The term “model organism” is often used in research, to describe species that are extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena. We say “model,” because there is usually the expectation that discoveries made in the organism model will be representative of related taxonomic groups. In particular, model organisms are widely used to explore potential causes [...]

We recently featured an article about how to streamline your cloning.  But what about those days when you have too much on your plate, and need to put some things off until later?  Here are a few hints on where you can pause in your cloning experiments while working on other projects: Restriction digests can [...]

Now that you’ve aced your phone interview and your in-person interview, it’s time to negotiate your salary! Don’t know where to start? Don’t worry. Here’s my advice. First things first. Be sure you remember what you have already communicated about your salary; consistency is key. If you are working with a recruiter, be sure they [...]

Scientists often complain about the job, and here on Bitesize Bio we are no different. For an example, take a look at my rant about why not to be a scientist – written about a year ago after a particularly frustrating couple of weeks in the lab. Very recently, I decided to leave bench science, [...]

Tired of tapping away at that calculator? Why not draw your equation instead with XThink’s natural interface online calculator.

Nobel Laureate Kary Mullis is generally credited with inventing the polymerase chain reaction, but his discovery owes a lot to a microbiologist who loved to travel, some refuted assumptions of what can live in hot springs, and a now-closed field station in Yellowstone National Park. Here’s the story. In the 1960s, Thomas Brock was a [...]

Back in November 2009, we told you about a ground-breaking new concept from the people at BioconferenceLive – a whole three day conference, complete with lobby, exhibitor booths and great presentations, held entirely online. Suzanne and I were  “there” (in a virtual sense), attending some of the talks and manning the Bitesize Bio booth, and [...]

Amid growing recognition that a successful scientific career requires skills beyond scientific acumen, institutions are racing to provide management training for newly minted principal investigators. Young scientists spend years conducting complicated experiments and crunching data, but when they are finally given the keys to their own lab, they suddenly face tasks they were never trained [...]

Sometimes a new product comes along and you just know that it is going to make your life easier. The SNAP i.d. protein detection system from Millipore falls into that category. In a nutshell, SNAP i.d. is a nifty little gadget that fits in to the immunoblotting protocol after the membrane transfer step. There it [...]

Being in graduate school can be tough – deadlines, professors, and experiments, can get you down.  But there are a lot of silver linings, too.   Here are a few of my favorite things about being a grad student this summer: Since it stays light so much later, I don’t mind working a few more hours; [...]