WIKIMEDIA, UC DAVIS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
After scientists shared memorable accidents, mistakes, and errors from their laboratory experiences on Reddit last week, The Scientist asked readers to share a #labblooper or two. Here are some reader responses from Twitter and Facebook:
Agar disasters
Tina Loane Peterson: “Automated agar plate dispenser mishap. The gasket was not correctly aligned in the reassembled machine. I set up to make a batch of plates and went to lunch. Returned to a room looking like Slimer attacked it. I had to clean agar off of the ceiling!”
Charli Evans: “As an undergrad I once lifted a Petri dish in excitement, the lid fell off, and the agar fell onto my face . . . complete with unidentified bacterial snot.”
Flames and fumes
William Chan: “Nothing worse ...
