Some Budding Yeast I Used to Grow

Named SCIENCE PARODY OF THE YEAR by the readers of the BioTechniques Journal in their 2013 Lab Grammys contest! See tinyurl.com/b5s... and tinyurl.com/csh....
ALSO FEATURED ON NPR.ORG by Robert Krulwich on his blog "Krulwich Wonders" (Jan. 28, 2013). The post, "My Yeast Let Me Down: A Love Song," is here: tinyurl.com/azc...
Some Budding Yeast I Used to Grow
(Parody of Somebody that I Used to Know by Gotye feat. Kimbra)
Submission for UC-Berkeley MCB Follies 2012-2013
(UC-Berkeley, Dept. of Molecular and Cell Biology)
LYRICS, VOCALS, EDITING & STARRING: Nathaniel Krefman
STORYLINE: Lydia Thé, Haomiao Huang, & Nathaniel Krefman
ANIMATION: Lydia Thé & Nathaniel Krefman
DIRECTION & PHOTOGRAPHY: Lydia Thé & Haomiao Huang
________________________________________________
LYRICS:
Now and then I think of things that I could have done better.
Like when I forgot to give you glucose, and you just died.
An organism that was right for me.
The awesome power of genetics in yeast.
But now I think I'll have to use a metazoan.
You can get addicted to the haploid-diploid cycle.
And recombination in a site-specific way.
So when they showed yeast could do anti-sense,
It didn't change any experiments.
A recessive loss-of-function, try to find one in a Hela cell.
But NIH, don't cut me off.
Just cuz yeast aren't motile doesn't mean I don't need funding.
And I don't even need that much,
But you say they don't have neurons, and your budget's tough.
Did you know that we have auxotrophs?
Synthetic genetic arrays. Try doing that with fish or monkeys.
You say they don't get develop though.
Now you're just some budding yeast I used to grow.
Now you're just some budding yeast I used to grow.
Now you're just some budding yeast I used to grow.
Now and then I think of all we've learned with Saccharomyces.
Cuz of all that biochemistry conserved over a billion years.
Oh I'd get funded if these yeast could bleed.
Or cerevisiae got STDs.
If only they could catch a cold,
You wouldn't catch me hung up on some budding yeast I used to grow!
But NIH, don't cut me off.
Just cuz yeast don't smile doesn't mean that they aren't happy budding.
And I don't even need that much,
But these yeast don't cause infections, and the budget's rough.
Did you know its a eukaryote,
That grows on plates, and exponentially in liquid cultures?
But you say they don't get cancer though.
So now you're just some budding yeast I used to grow.
Some budding yeast
(I used to grow)
Some budding yeast
(Now you're just some budding yeast I used to grow)
Some budding yeast
(I used to grow)
Some budding yeast
(Now you're just some budding yeast I used to grow)
(I used to grow)
(That I used to grow)
(I used to grow)
Some budding Yeast

[@ShyamBhakta]

I saw this in undergrad when you released it, and it continues to be a jam and inspiration through grad school 😄

[@AnotherSpecialEdMom]

I don't know who could dislike this. It's beautifully done. I'm sharing it will all my cancer and genetics researchers. I know they'll LOVE it. Thanks for all your hard work.

[@squeeeeb]

I don’t know why but this was part of my childhood and now I’m back and almost graduating high school. I don’t know why but this video just stuck to me throughout my life, I found this somehow when I had to do a project about yeast in 5th grade. Im glad I can always com back to this.

[@kenkclam]

Brilliant The tight NIH funding for basic research makes me sad

[@frawgtastic]

My genetics prof showed us this yesterday in class. Awesome! Love the "Competing Financial Interests"

[@lavieja4673]

This is still a banger, ten years later

[@MartynDerg]

I would absolutely love to see more stuff from you! You're amazing!

[@boehrb]

Love the authorship, materials and methods at the end. Well done!

[@helenight]

I feel your pain. Your lab diary is so neat! Mine are always a mess... Good luck in your future fundings and thank you for this!

[@jchvatal1]

I've got a long way to go until I have that much quality in a nerdy science video. Great job on the Lab Grammy!

[@Violetentity]

That was awesome! Nice reference concerning funding and too true if its not a study involving something that the large pharmaceutical can develop and make a lot of money off there is no funding, However maybe someday. Videos like this could be used as an educational tool in elementary school. Science set to music gets kids interested and motivated.

[@emilyk8755]

Thank you for sharing this video! I found it through an NPR link. I too work in a yeast lab and fully enjoyed and empathize with your sad love song. I made sure to share it with my lab mates. Good luck in your future research!

[@LukeDOMGBBQ]

I think it's ridiculous that it's taken 8 years for me to discover this.

[@betobermudez4075]

Such masterpiece! amazing job!!! I've lost count how many times I've seen it :)

[@peachesandsunshine9]

Of course I am! :) I still have college tours, fellowship applications and university applications and it's no light task. It's good to see graduate students who are able to express themselves in creative ways while doing research. Creativity plays a HUGE role in science communication and skarefamena is doing an awesome job! I recently read an article titled "The Myth of the Well-Rounded Scientist" by Adam Ruben published on Science Careers. Yes, we are scientists, but it is ok to be human.

I really hope you guys win the award. Your video was the best by far.

