I thought about whether I should blog this or not. Then I decided, what the heck. A sense of humor is not something I have ever been accused of lacking. Its about them mice again.
So, I got this email from the vet in the animal facility last week that one of my genetically modified "knockout" mice was dead. I got all excited. Fished around in the animal colony freezer for the carcass. Brought it up to the lab. Waited till everyone left (just being sensitive..dead animals stink!) and opened her up. Found a mass of black goop. And a large white mass that I didn't recognize. Asked a prof in the lab next door who is rather a sweetheart and a mouse man through and through to take a look. He said he didn't know either, but it was definitely pathological. I was over-the-effing-moon. I couldn't wipe that stupid grin off my face for about 16 hours. Anyway, I carefully dissected my "mass" out and put it in fixative so we could sent it down to the histopath facility for analysis.
Then I got another email yesterday from the vet. Another dead mouse. I almost fell off my chair. I was seeing publications in Cell with my name on it. Ran down double quick and obtained said carcass. Performed autopsy. Saw same damn mass. Then a small doubt. What if its not pathological. What if its just...a normal organ that I'm not able to identify for some reason. Most important reason of course, being stupidity. This time I was able to locate a recently graduated student who knows all there is to know about mouse tumors...he worked on mouse cancer models. He came in and took a look. Said, with a very straight face that I have to give him credit for, "Oh..thats just the stomach. Looks like he had a good meal before he kicked the bucket. Nothing pathological. Just a good old stomach."
I didn't know whether to laugh or just be extremely disappointed that my mice don't have cancer. After I went home, had a cuppa chai and strolled around my teeny lawn, I decided it wasn't worth being depressed over. Besides it IS funny. I thought a normal stomach was an abnormal tumor! And a professor who works on mouse development agreed with me! There is no limit to the ignorance of the human race. None.
I then gave in to my recently acquired interest in classical music (its only a couple of months old, this interest) and listened to some Rossini. After that..mice sans cancer, and experiments threatening to flush themselves down the loo and badly made pasta, and the prospect of having to have lunch with a friend who promises to be all angsty and ex-boyfriend hating (I've become an agony aunt of sorts for the junta here. Me. I don't know the first thing about relationships. And yet they flock to me, Aunty Nyx for romantic advice. Exasperated sigh.) seemed kinda trivial. So, I ate a piece of most excellent Strawberry rhubarb pie, which reminded me of Geoff Boycott, for some reason and went to bed.
So, I got this email from the vet in the animal facility last week that one of my genetically modified "knockout" mice was dead. I got all excited. Fished around in the animal colony freezer for the carcass. Brought it up to the lab. Waited till everyone left (just being sensitive..dead animals stink!) and opened her up. Found a mass of black goop. And a large white mass that I didn't recognize. Asked a prof in the lab next door who is rather a sweetheart and a mouse man through and through to take a look. He said he didn't know either, but it was definitely pathological. I was over-the-effing-moon. I couldn't wipe that stupid grin off my face for about 16 hours. Anyway, I carefully dissected my "mass" out and put it in fixative so we could sent it down to the histopath facility for analysis.
Then I got another email yesterday from the vet. Another dead mouse. I almost fell off my chair. I was seeing publications in Cell with my name on it. Ran down double quick and obtained said carcass. Performed autopsy. Saw same damn mass. Then a small doubt. What if its not pathological. What if its just...a normal organ that I'm not able to identify for some reason. Most important reason of course, being stupidity. This time I was able to locate a recently graduated student who knows all there is to know about mouse tumors...he worked on mouse cancer models. He came in and took a look. Said, with a very straight face that I have to give him credit for, "Oh..thats just the stomach. Looks like he had a good meal before he kicked the bucket. Nothing pathological. Just a good old stomach."
I didn't know whether to laugh or just be extremely disappointed that my mice don't have cancer. After I went home, had a cuppa chai and strolled around my teeny lawn, I decided it wasn't worth being depressed over. Besides it IS funny. I thought a normal stomach was an abnormal tumor! And a professor who works on mouse development agreed with me! There is no limit to the ignorance of the human race. None.
I then gave in to my recently acquired interest in classical music (its only a couple of months old, this interest) and listened to some Rossini. After that..mice sans cancer, and experiments threatening to flush themselves down the loo and badly made pasta, and the prospect of having to have lunch with a friend who promises to be all angsty and ex-boyfriend hating (I've become an agony aunt of sorts for the junta here. Me. I don't know the first thing about relationships. And yet they flock to me, Aunty Nyx for romantic advice. Exasperated sigh.) seemed kinda trivial. So, I ate a piece of most excellent Strawberry rhubarb pie, which reminded me of Geoff Boycott, for some reason and went to bed.
1 comment:
That truly was fun reading!!big stomachs tumour...he he..
Aunt agony side to u has been there all through I imagine,a very motherly quality!!!!!!!
Stawberry rhubarbh pie......take care kanna,all the calories that go with the stuff!!!!!!!
Post a Comment