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Learn how Agile project management can improve clarity and structure in your biology research. This guide introduces four practical tools—iteration, time boxing, prioritization, and Kanban boards—with lab-based examples.
Need help choosing a luciferase assay? This guide walks you through the differences between Firefly, Renilla, and NanoLuc reporters, plus key tradeoffs in signal duration, brightness, and workflow compatibility. Learn how to match the correct assay to your experimental needs.
Discover a better way to improve the expression of your insoluble and inactive proteins using osmotic shock.
Unlike bath and probe sonication, Adaptive Focused Acoustics® (AFA®) is a protein extraction method that avoids heat damage, cross-contamination, and inconsistent protein yields. This article breaks down the benefits of AFA and explains how it works.
Nearly every field, from physiology to immunology, uses fluorescent molecules to detect or measure something. This article explains how fluorescent molecules work for biologists—without all the complicated photochemistry.
Protease inhibitors are a requirement in many lab experiments. In this article, we’ll take you through how protease inhibitors work, why we need them, and how to use them correctly and safely.
T cells can be tricky to engineer with CRISPR. Find out the key considerations when editing these cells and how you can overcome any associated challenges.
Making the jump from Word to LaTeX to prepare your scientific documents involves a steep learning curve. We’ve made the transition easier by collating the basic commands you need to know to format text in LaTeX, including bold, underlined, and italicized text, and creating itemized lists.
As biological datasets get larger and larger, more biologists are turning to cloud computing for their storage and analysis. This article explores the advantages of cloud computing for biology and lists some online services you can use for your projects.
Alkaline lysis is ideal when you need high-purity plasmid DNA for applications like cloning. Boiling lysis is a low-cost alternative suitable for routine screening tasks. However, it generally yields lower-purity DNA and is limited to smaller plasmids. This article breaks down the applications of the two approaches.
LaTeX is a powerful document preparation system that can give you beautifully typeset documents. But getting started using it isn’t the most intuitive process. This beginner’s guide gives you easy instructions on LaTeX document setup, layout, and how to deal with common syntax errors.
Optical spectroscopy is a non-destructive technique that uses light to analyze biological samples via absorbance, transmission, and photoluminescence. Check out this article to learn more about how it works and its applications across biology.
It’s easy to let organizing your lab book slide down your list of priorities. Read our guide to easy ways to keep your lab book up to date and organized.
Skepticism and inquiry might sound the same, but they are not. A skeptical outlook can induce negative bias, whereas inquiry lets you approach a question in an unbiased way. This article explains why you should embrace inquiry over skepticism and how.
Glucose repression, leaky expression, and arabinose catabolism can all hinder protein expression. This short guide introduces the pBAD promoter and gives you some advice on using it for consistent protein yields for your studies.
Unsure which next-generation sequencing (NGS) method to choose for your cancer and precision medicine research? Learn about the latest tools and tailored next-generation sequencing solutions for cancer research in this short guide.
Plasmid maps are a cornerstone of biology, but they are confusing to read for beginners. Our easy guide tells you how to read them, where to look for essential information, and how to avoid common mistakes.
Performing reproducible research is critical in science. This article discusses eight steps you can take to make your research more reproducible.
Explore the pros and cons of key DNA Cloning techniques such as TA, Golden Gate, and Gateway cloning, and find out how to manage DNA complexities in our guide to Molecular Cloning.
Achieving publication-quality immunofluorescence images is tricky. Learn what controls for immunofluorescence you can use to get them!
Protein crystals are crucial for structure solution via X-ray crystallography but are notoriously hard to grow. We’ve got you covered with 5 clever protein crystallization seeding methods to grow impressive protein crystals.
Liquid nitrogen isn’t just cool, it’s potentially deadly. We share our 10 tips for staying safe while working with liquid nitrogen.
A neglected pH meter means less reliable experiments, poor reproducibility, and your time wasted. So, learn how to use a pH meter correctly!
Follow our simple lentiviral transduction protocol and discover expert tips and tricks to make your transductions a success.
Autoclaving something that isn’t autoclavable is usually embarrassing, dangerous, or both! Read this simple guide to autoclavable materials in biology labs to demystify what you can and can’t autoclave.
Machine learning is making a massive impact on the life sciences and can now help deliver fast and accurate automatic hepatocyte counts. This article explains hepatocyte counting methods, from manual counting to the latest AI-assisted techniques.
Researchers must show the statistical accuracy, validity, and significance of their data. So here are two ways to compare two sets of data.
Mass spectrometry molecular separation via mass/charge (m/z) ratios. Each of the various ionization approaches excels in targeting different molecule types. Understanding these techniques can help you pick the optimal ionization method to “make your molecules fly” and reveal their unique mass spectra. Read this article to learn more.
Keeping track of new literature can be a time-consuming process. Here are some helpful hints and tips to help you keep up to date.
No matter how small or large, chemical spills require immediate attention. Learn how to manage spills by following these 4 essential rules.
Facing hours of cell culture, or some other repetitive and mundane lab task? Why not cheer things up with a podcast or two! Discover our top 10 favorite science podcasts for researchers, from Sawbones to The Life Scientific.
Working with membrane proteins can be tricky. Read on to get tried-and-tested tips and tricks for expressing, extracting, and purifying these water-phobic proteins.
Biotechnology is the use of biological organisms in technological processes. It is almost as old as the civilization itself, although it wasn’t called “biotechnology” until the 20th century. Far from abandoning it in the 21st century, we are developing new uses for biological organisms.
Fat and blurry bands on your SDS-PAGE gel can leave your experimental question unanswered. Learn how you can sharpen up your bands and get much greater resolution by using Bis-Tris gels.
Discover how digital ELISAs revolutionize protein detection with unparalleled sensitivity. This article explores cutting-edge technologies like Simoa that detect multiple biomarkers from small samples, transforming research in areas like neurology and immunology.
Metabolic pathways include all the chemical reactions in an organism that sustain biological function, and metabolic tracing lets us study them. This article explains what metabolic tracing is, the isotopes used for different types of study, and how to incorporate isotopes into samples.
Autofluorescence, background fluorescence in unstained cells or tissues, often interferes with microscopy clarity. The article outlines causes, such as natural fluorophores like NADH, and offers strategies like selecting distinct fluorophores and optimizing sample prep to minimize its impact and enhance image accuracy.
Spreadsheets for managing chemicals? That’s not the right way to organize your lab. This article explains a better way—registration systems. Learn what they are and how they offer a huge productivity boost on their own and when integrated with electronic lab notebooks.
Are you even a real researcher if you have never cried over a PCR result? The biggest challenge in setting up a quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) is ensuring that the readings you obtain are accurate. Check out how to do that with these hard-won qRT-PCR setup tips.
This guide to troubleshooting microplate assays highlights different microplate features and reader settings and explains the best strategies for obtaining high-quality data.
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