[@evolvwing]

watching this again, so amazing

[@achmed6704]

"I forgot to give you glucose, and you just died." Oh god my sides.

[@adamperrotta462]

We need more open source funding for science. There will always be things the NIH cannot or will not fund. Besides, when federal budgets are tight, science funding always seems to be cut.

[@RodAGTotoro]

Oh my yeast!! This video is so awesome! Great work, i loved it.

[@eleabell7607]

So many people saying that this is funny... I found myself crying over the yeast.

[@PcBY]

Genuine tears out of my eyes. This is brilliant!

[@esevas]

This cracked me up! I used to work Jasper Rine's lab ages ago. Nice work :)

[@lirael030]

This is the best thing I have ever seen/heard in my entire life.

[@MrTetrads]

This reminded me I needed to go to the lab and make some patches from single colonies!

[@FelicityWhiteArt]

This is amazing! Brightened my lab report writing day write up

[@rylanm92]

Awww, poor yeasts!!! The NIH should fund the poor souls

[@gdp3rd]

Great parody! I really miss the Follies (I was in Mol Biol 1984-88) ...

[@mehedihassan7668]

This is funny but so interesting. I like this.

[@gzentner]

As a yeast chromatin guy, this brought a tear to my eye. But, to S. cerevisiae, I say, in the immortal words of Rick Astley... "Never gonna give you up..."

[@peachesandsunshine9]

You, sir, have persuaded me to take up my Plant Biology Ph.D at UC-Berkeley in 2014. Thank you. LOL

[@meitsiiii]

This is fantastic!

[@kgpartsi]

Really love it! Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a lab star!

[@MariyukiM]

Awesome video!! Good luck! I love yeast too :-)

[@omgdflea]

like i mean other kinds of data that may have stemmed from your original work that may not be necessarily related?

[@Taegre]

This is really well done! I love it.

[@javierjavier296]

This is so good for some reason

[@Ekergaard]

BTW does all North America scientists make music videos about their work problem, or is it just you and the people in Hui Zheng lab.

[@colleendunseath2596]

Thank you! Improbable Research had yours and the Gotye vid and I like yours so much better. Of course this a post-menopausal Old Broad who needs less romance and more parody in life. Or of life. Thanks again.

[@sciencewithtom]

Awesome work.

[@mnibis591]

This is so brilliant...I'm dazzled.

[@kirstenska]

Y'all are amazing!!!

[@rosifischer1363]

Super! Very original and creative.

[@omgdflea]

sorry for my ignorance for exactly what occurred, but didnt u collect enough data to keep the fund givers interested?

[@barbatusimperator]

Instant classic.

[@steenaire]

This is amazing.

[@Mrotot098]

How many hours cutting the video?

[@nerdra]

This is pretty great.

[@XeeleeFoe]

This was great. And educational. I can pronounce saccharomyces correctly now.

[@DocRandal]

Brilliant!

[@snabbott]

Congratulations! This video is awesome!

[@Ekergaard]

This is welldone. I don't understand everything but I'm just an undergraduate.

[@violaneve6614]

This is a thing of beauty and joy forever. M a g i c a l.

[@pacoed]

Awesome!!!

[@naomisorbet481]

Love it. Thank you!

[@ShinogamiLealaii]

Absolutely awesome! Wicked tattoo too, by the way :D

[@JonDuanePerry]

Awesome video! Love the tattoo.

[@littlelifes]

Oh! :(

[@Krisjenn7]

How did i get on to this!?

[@benofreedman]

double helix tattoo at 3:37

[@Nina-fw6un]

I'll never listen to 'Somebody that I used to know' the same ; - ;

[@sosyPel]

this is amazing

[@solarvalkyrie]

Amazing!

[@ilanasivan]

Beautiful lab book :)

[@mindylinky]

OMG funniest science video yet XD

[@zuza3956]

Brilliant!!!

[@Sajjuuuk]

sweet tattoo you got there on your forearm!

[@Melissa-in2wu]

So clever. Love it :)

[@EsmeraldaVermeulen]

Hi, I posted your video on my Science So Sexy blog. I hope it's OK.

[@Eurika83]

wow! good job!

[@isauragallegos8023]

Yeast chromatin gal here. I love this.

[@LPSlionlife]

Cool!

[@benofreedman]

Well it's still an awesome video... very poignant. I found myself humming auxotrophs this morning.

[@heatherdavis191]

I like it

[@piprod01]

666 likes, 0 dislikes. Bravo!

[@alokkimbo]

Don't plz don'ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt uh uh *heart attack * dead

[@vsrangan]

priceless

[@Kilanyist]

LoL! that's scientifically hilarious !! :D

[@selvasea4588]

So funny and so real research life.....

[@merdershewrote371]

this is sooooo funny!!!

[@jjhjjff]

Thumbs up if Dr. Brewster sent you here!

[@antoniomanuelparrasevilla8298]

jajajajajajajajaja genial

[@jacquelinehuff4234]

look see

[@hannahmullings9341]

now your jst some budding yeasti used to grow you didnt have to rbgfkvbfjb cut me off

[@jacquelinehuff4234]

lp

[@AlexShirazi]

Who's here because of protocols.io?

[@shereenshabin9056]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[@aden1466]

Hilarious!

[@johannaludeke7016]

This is awesome!