Gina Riggio

Sciworthy
Gina Misra (formerly Riggio) holds an MS in Cell and Molecular Biology. She has 11 years of laboratory experience and has published numerous scientific papers in microbiology, food science, horticulture, and interdisciplinary journals. She is currently a science writer and editor of Sciworthy.com, an initiative of the 501(c)(3) non-profit Blue Marble Space.

Articles by Gina Riggio

Galaxy: A Free NGS Workflow Management System

Most ‘wet lab’ biologists do not have much computer programming experience, which can make downstream analysis of next generation sequencing results a bit daunting. After the sequencing platform spits out your data, what do you do with it? That’s where Galaxy comes in. What is Galaxy? Galaxy is a bioinformatics workflow management system, created by collaboration…

How To Troubleshoot Your DNA Libraries For 454 Next Generation Sequencing- An Essential Guide.

For those of you who prepare your own DNA libraries, this article will cover the most critical aspects of library preparation to ensure a successful sequencing run. Previous Bite Size Bio articles have covered the basics of how 454 sequencing works, so give those a quick review if you are unfamiliar with the process. This video is also highly…

An image of test tubes to depicts how to clean a water bath.

The Pros and Cons of Storing DNA on Cards

Collecting biological samples in the field can be difficult, since storage conditions outside of the lab are often less than optimal. Enter the Whatman FTA (Flinders Technology Associates) Cards. The Whatman FTA Card, a filter paper product manufactured by GE Health Care, is a paper matrix laced with a proprietary mixture of chemicals that lyse…

A Beginner’s Guide to Storing Biological Materials

A Beginner’s Guide to Storing Biological Materials

In a typical biology lab, you may encounter many types of biological materials, including cells, bodily fluids, purified DNA and RNA, enzymes, bacterial cultures, body parts, and whole animals. In order to perform experiments that yield quality results, samples need to be stored properly in order to preserve their activity or integrity. Beginning students and…