LabOnline Feature Articles

A quicker, cheaper way to sort isotopes

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:40:59 +0000

Stanford chemists have developed a new method of isotopic analysis that does not use mass spectroscopy so it is much less expensive.

Gender equity in science

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:23:34 +0000

An international study involving more than half a million participants in 34 countries has revealed that 70% harbour implicit stereotypes associating science with males more than with females.

Teaching bacteria to count

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 03:00:01 +0000

Fundamental biocomputing devices are on the horizon now that synthetic gene networks can give bacteria the ability to count.

How many scientists fabricate and falsify research?

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 03:04:27 +0000

Meta-analysis of surveys questioning scientists about their misbehaviours indicate that fraudulent research is more common than expected, especially in the medical and pharmaceutical fields.

A virologist's perspective on Influenza A (H1N1)

Mon, 04 May 2009 23:28:26 +0000

Soon after scientists first isolated influenza A type viruses from pigs in 1931 and humans in 1933, they watched it break evolutionary barriers with alarming ease — infecting not only humans, but also aquatic birds, poultry, pigs, horses, dogs and other species. Now, with an intensifying outbreak driven by the emergence of a new strain of influenza A(H1N1), scientists once again have a unique opportunity to study viral evolution in action.

Carbon nanotube can detect the entire visible spectrum

Mon, 04 May 2009 23:34:34 +0000

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have created the first carbon nanotube device that can detect the entire visible spectrum of light, a feat that could soon allow scientists to probe single molecule transformations, study how those molecules respond to light, observe how the molecules change shapes, and understand other fundamental interactions between molecules and nanotubes.

Faster, better patent processing in Europe

Mon, 04 May 2009 03:12:11 +0000

Current patent data processing technologies are not up to present and future challenges with large bottlenecks holding up thousands of patent applications all over the world. In Europe, the PATExpert project is offering some solutions.

Moving the lab to the line

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 02:39:29 +0000

In the pharmaceutical industry and other manufacturing and processing industries, the traditional laboratory is being replaced with inline, atline and online monitoring. Processes can be adjusted in real time, resulting in higher quality and cost savings.

New solutions save time and money

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:29:08 +0000

Experts are forecasting continued growth for the analytical and laboratory equipment industry despite the worldwide economic crisis and current stagnation in the chemical industry.

Universal influenza virus vaccine becoming a reality

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 23:07:44 +0000

The Holy Grail of influenza vaccinology — the development of a durable and cross-protective universal influenza virus vaccine — may be within grasp.

Money needed in the bucket, not fun

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 23:10:58 +0000

Scientists need to live as well as enjoy their subject and one reader questions whether it's a lack of remuneration rather than a lack of enjoyment that is making students turn away from science at university.

New class of non-protein coding genes

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 01:26:54 +0000

Researchers have uncovered a vast new class of previously unrecognised mammalian genes that do not encode proteins, but instead function as long RNA molecules, and seem to play critical roles in both health and disease, including cancer, immune signalling and stem cell biology.

Bring back bucket chemistry

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 01:24:11 +0000

Science is losing popularity as a tertiary education destination. Would putting some fun and adventure into the subject at school reverse this trend?

Stem cell therapy used to reverse brain birth defects

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:10:35 +0000

Brain birth defects in animal models have been reversed using mouse embryonic neural stem cells by scientists at the Hebrew University.

Free open-source software kernel helps unlock web resources

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:17:25 +0000

Most of the web’s potential can’t be tapped via websites and browsers. A smart toolkit that is available for free has been crafted by European researchers to unlock those hidden resources.

Point of care lab-on-a-chip cancer diagnostic

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 02:05:14 +0000

Smart-Biomems is developing a comparatively inexpensive, easy-to-use and portable point-of-care system which will detect cancer at a very early stage.

Huge volumes of information are changing the nature of science

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:27:12 +0000

CSIRO’s new ultra high-resolution visualisation system, CSIROvision, marks Australia's entry into the petabyte age where scientists will analyse volumes of data greater than previously known.

Inducing chirality

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:30:19 +0000

Chirality can be introduced by irradiation of molecules while adsorbed on a magnetised substrate.

Novel cell division mechanism discovered

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:48:42 +0000

A research group has identified a completely new cell division machinery which may shed some light on other processes in human cells and evolutionary lineages.

A new approach to tackling cancer cells

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:55:29 +0000

Every year worldwide, melanoma, a particularly lethal form of skin cancer, kills 48,000 people and 160,000 new cases are identified. Annually in Australia alone, melanoma kills around 1300 people, while about 10,000 new cases are diagnosed. Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute are suggesting a combination therapy that may offer more success.