Science is rarely a walk in the park. While publications may showcase results tied together nicely, the reality is that the behind-the-scenes work involves multiple iterations, failed experiments, and unexpected outcomes. However, these experimental remnants, such as used pipette tips or polyacrylamide gels, can become more than scientific waste—they can get a second life as an art piece.
For Palina Kot, a doctoral researcher in Katja Straesser’s group at Justus Liebig University Giessen, repeated experiments are simply part of daily life in the lab. Kot studies the interplay between three RNA-binding proteins involved in mRNA export from the nucleus. Her work relies on protein purification and adjusting her protocols to determine which conditions result in more or less stable protein complexes.
After running sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, Kot is left with numerous polyacrylamide gels. Typically, she photographs the gels for her lab notebook before discarding them; however, she sometimes saves a selection of dried gels and uses them for mass spectrometry by rehydrating them later.
But after one experiment in 2024, Kot forgot to toss out one of her gels. When she went to inspect it, instead of immediately throwing it away, the gel’s dried shape made her pause. Its curls and folds sparked an idea of doing something to commemorate all the purifications she performed. “This is how I came up with this idea of making this flower out of dried gels.”
One of Kot’s works, titled “The Post-experimental Life of RNA-Binding Proteins,” features multiple dried polyacrylamide gels shaped into a 3D flower.
Palina Kot
Some gels were left to dry freely, bending and twisting naturally. Others were molded using common laboratory materials such as Falcon tubes to create more deliberate forms. “It allowed the protein bands to be a little bit wider and the gel itself thinner. Then, I can also cut them a little bit after they are dry and I just use hot glue and put them together,” explained Kot.
She later shared the artwork on her website and LinkedIn as a snapshot into the life of a scientist from the lab. “So, this is to show the reality of science and also to show the beauty of science,” Kot said. She has also created a gel replica of her own hand as featured above.
Then, in 2025, Kot held an exhibition titled “Making Women in Science Visible,” supported by the university. There, she showcased acrylic and watercolor paintings, sculptures, and mixed media alongside artwork created from laboratory materials. “I also like this direction of art and science communication [because] it allows [me] to show that science is not only successful data; it is also repeating something many times,” she explained. “That's why we have so many gels. If I had a successful experiment, I would have one gel from the very beginning. But this is not possible.”
Through Kot’s work, the dried gels are more than leftover materials; she offers researchers a new way to look at the discarded remnants of experimentation—not as waste, but as part of the story of science itself.
Got an eye-catching, science image that tells a story? Submit it for a feature in our Science Snapshot column!