This 1989 method of determining total solids is not all that surprising, but it does serve to indicate the power of the analytical balance. Weigh the empty evaporating dish. Take “an appropriate amount of sample,” put it in the evaporating dish, and weigh it on an analytical balance. Heat it to 104 degrees C. Let Read More
Citizen Participation Helps Monitor Cyanobacteria in Michigan Lakes
“Cyanobacterial blooms reduce water transparency and recreational value, cause odor and taste problems, and can be toxic to both terrestrial and aquatic organisms.” That doesn’t sound very nice, so if you were responsible for ensuring water quality, you’d probably want to put a monitoring program in place. That’s exactly what the Department of Fisheries and Read More
 Richard Gaughan February 29th, 2012
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What Exactly is a Laboratory Incubator?
If you’ve yet to use a laboratory incubator, this video is a quick introduction to its features. The presenter walks us through the incubator, from the chamber to the electronics. Although there are different features on different models, the presenter points out that there are a lot of commonalities in all incubators. He runs through Read More
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Richard Gaughan February 29th, 2012
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Using the Wrong Refrigerator Has Serious Consequences
Having been safety coordinator for a multi-lab building for a few years, I can tell you from experience that it’s not always easy to get folks to incorporate safety into their daily activities. Heck, sometimes it’s even difficult to have them stay awake during a safety briefing. That’s why safety officers put out things like Read More
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Richard Gaughan February 29th, 2012
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Length-Weight Swordfish Measurements Help Assess Stock Quality
Except for some relatively rare instances, the oceans look like oceans. That is, if you see a picture of the open ocean taken from the deck of an oil tanker in the Indian Ocean, or taken from a trawler in the Sea of Cortez, the water looks pretty much the same. That sameness hides great Read More
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Richard Gaughan February 29th, 2012
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Ultrasonic Cleaner Preps Quartz Field Samples
At the University of Vermont, they process quartz field samples and test them. Part of the processing is cleaning, and they use an ultrasonic cleaner to get the job done most efficiently. But it’s no ordinary ultrasonic cleaning process. They use hydrofluoric or nitric acid, and run the cleaner for up to 14 hours. Of Read More
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Richard Gaughan February 29th, 2012
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Trying to Push Polio into Extinction
After smallpox was eradicated in 1977, scientists hoped they might be able to add polio to the list of defunct diseases. Polio is certainly under control, but the endgame is proving difficult to manage. Specifically, there are four regions where polio persists: some provinces of India (due to vaccine interference from prevalent gut diseases), Afghanistan Read More
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Richard Gaughan February 28th, 2012
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Use an Ultrasonic Cleaner for Jet Ski Carburetors
Carburetor maintenance is important if your water jet skis need to be in top performance. Here are steps you should take. Read More
 Rachel Kohn February 28th, 2012
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Biologists of the Future Need Training for the Future
We ran across this lab procedure for the “Introduction to Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Research” class at Rutgers. We couldn’t help noticing the similarity between the subsections of the manual and a science fiction novel of 30 years ago. ”DNA Sequence Analysis of PC1″, “Choose Clones for Sequencing”, and “Analysis of Worm mutants”, for example. Read More
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Richard Gaughan February 28th, 2012
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Keeping Safety in Mind is the First Step Towards Keeping Safe
Familiarity breeds contempt. Yeah, yeah, it’s a platitude to which you can find as many exceptions as you can cases that follow the model. But there is definitely a human tendency to become conditioned to danger or risk when we do something frequently. Lab safety is a good example. You might be around chemicals that Read More
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Richard Gaughan February 28th, 2012
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