The good and bad of the information age. We have unprecedented access to information. There are no quality filters on the information we get. This has created a levelling of the field, an inability to distinguish statements based on decades of scientific study from knee-jerk reactions. Case in point: the furor over vaccination. Vaccines, Read More
Crane Scale Measurement Can Improve Tobacco Curing Process
Yes, there are people who still smoke cigarettes. Those of us who don’t are a little amazed at those who do, not only because they fly in the face of enough medical research to blacken a lung, but also because it just seems so nasty. But smokers not only get some mysterious enjoyment from their Read More
 Richard Gaughan February 28th, 2012
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School Project: Ultrasonic Vinyl Record Cleaner
Classroom learning is important, because it provides a depth and breadth of information that is rarely available in on-the-job training. On the other hand, real-world experience is invaluable because it (of necessity) includes all the nuts and bolts required to get something done. At Iowa State University, some students get the best of both: a Read More
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Richard Gaughan February 28th, 2012
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Radiation Safety—First Step: Keep Radioactive Material in the Lab
The University of Utah radiation safety officer, noting some serious security lapses at other institutions, put out guidance for handling nuclear material. The document spells out the responsibilities for the (aptly named) Responsible Users. Among the recommendations: lock any lab refrigerator or freezer that contains radioactive material. The lab itself should also be kept locked. The Read More
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Richard Gaughan February 27th, 2012
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Effectiveness of Restriction Enzymes Depend on Proper Storage
The tools of today’s biologists would be sources of marvel to those of just ten or twenty years ago. Biologists can trim and insert DNA fragments, splicing and propagating coding from one organism to another. Although these procedures are now commonplace—even straightforward—that doesn’t mean they’re easy. Take just one step, restriction enzyme digestion, introduced in Read More
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Richard Gaughan February 27th, 2012
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How to Judge Scale Accuracy
How to make fair comparisons when investigating digital scales and analytical balances. Read More
 Rachel Kohn February 27th, 2012
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Flammable Chemicals Don’t Belong in a Standard Refrigerator
If you watch one of those crime shows full of scenes in a lab, you’ll have noticed that you’ll never find a character as dumb as a stump in the lab. Maybe they’re nerdy, or quirky dressers, or they lack social interaction skills, but they’re always smart. Stereotypical, yes, but it’s generally true that you Read More
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Richard Gaughan February 27th, 2012
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High School Project Has Students Learning About Blood Banks
The reductionist approach to learning has certainly proven valuable. There are great advantages to learning algebra independently of American history independently of chemistry, but sometimes the separation creates a barrier to learning. This video highlights a program designed to overcome those barriers by integrating a single project into the curricula of two classes: science and Read More
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Richard Gaughan February 27th, 2012
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Causes of Killer Whale Death to be Revealed by Autopsies
The more we learn, the more it becomes clear that life on Earth is an incredibly complex interconnected system in which imbalances have far-reaching effects. For example, if killer whale populations decrease, that influences populations the whales interact with, in particular, seals. Seal population affects fish stocks, and fish stocks affect anything. That’s why scientists Read More
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Richard Gaughan February 27th, 2012
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How Ultrasonic Cleaning Works, and Why to Use It
When you use an ultrasonic cleaner, you’re struck by its simplicity. No brushes, rollers, or other moving parts. There’s little more than a basin with cleaning fluid and a power button. That simplicity hides some powerful principles, which you can find summarized in this document on ultrasonic cleaning of parts from Wayne State University. The Read More
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Richard Gaughan February 27th, 2012
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