A NEW objective lens option and a new scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) version makes the Hitachi HT7700 the most powerful 120kV TEM currently available, says the company. The instrument is now suited to low accelerating voltage, high resolution examination…
Faster easier sample clean-up in high throughput labs
PORVAIR Sciences says its Microlute SPE sample preparation system provides a faster, less troublesome alternative to cartridges for high throughput sample clean-up. Able to handle samples as small as 150ul, Microlute helps users increase assay sensitivity by providing pre-injection clean-up…
atomic force microscopy, clinical microscope, electron microscope, microscope, microscope accessory, photomicrography
Microscopy comes to Manchester
ORGANISERS are claiming a major success with the European Microscopy Congress 2012, held in Manchester UK this week (17-21 September 2012). Traditionally considered a meeting rooted in electron microscopy, EMC2012 had a new, ahem, focus on light microscopy thanks to…
Weekly news: Strange lights in the sky
AN INTRIGUING aerial phenomenon last week gave a good indication of the poor standard of science knowledge among broadcast news crews. Late on Friday night, a strange fireball soared across the skies of northern England, Scotland, and Ireland. It wasn’t…
The right questions to ask about pipette calibration
WHEN developing a pipette calibration programme for your laboratory, there are many questions that need to be asked and decisions to be made, write Ann Lenhardt and Erin Lenhardt of Calibrate. What tolerances should you use? How often should you…
Scanning electron microscope promises ‘incredible imaging’
SEEN in Europe for the first time at EMC2012 in Manchester, the Hitachi SU3500 variable pressure scanning electron microscope (VP-SEM) will deliver levels of performance previously unseen in this class of instrument, says the company. Featuring a newly designed Ultra…
Leica claims fastest true confocal scanner
LEICA Microsystems says it is once again at the forefront of the confocal microscope market with the launch of the Leica TCS SP8, successor to the SP5 series. Launched in June 2012 and demonstrated at the European Microscopy Congress EMC2012…
Inverted microscopes offer modular reconfiguration
OLYMPUS says its new range of inverted microscopes, the IX3 series, will be ‘future-proof’ thanks to their swappable deck modules. Aimed at the live cell imaging and clinical analysis markets, the three-model range each has at least one cartridge-like deck…
New microscope is half price of old model
THE NEW entry-level inverted microscope from Olympus, the IX53, was launched this week at the European Microscopy Congress – EMC2012 – in Manchester, UK. It replaces the old IX51 model, promising improved performance and a modular, ‘future-proof’ configuration, yet it…
Rocket beats rotary when evaporating natural products
GENEVAC has launched a new website to expound the benefits of its Rocket high speed evaporation system over alternative rotary evaporators when drying natural product extractions. Rotary evaporators have commonly been used for this operation, but Genevac says the result…
Multi-analyte quality controls can now be customised
A NEW customisation service for the development of unique multi-analyte toxicology control material has been launched by Randox Toxiciology. Reference materials play a crucial role in toxicology testing, in order to calibrate instruments to prevent errors deliver accurate results. By…
Fixed-speed pumps now offer enhanced flow rates
COLE-Parmer says its Masterflex B/T range of peristaltic pumps are known for their rugged dependability, and now deliver higher flow rates. New Masterflex B/T fixed-speed pumps offer flow rates up to 42lpmwhen used with B/T pump tubing. They are said…
SEEC microscopy for real-time biomolecular recognition monitoring
RESEARCHERS at Chalmers University, Sweden, have applied surface-enhanced ellipsometric contrast (SEEC) microscopy for time-resolved, label-free visualisation of biomolecular recognition events on spatially heterogeneous, supported lipid bilayers (SLB). Biomolecular binding events were monitored with a lateral resolution near the optical diffraction…
Metrology software captures images ten times quicker
OLYMPUS has released an updated version of its Lext OLS4000 confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) software. Compatible with 64-bit Windows 7, Lext 2.2 allows users to capture high resolution images up to ten times faster than the previous version. The…
Nanochromatography to boost proteomics research
SAID to be the world’s first liquid chromatography system that integrates nano LC and micro LC on the same platform, the Eksigent Ekspert nanoLC 400 from AB Sciex claims a range of benefits. Being capable of switching between nano and…
Weekly news: Statisticians cannot count shock!
