THE NEW FLS980 fluorescence spectrometer from Edinburgh Photonics is suitable for steady state, lifetime and phosphorescence measurements in photophysics, photochemistry, biophysics, biochemistry and semiconductor physics, says the company. A development of the FLS920, the FLS980 delivers higher performance with double…
Ultra high-speed video at high resolution
THE LATEST ultra high-speed video camera from Specialised Imaging will, the company says, deliver high resolution 924×768 pixel images at up to two million frames per second for the most demanding of high speed imaging assignments. The new Kirana camera…
How to read microplates in zero-G
IT MAY be a problem faced by few laboratories, but any that need to cope with microplate readings in situations other than one standard Earth gravity need look no further than BMG Labtech’s Polarstar microplate reader. Researchers at the University…
Concentrate biological samples quickly and safely
GENEVAC outlines the significant operational benefits that can be found when its miVac sample concentrator is used instead of a ‘blowdown’ evaporation system. Blowdown evaporators remove solvent (as their name suggests) by blowing inert gas into open sample vessels. They…
Lab labels made faster and easier
A NEW printing system for laboratory labels uses drop-in supplies that make it possible to change materials in just 20 seconds. The Brady BBP33 label printer needs no adjustment or calibration when switching label type. Brady says the new label…
More storage capacity from these 96-well plates
A NEW range of low-height, high capacity microplates allow more sample to be stored in a given volume, says Porvair Sciences. These shallow 96-well plates are available with well capacities of 350ul, 270ul, and 220ul in a height of just…
weekly news: Loss of corporate memory in the laboratory
AMONG the many interesting observations this week at the Planet xMap symposium in Monaco was discussion of an industry trend by Tim Dehne, VP marketing for sponsoring company Luminex. The company’s microbead-based assays are being exploited in many new and…
Assessing the potential of next-generation sequencing
SINCE being introduced just seven years ago in 2005, next generation sequencing (NGS) has attracted much interest for providing a faster and more comprehensive method of genomic analysis. Now the full potential of the technology is discussed in a new…
xMap at 10: towards a future of precision medicine
THE TENTH annual Planet xMap conference, currently underway in Monaco, has addressed many of the topical issues in medical research and diagnostics including the outlook for the people of the poorest nations, the potential of neuronal stem cells, and the…
Winning micrograph image scores seal of approval
THE EUROPEAN Microscopy Congress, EMC2012, held last month in Manchester, UK, was used by Agar Scientific to host two competitions related to microscopy imaging. The company supported the biennial International Micrograph Competition organised by the Royal Microscopical Society, which awarded…
An easier technique for large format vertical gel electrophoresis
THE LATEST innovation in large-format vertical gel electrophoresis from Cleaver Scientific, the VS20 Wave, promises to improve productivity in the lab thanks to its ergonomic design. Where some competing systems may require the adjustment of up to 24 separate screws…
Cooled CCD camera gives fast images in low light
A NEW CCD camera which exploits thermoelectric cooling to give rapid imaging in low light conditions, for use in Raman spectroscopy, chemiluminescence, and microscopy, has been launched by Artemis CCD. The QS14 camera is designed primarily for imaging in very low…
Instrument will ID complex particle problems
MALVERN Instruments has used a live webinar to complete the global roll-out of its Morphologi G3-ID particle characterisation system. This online tutorial described the capabilities of the G3-ID, which combines automated particle imaging with the chemical identification of individual particles…
Well bottom elevation microplate standard now ANSI accredited
THE AMERICAN National Standards Institute (ANSI) has finalised accreditation of the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) Microplate Standard 6 for Well Bottom Elevation. Known as ANSI/SLAS 6-2012, this new standard defines terminology and measurement protocols for well bottom…
Cap a complete rack of tubes in seconds
A COMPLETE rack of 96 sample tubes can be capped in just 4-9 seconds, which is less than half the time of competitive systems, using the Univo CP480 electric capper says Micronic. This versatile laboratory benchtop unit can cap all…
Confocal microscope gives enhanced imaging of living specimens
