What types of errors can you have in a lab experiment besides human error?

Answer 1

Just a few from the microbiological sciences:

Small impureties of the chemicals used, which can be toxic or unusually beneficial to the organisms cultivated.

Uneven electricity supply, this can become very hurtful in electrophoresis.

Equipment failure.

Interference with outer sources, e.g. the effect of solar radiation on mutation experiments.

Contamination of microbial cultures, e.g. penicillin was found, because there were uninvited fungi contaminating the petridishes with bacterial cultures.

Mutations in the microbial stock used.

Seasonal variances in behavior, e.g. many oomycetes (a microorganism group containing watermolds and a variety of fish and plant pathogens) colonies 'know' the time of the year even if they have been kept under artificial light in the laboratory for years, some of them won't sporulate in winter no matter how good the nutrients provided induce sporulation in other times of the year.

Short lifespan of some of the ingredients used - in Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) you often don't know a reagent has gone bad, before you try it. - Speaking of PCR there is a variety of errors that occur regularly: Primer mismatches, that result in amplification of non-target DNA. Errors of the DNA-polymerase incorporating wrong nucleotides. Incomplete polymerization.

Answer 2

calibration error
multiple variables

Answer 3

transporting of materials

Answer 4

"Becuase" as a replace of "by way of fact" "Teh" as a replace of "the" There are plenty I see that i think of the guy somewhat would not understand the version, such by way of fact the "your"/"you're" and "their"/"there"/"they're" and it regrettably isn't a typing errors.

Answer 5

equipment failure