So today whilst checking our water supplies in the lab for sterility, I decided to perform a little experiment on myself.  Shown above is the result.

X= Thumbprint after ordinary hand usage while at work.

1= Thumbprint after a 15 second wash with hand-soap.

2= Thumbprint after 15 second Soap wash followed by a douse with 70% ethanol (allowed to dry)

The "spots" are bacterial colonies.  As you can see, the difference is staggering <.<

WTF, so much for "clean hands".

As a side note, it turns out the ultra ultra pure water we pay buckets to have is in fact sterile, as is the tap water from the sink.  Nice to know.

What can I say, it's been a boring day.