Variables,Averages and other thorny things

Science, as i have seen, is like the hindu religion. Both require appeasing a million dieties with a gazillion chants.In science, the gods are averages,variables and other thorny things(bosses).

Take for example, a simple thing- extracting a small fragment of DNA and inserting it into another bit of longer DNA.This is done so that we can all put your taxes to good use.Anyway,this tax consuming activity is called cloning.(not the same as the process leading upto the Dolly parton namesake).

The process involves multiplying the DNA fragment through a process called PCR (blame it for the large rise in paternity suits) and we then tried cutting it (unromantically called digestion) and pasting it (ligation) into a larger fragment. then, you feed it to bacterium which are ever so lovingly are reffered to as "Competent"(!) cells.( you would agree that scientists know how to laugh in the face of adversity).

Law of average would dicatate that it shouldnt work at first attempt,so it dint.
By the time all the variables are appeased, a month passes. The thorn becomes thornier.

Then, one fine day, when the bumble bee buzzed boss, i find that i had a clone! yipee for a few seconds,before you start to realise that you have cloned only half of the DNA fragment.Back to the drawing board,very bored.

10 months pass-viola-you have 2 clones after.YOu start to assume that after screening 300 odd colonies in rituals often involving ancient pagan rites, you have satisfied the pagan gods, the thorny bushes and other such things.But then, the law of averages is not satisfied about your record with the number of times you have been careless.Just this one time,when your year's work is about to bear fruit, you realise that you have left the bacteria too long on the stove and that they may have taken a hike-leaving you behind on teh spike.

I will now wait for the thorny bush to poke me real hard when i give this new excuse. As you may well know, law of averages covers excuses.


I told you, Hinduism in like science, I might be getting jacked because i dint appease god#6587290 (there are supposed to be 6 crore dieties, ancient india sure knew about the laws of probabilty.Mr.Cardano,you were 2000 years too late).