Mycoplasma...?

I know, I thought the same thing.

What is it, and why would our collaborator write to tell us he had it? Turns out it is a common an unimportant infection in cell culture work. Unimportant, if you aren't looking at infection with something else, like the class of viruses I study. (frown) I realize I am something of a science hypochondriac, -even if everything is fine, I am still too anxious to move ahead with my experiments in the virus lab until I know for sure.

Ironically, I was planning to post about how happy I was I had hit my stride. Although I am starting to doubt the exciting result, I have a pretty finite list of things I need do and these are all things I know how to do. I was starting to see in myself the traits I recognize in more senior grad students.

If you can imagine, this is shaking things up in Dr. Rockstar's lab (where I do these experiments). Turns out Noel's wedding couldn't be better timed, as someone else will likely take the initiative to get these tests underway. Hopefully this can be a scare that prompts us to adopt better lab practice, and not one that promotes and extra two years in graduate school.