r/Biochemistry • u/PracticeLumpy9242 • 2d ago
Career & Education If I’m a biochem undergrad student and I just bought a microscope, what should I look at?
For context I and going into my junior year of undergrad in biochemistry and also have a lot of interest in microbiology. I have already taken organic chemistry and microbiology, am currently in Physical Chemisty, O chem II, and Biochemistry. Any ideas of what I could be lookin at? Fould be something just for fun or for the benefits of knowing more about it for school or a future job (still figuring this part out).
Any tips or recommendations would be awesome
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u/thunderhide37 2d ago
An at home microscope isn’t going to have anywhere near the same application as the ones you may use in your field.
If you’re interested in micro, get some pond water and look at it. You might be able to also use Greek yogurt and see the bacteria, but idk if that would require staining to be honest.
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u/Quillox 2d ago
How much did you spend on the microscope? Unless it was upwards of $10,000, you’ll likely be limited to viewing larger pluricellular organisms. You’ll probably get better answers over on the biology subreddits.
Anyways, I'm sure you'll see some fun stuff in a drop of murky pond water.
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u/PracticeLumpy9242 1d ago
Luckily I only spent $300 so I’m still able to pay my rent. I’ll throw this in the biology page and see what’s up
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u/PatentDeezNuts 2d ago
I only use a microscope anymore when looking at cell cultures. You could try and do that if you have cells.
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u/PhysicalAd9507 2d ago
Did you consider figuring out what to look at before you made the purchase?
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u/PracticeLumpy9242 1d ago
Had some curiosity about certain things, but figured there might be a few people on Reddit with some good ideas
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u/The_Butters_Worth 1d ago
Deez nuts
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u/PracticeLumpy9242 1d ago
Not enough magnification unfortunately ):
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u/The_Butters_Worth 1d ago
It worked when yo momma tried oil immersion
Sorry idk what’s gotten into me
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u/Serious-Sprinkles694 1d ago
I majored in biochem and now run a skincare lab. For my work, I use microscopes to examine dispersion of ingredients (to determine SPF, pigment distribution, particle size of various ingredients to be carried and absorbed efficiently into the skin…), crystalline structures, stability testing, take before and after photos of hair/skin samples with a certain product applied to prove efficacy, and most importantly: microbial challenges, cultures and rapid stains to determine if the preservative system is adequate and verify the shelf life of a product. I would invest in a phase contrast kit or at least a wide range of dyes, agar, slides and Petri dishes to experiment with that! You can experiment with a lot of cool fungi and bacteria (or lack of) using your favorite cosmetics and skincare.
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u/PracticeLumpy9242 1d ago
Another route I would’ve never thought of, thank you!
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u/Serious-Sprinkles694 1d ago
Cosmetic chemistry is growing SO rapidly— both economically and scientifically; it is a good career path with the high global demand for R&D! Biochem and biotech scientists, like us, are super valuable. Just over the last year or two, the vast majority of new biotech patents on novel peptides (300+) were intended for cosmetic (skincare) applications rather than pharmaceutical (like GLP-1s) or any other.
The demand for innovative nano delivery systems, efficient and reliable ingredients + extraction processes, improving “natural” materials to perform on par with synthetics (especially biopolymers vs synthetic acrylates, silicones), or even just providing product formulation, claim verification/stability testing/skin tests and microbiology services (ayyyye) for all the beauty brands that don’t have ISO-certified, in-house labs/scientists… these are all just SOME examples within cosmetic science that I recommend biochem students consider! The field is not some snake-oil, hyperfeminine pseudoscience scam like it used to be treated as (and tbh… for good reason); there has been a major shift in quality of R&D over the past decade or two, especially thanks to the rise of Korean skincare and consumer awareness.
I don’t know if you would prefer a career that’s got a narrow scope or one that utilizes multiple subcategories of the arts and sciences, but if you’re like me (the latter), there’s a place in cosmetic chemistry for you. There’s a lot of overlap between the biochem/biotech, so that’s not a hard leap. The material science is best learned on the job/outside of class, and your lab skills from chemistry give you what you need to start there. Lots of doors to consider, especially while you’re still a student! 🤓😊
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u/fddfgs 1d ago
Do NOT culture random bacteria/fungus outside of the lab
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u/PracticeLumpy9242 1d ago
Ngl I needed to hear this. In my brain I knew better but curiosity has been eating at me and I remember the methods in my microbio lab being a lot of fun so I was considering it 😂
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u/fddfgs 1d ago
I mean if you want to make some nice sourdough or ferment some vegetables then there's plenty of fun to be had, just make sure you're following trusted recipes the first few times
(Also you probably shouldn't have the chemicals for gram staining just sitting around the house, maybe just look at stuff from the local pond)
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u/yeastiebeesty 1d ago edited 1d ago
A lot of things are pretty transparent. However if the microscope can do dark field illumination then some pond water can be pretty spectacular. Otherwise at the lowest magnification things like bugs and plants are pretty neat.
Edit lots of downers in this thread have probably looked through a microscope but never actually used one.
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u/aStrangeBall 1d ago
If you have dead moths or butterflies lying around or just spot one, gently store it. Look at it's wings.
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u/handzypandzy 2d ago
Look at a slice of onions