Coffee as a staining agent substitute in electron microscopy
26 points
2 days ago
| 6 comments
| phys.org
| HN
jacquesm
2 hours ago
[-]
You just know how they found out about this...

> "I got the idea of using espresso as a staining agent from the circular dried stains in used coffee cups,"

Suuure...

reply
bell-cot
1 hour ago
[-]
Quoting more:

> "I got the idea of using espresso as a staining agent from the circular dried stains in used coffee cups," says Claudia Mayrhofer, who is responsible for ultramicrotomy at the institute. During preparation, she cuts tissue samples into wafer-thin slices and fixes them onto sample holders. Staining is the last step before examination under the electron microscope.

I'm curious about the grad student who is the second author on the research paper. Is he the one tasked with the current-SOP staining with (radioactive and poisonous) uranyl acetate? Was it his overworked-and-drowsy "oopsie" which lead to the discovery?

reply
fredley
1 hour ago
[-]
Calling it now: this is ignobel prize-worthy research. If it doesn’t get a nod I’ll eat my hat.
reply
amelius
2 hours ago
[-]
Make sure to leave out the hazelnut syrup.
reply
its_ubuntu
4 hours ago
[-]
Finally, something Starbucks is good for!

ZING!

reply
iberator
3 hours ago
[-]
Starbucks doesn't even have good coffee and it's WAY overpriced.

It's an abomination. Trust me!

Black coffee in McDonald's is superior in quality and price worldwide. Especially in UK and Switzerland.

Please explore - Starbucks is baaaad

reply
cassepipe
2 hours ago
[-]
True but on the other hand their coffee beans bags they sell in stores made for the best coffee I have had.

I tried to buy beans from coffee snobs independant stores but all I got was weird and/or acidic coffee

But hey I am a tea person first and foremost, what do I know

reply
tentacleuno
23 minutes ago
[-]
There are definitely speciality shops that sell dark roasts like you might want. One in the UK, Rave, sells the most amazing Italian-style blend with robusta mixed in. It's not fruity at all, just pure dark roasty flavour (yes, I've got an espresso bar lol.)

That darker style gets frowned upon a lot ("bleuch! it's bitter!"), as a lot of people in the space have kinda embraced the more fruit-forward lighter roast stuff (if you roast darker, you tend to obscure them.) I like that too (some stuff is kickass), I just categorize it separately from darker stuff.

I believe some people have started calling it goop, presumably as an anthesis to soup, which is very coarsely ground espresso typically using lighter roasts.

Not sure where you're based (US?), but there will be stuff out there. Try r/coffee or your local forum maybe? Once you find a really good one, you'll probably just stick with it :-)

reply
nkrisc
1 hour ago
[-]
I’m going to hate myself for saying this and sounding like such a coffee snob, but: if coffee tastes bad to you, there’s a decent chance you just haven’t had a good cup of coffee.

I only say this because I used to hate coffee too, only having had Starbucks or crappy supermarket coffee made at home. But then I had a cup of coffee at a very good restaurant and it was so delicious. It was just black coffee, good beans prepared right.

Turns out I just prefer light to medium roasts and found the right brewing times and temps that I like best. Every time I have Starbucks it still tastes awful.

reply
terribleperson
1 hour ago
[-]
There are actually a whole bunch of good medium to dark roasts out there, but third wave coffee is hip and has been for a while.

If you like Starbucks beans, you'd probably like a better dark roast. Try Lavazza. Coffee snobs will look down on it, but they're highly consistent like Starbucks while offering more variety and more flavor. Lavazza Super Crema makes a pretty nice espresso and is cheap relative to high-end coffees.

reply
tentacleuno
20 minutes ago
[-]
Ehh, who cares what the snobs think? Drink what you like! I've been experimenting with coffee for like 2 years, and have found myself really enjoying dark roasted stuff (as well as lighter stuff!)

The truth is, you can get a really fruity single-origin bean but as soon as it goes into a latte, typically you've lost 99% of the origin characteristics. It gets a bit wasteful and expensive. Cafes typically go for house roasts that lean darker, and I can see why: they just work better in milk!

reply
amelius
1 hour ago
[-]
Yes, their cappuccino milk is foamy, not creamy. For the price I expect cappuccino art. And they serve it too hot. 3 out of 5 stars at most and subtract one star for the price.
reply
hahahahhaah
3 hours ago
[-]
No... maybe you misread... they said coffee.
reply
Metacelsus
1 hour ago
[-]
Next up: "Coffee in Austria recalled due to high concentrations of heavy metals"
reply
hahahahhaah
3 hours ago
[-]
One does not simply ... ordinary espresso.
reply