The safety data sheet says nothing about not drinking it...
this post was submitted on 03 Dec 2025
196 points (98.5% liked)
Science Memes
18982 readers
973 users here now
Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!
A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.
Rules
- Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
- Keep it rooted (on topic).
- No spam.
- Infographics welcome, get schooled.
This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.
Research Committee
Other Mander Communities
Science and Research
Biology and Life Sciences
- !abiogenesis@mander.xyz
- !animal-behavior@mander.xyz
- !anthropology@mander.xyz
- !arachnology@mander.xyz
- !balconygardening@slrpnk.net
- !biodiversity@mander.xyz
- !biology@mander.xyz
- !biophysics@mander.xyz
- !botany@mander.xyz
- !ecology@mander.xyz
- !entomology@mander.xyz
- !fermentation@mander.xyz
- !herpetology@mander.xyz
- !houseplants@mander.xyz
- !medicine@mander.xyz
- !microscopy@mander.xyz
- !mycology@mander.xyz
- !nudibranchs@mander.xyz
- !nutrition@mander.xyz
- !palaeoecology@mander.xyz
- !palaeontology@mander.xyz
- !photosynthesis@mander.xyz
- !plantid@mander.xyz
- !plants@mander.xyz
- !reptiles and amphibians@mander.xyz
Physical Sciences
- !astronomy@mander.xyz
- !chemistry@mander.xyz
- !earthscience@mander.xyz
- !geography@mander.xyz
- !geospatial@mander.xyz
- !nuclear@mander.xyz
- !physics@mander.xyz
- !quantum-computing@mander.xyz
- !spectroscopy@mander.xyz
Humanities and Social Sciences
Practical and Applied Sciences
- !exercise-and sports-science@mander.xyz
- !gardening@mander.xyz
- !self sufficiency@mander.xyz
- !soilscience@slrpnk.net
- !terrariums@mander.xyz
- !timelapse@mander.xyz
Memes
Miscellaneous
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
DMEM, it’s got what cells crave!
I'm more an RPMI guy myself. 1640 of course.
Great vintage!
This isn’t my field but like it shouldn’t be horrible to drink a little sip of this right? It’s just salts and amino acids and sugar, so I’d expect worst case scenario you majorly throw off your electrolyte balance and possibly give your kidneys and liver a lot of amino acids to get rid of. But that’d probably require drinking a significant amount yes?
Anyone with more bio knowledge want to correct or confirm this hypothesis?
It's very bad scientific practice to eat anything in the lab. In this case it is also a bad idea because the clean up often uses nasty chemicals that are very much unsafe to eat. However if the clean up worked as the company wanted it to, its save. Single cells are externally vulnerable and thrive in this stuff. Your digestive system is a wonder of bio chemistry and will most likely show no sign of irritation.
Can’t you swap out DMEM for sports drinks anyway (with the Japanese brand Green Dakara being the best replacement)? That implies DMEM is basically a sports drink itself, if you think about it.
It is a sports drink for cells!
It's got what plants crave
Often served as a cocktail with some FBS.
Hey, it's all proteins. Do you want to get as muscular as a cow or not?!
What is it supposed to be for?
It’s a growth medium for culturing cells. It’s a mix of sugars, salts, and amino acids, often with other nutrients.
In that case...
It's got what plants crave
it's basically food for cells living in a petri dish iirc
I am made of cells
The reason is that you can take the same people and slide the panels to the left iteratively.
Cell biologists: hey, that smells good
Microbiologists working with YPD, MRS etc.: kill me