Binder have released a fun movie entitled “Germfellas” to promote their latest CO2 incubator, which comes with inbuilt 180°C sterilization capability. The movie is nicely done and is a great piece of marketing. Take a look if you have the time.

I have been at a conference today and don’t have too much time to write this, so this will be a quick article. After watching lots of speakers of varying competence I though that it would be good to outline some tips for great presentations. Speaking is an integral part of a scientist’s job, and honing these skills will is great for both your career and your confidence. Here is my 10 cents worth - feel free to add more of your own tips in the comments field below: Read more »

Ampicillin is commonly used as a selection marker for plasmids in gene cloning and protein expression in E.coli and other bacteria. While it serves it’s purpose, there can be problems using this selection marker if the user is unaware of it’s limitations. This article provides a quick overview of what these limitations are and how to avoid them. Read more »

After writing my recent article on custom gene synthesis, I came across this article in the excellent Seven Stones systems biology blog that highlights the potential dark side of this emerging technology. The article describes a recent Nature Biotechnology commentary by Bügl et al 2007 in which executives from the DNA synthesis industry discuss regulation of their industry in order to address biosecurity concerns. Read more »

Here is a list of 10 pieces of great molecular biology software for PC users that I hope you will find useful. I am not a regular PC user myself so I have not tested all of these out so if any of these are no good, or if you have any favorites you’d like to add, please let me know or leave a comment. If you are a Mac user, click here for the Mac list. Read more »

I’ve put together this list of 10 pieces of free molecular biology software for Macs. I hope you will find at least some of it useful. If you any of your favorite free programs are not included, please e-mail me and I’ll add them or you can leave a comment with a link. If you are a PC user, click here for the PC list. Read more »

I get many people complaining to me about poor DNA yields from commercial plasmid plasmid prep kits. In this article I will explain the main pitfalls in plasmid isolation and how to avoid them. Read more »

Isn’t it a pain digesting, purifying and dephosphorylating your cloning vector prep to eliminate prevent high background in your ligation/transformation? A new generation of positive selection vectors promises to eliminate all of that hassle by killing off any vector that has not taken up the insert you are trying to clone. Read more »

The past few years have seen the emergence of custom gene synthesis as a useful but expensive service available for molecular biologists. Recently, the number of companies offering custom gene synthesis has exploded, pushing the cost of the service down to much more affordable levels. Read more »

The first DNA sequence of a diploid human genome from a single individual was published today in PLoS Biology. Unlike the human genome sequence released in 2001, which was a mixed sequence from several individuals, the publication of J. Craig Venter’s entire genome sequence has allowed a comparison of the paternal and maternal genetic contributions. Read more »