IT’S BEEN quite a summer for science, what with the arrival of a six-wheeled, nuclear-powered, laser armed robotic laboratory on Mars and the ‘revelation’ from the Encode Project that the large sections of the human genome previously dismissed as ‘junk…
Syringe pump added to nanoparticle characterisation systems
THE LATEST enhancement to NanoSight’s Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) is the ability to include a syringe pump in the system. The syringe pump enables a larger number of sample particles to be detected and tracked, giving a more representative sample…
Grinding tool for comminution of the smallest quantities
WITH a footprint of just 20x30cm and a weight of 7kg, the Fritsch Pulverisette 23 mini-mill is promoted as the ideal tool for reducing small volume samples for laboratory analysis by X-ray fluorescence and infrared spectroscopy. Typical applications of the…
Repeater pipette makes light work of tedious pipetting
THE RAININ AutoRep S repeater pipette from Anachem is said to provide ergonomic liquid handling for any application requiring repeated dispensing steps over a wide range of volumes. Volume can be selected manually with one hand, using the stroke-setting wheel,…
Microscope camera needs no PC connection
FOR THE first time, the Olympus DP26 microscope camera can be operated in standalone fashion without the need of a PC connection. This new facility will streamline the image capture process and save valuable space in the laboratory, says Olympus.…
HPLC columns promise to improve performance
A NEW range of chromatography columns from Thermo Fisher are engineered to ‘significantly increase’ the performance of HPLC separations, without any modification to instruments or methods. The company’s internal laboratory tests show that 4um Accucore XL HPLC columns allow users…
NMR analyser is first designed for the clinical lab
THE FIRST fully-automated nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) diagnostic analyser created specifically for the clinical laboratory has granted approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Vantera clinical analyser from LipoScience combines proprietary signal-processing algorithms and NMR spectroscopic detection…
Vials have large openings for lab automation
RESEARCHERS working with limited sample volumes in automated laboratories may find benefits from using the large opening RAM vial, says JG Finneran. Measuring 12x32mm, the StepVial design is a combination of vial and insert with a 40% larger target area…
Lockdown Probes promise 5000-fold enrichment
THE LATEST development from Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) for next generation sequencing is its range of xGen Lockdown Probes. These are individually synthesized 60-120 nucleotide 5’-biotinylated capture oligonucleotides designed to enable cost-effective, high depth sequencing and analysis of specific regions…
Digital biology gives new approach to DNA quantification
THE FIRST product based on Bio-Rad’s ‘digital biology’ technology, the QX100 droplet digital PCR system, applies sample partitioning to PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and promises a new approach to nucleic acid quantification. PCR is widely used to amplify and quantify…
Adme-Tox probes for multiplexed gene expression
PLEXPRESS says that researchers can now select from hundreds of genes and carry out reliable, accurate and cost-effective Adme-Tox (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion toxicity) studies, thanks to its expanded library of pre-validated probes for multiplexed gene expression analysis. The…
Rinse station makes for a safer lab
COLE-Parmer says its TerraSpray rinse station is a cost-effective choice for cleaning all types of vessels and carboys up to 200 litres. The station requires no electricity and simply connects directly to a laboratory’s water inlet and drainage. The compact…
Lyophilisation webinars for autumn 2012
A NEW programme of free educational webinars on lyophilisation and freeze drying has been announced for August, September, and October 2012. On 23 August 2012, Yves Mayeresse, director of manufacturing at GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, discusses ‘Challenges and Opportunities When Scaling Up…
Lasers offer single longitudinal mode output
THE FIRST of their range of optically-pumped semiconductor lasers (OPSLs) to deliver single longitudinal mode (SLM) output, the two new Verdi G lasers from Coherent have a linewidth of less than 5MHz, which corresponds to a coherence length of tens…
Increasing vaccine test throughput at UCL
A SECOND automated colony counter from Synbiosis is being used at University College London’s Institute of Child Health (ICH), to assess the effectiveness of novel vaccine candidates. Scientists in the immunobiology unit at UCL are now using a Protocol 3…