RESEARCHERS seeking more sensitive live cell imaging along with high-speed measurement capability will find the Olympus FluoView FV1200 confocal laser scanning microscope meets their needs, says the company. Offering ultra-high sensitivity along with fluorescence measurement, this instrument is designed specifically…
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Planet xMap Europe registrations break 500 mark
THE TENTH annual Planet xMap symposium, to be held 10-11 October 2012 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, has attracted over 500 delegate registrations reports Luminex. The symposium programme features scientific sessions, workshops, discussion groups, exhibitions, and networking events with…
Log CO2, temperature, and RH simultaneously
THE SIMULTANEOUS measurement and recording of three environmental factors – CO2 concentration, temperature, and humidity – can be performed automatically on the new TR-76Ui-H data logger from TandD. This three-channel recorder offers temperature measurement accuracy of +/-0.3C from 10C to 40C, and…
weekly news: Hygiene becomes fashionable again
SCIENTIFIC fact is nothing more than this year’s best guess, as the latest published research continually demonstrates. But there is always a little sadness when the fact that is being overturned is one that we hold dear, for reinforcing our…
3D imaging solves mouse genome puzzle
SCIENTISTS in Canada and the USA have used 3D imaging techniques to settle a long-standing debate about how DNA and structural proteins are packaged into chromatin fibres. A paper published in Embo Reports shows that the mouse genome consists of…
Electrocompetent cells promise higher electroporation efficiency
A NEW product from Amsbio, CloneCatcher Gold DH5G electrocompent E coli cells, exhibit extremely high electroporation efficiencies that approach the theoretical maximum of 3.4×10^11cfu/ug pUC19 DNA. Transferring exogenous DNA into E coli is a standard laboratory method for cloning genes…
Pirbright Institute is new name for IAH
THE UK’s Institute for Animal Health, which has a 100-year track record as a leading centre for surveillance and research into livestock diseases and the spread of viruses from animals to humans, has today (04 October 2012) been renamed the…
Targeting oncology and neurology with next-generation sequencing
ROCHE says its new SeqCap EZ Library target enrichment products enable the enrichment of the whole exome or custom regions of interest prior to next-generation sequencing. The new products are designed to enhance genetic variant discovery and detection in basic…
High-content screening from low volumes of cells
A NEW array system for low-volume cell-based assays allows scientists to use a fraction of the cells, media, and reagents they have traditionally used, says its developer Curiox Biosystems. The DropArray system allows high content analysis of adherent or suspension…
Longer pipette tips for better labware access
INTEGRA has introduced a new extended length GripTip pipette tip available in non-sterile, sterile, filter and Green Choice configurations. The Long GripTip is designed to work with single, eight, 12, and 16 channel Viaflo electronic pipettes and Voyager eight and…
Grant will fund HIV diagnostic test
A PROJECT to improve the determination of levels of new HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infections, a challenge that has presented a significant obstacle to the effective monitoring of the epidemic and the evaluation of interventions, has won a US$300,000 (UK£185,000) grant. SeraCare…
Enclosures improve testing accuracy of thermally sensitive electronics
A NEW line of thermal test enclosures makes possible the accurate testing and processing of temperature sensitive electronic products with SP Scientific’s ThermoJet ES precision temperature cycling system. Developed in conjunction with Khoury Industries, the thermal enclosures are available in clamshell…
Particle analysis by electron microscope
THE RECENT introduction of advanced energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) systems by Bruker has equipped the Hitachi TM3000 tabletop microscope to work alongside a Bruker Quantax 200 to perform fully automated particle analysis. In particular, two modules of Bruker’s Esprit software – the…
Selective microplate sealing with these innovative cap strips
A NEW range of cap strips to provide high integrity sealing of deep well plates (2ml, 1ml, and 350ul square well) along with Microlute 96 well solid phase extraction (SPE) and protein precipitation plates has been introduced by Porvair Sciences.…
Software accelerates screening for contaminants and illicit drugs
SCIENTISTS and lab technicians can now screen hundreds of samples for hundreds of potential contaminants and residues, using customised compound libraries, thanks to a new software application from AB Sciex. LibraryView, when coupled with QTrap and TripleTof mass spectrometry technologies,…