Today’s article will be a bit different. The idea came to me as I was working in my own lab, and I realized that we use a lot of everyday objects in labs, but not for the reason they were invented. So today, I will give you five example of everyday objects that scientists use for their experiments.

Paintbrush: the unusual transport system

In a lot of labs, we perform an experiment called immunohistochemistry (IHC), which allows to see tissues under the microscope, and use antibodies to label specific proteins. For this experiment, the tissues are so thin that they will break very easily. That’s why, instead of a spoon or any other utensil, we use a paintbrush to move the tissues around. Since it is very soft, it won’t break the tissue. Further, a paintbrush is somewhat bendy, which allows for easy scoop up of tissues.

Nylon Stockings: how to keep the tissues in place

This one might be specific to only a few labs, as it is useful for a technique called electrophysiology. This technique allows us to record the electric currents in brain tissues. To keep these tissues alive, we keep them in an artificial liquid, called artificial cerebrospinal fluid. Since it is in a liquid, it has the tendency to move around a lot. To prevent this, we create a special tissue holder, made up of threads from a stocking. These thread are thin but strong, thus they won’t break but will keep the tissue in place.

Powdered Milk: the blocking agent

Milk is a staple element in most biochemical labs. Many experiments use antibodies to label proteins, but unfortunately they have the potential to bind to another protein that is not the one you want to label. This is called unspecific binding. To prevent this, we need to block our tissue. We use proteins that will bind to any unspecific binding sites, thus blocking them. The antibodies can then be placed on the tissue with no worries. Milk contains a protein called casein which can do just that [source].

Aluminum Foil: the tissue’s umbrella

When we use antibodies, oftentimes they are coupled with a fluorescent tag, which allows us to see the antibody, and the protein it binds to, under a microscope. However, these fluorescent tags are very sensitive to light. If exposed for too long, it will not be able to fluoresce anymore, because the photons in the light damage the tag. This is called photobleaching. To prevent this, we put our antibodies in the dark. However, when we want to move the antibodies around, we use aluminum foil. Aluminum foil does not let light pass through and thus protect any antibodies from photobleaching [source].

Nail polish: an unlikely glue

Again, this is used in IHC experiments. In these experiments, the tissues are mounted on a glass slides, and covered with another glass coverslip to prevent movement. However, instead of glue, we use nail polish to glue both glass pieces together. we use it mainly because we can apply it more easily than glue, and we know that it will not interfere with the fluorescence. Further, if clear nail polish is used, we will be able to see through it under the microscope.

There are many other everyday objects that scientists use. From microwaves to coffee filters, a lab is surprisingly made up of things everyone knows. This shows how sometimes science is more accessible than we think it is.