3 weeks ago, I announced the #myshittiestmethod challenge, and since there was no new entry for the last 2 weeks, I think it is time to call it to an end and recap.

The object was to let scientists/science students describe "the worst method/assay/experiment you have to work with", to give us an apportunity to rant about tiring lab work, but also to show that science - however interesting the outcomes may be - also means setbacks, wasted time and failed experiments. Without failure, we cannot generate new knowledge!

While being praised as a "genius idea", we had only 5 entries to this challenge - I think I should have made every participant to nominate 3 instead of 1 additional fellows to generate a snowball effect. I'll learn from that ;-) The next time we're going Ponzi.

However, the 5 entries were fun and great to read!

1: The ICE assay, by myself.

I started off by introducing this horrible assay for topoisomerases, that requires you to work hard and concentrated for 3 days to process just 6 samples and to fail about 60% of the time - which you only realize in the end!

2: Examination of free radicals in plant plasma membranes by @alexs1320

@alexs1320 shared the ordeal he had to suffer for several years while doing his PhD in Serbia. His incredibly stupid method for measuring reactive oxidative species in plants and how his Prof sticked to it against all reason turns into a marvellous piece of critizism against the hierarchical structure in his country's scientific community.

3: Improvisation of Agarose Gel Electrophoresis by @scienceangel

If @alexs1320 didn't convince you already, @scienceangel really nails the point here with another lab story from Serbia. Apparently, they not only have the grumpiest profs, but also the worst financed labs of the world, where they can't even afford a piece of plexi glass. Serbian gel electrophoresis should be a Nature Protocols paper if you ask me, but I guess reading it is more fun than conducting it!

4: Peripheral Intravenous Cannulation by @tfcoates

Please remind me never to enter a rural Australian "hospital". Apparently, the young doctors there torture and kill people with the full consent of their superiors!!!
At least according to @tfcoates, who trained to take blood from patients, and hillariously crossed the line from reality to fiction without you ever noticing it. G'dnight team!

5: Yeast Transformation by @suesa

As always illustrated with self-drawn sketches, @suesa demonstrates how she had to learn one of the basic rules of science the hard way:
Never trust others to work correctly!
A previous student and her supervisor "collaborated" in ruining a plasmid, which resulted in @suesa wasting some weeks of her life. Very annoying, but an important lesson well learned, I'm sure.

I hereby declare the challenge closed.

And the golden glove goes to:

@alexs1320!

Noone beats a Serbian PhD (but another Serbian PhD). Your method was worst and I openly admit it beats the ICE.
Congratualations, you won... absolutely nothing! You have 500SP already, which saves me from sponsoring a price! Good for me.

Thanks to all participants, it was fun! I hope to repeat this some time.