. My pancreas takes a worried look at the baking equipment.