Search results for: aseptic technique
Trapping Objects With Light: From Star Wars to Neurons
…and instrumentation of optical traps can be implemented into a variety of different microscopy setups and demonstrates how easily this technique can be coupled with various imaging approaches to achieve…
Read MoreWestern Blot, ELISA, SPR, Biosensor Assay or PCR: Which Technique Should I Use?
…a very attractive technique for a number of reasons. In contrast to Co-Ip, SPR does not require you to label your protein of interest. This allows you to bypass the…
Read MoreCatch of the Day: A Look into Different FISH Techniques
…your laboratory. FISH is a general technique that involves hybridizing a nucleic acid probe to its complementary sequence on chromosomes, within cells and tissues that have been previously fixed on…
Read MoreThree-Dimensional Scanning Electron Microscopy for Biology
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is a powerful technique, traditionally used for imaging the surface of cells, tissues and whole multicellular organisms (see An Introduction to Electron Microscopy for Biologists)(Fig. 1)….
Read More17 Ways to Stop Pipetting Errors From Ruining Your Experiments
…on Good Technique 9. Make Sure You Know How to Pipette Properly For the basics, take a look at Gilson’s pipetting technique manual. The most important rules to follow are:…
Read MoreA Beginner’s Guide to Exosome Isolation
…new therapeutics. If this article intrigued you, and you want to study these phenomenal tiny vesicles, remember that each isolation technique has its advantages and disadvantages. Each technique exploits one…
Read MoreThe A-Z of PCR Variants
The wide range of applications of PCR has led to an ever-growing list of variants of the technique. While some are optimizations to suit specific requirements and are very similar…
Read MoreThe Who’s Who of Super Resolution Microscopy, Part 1
…resulting in a smaller spot being detected. How does this help you? A resolution of 30-80nm can theoretically be achieved using this technique (Hell and Wichmann 1994). The technique is…
Read MoreThe History of PCR
…a kitchen table, the ingredients of PCR were waiting for someone to scream out “CAKE!” and open up the scientific community to a technique with a myriad of applications. The…
Read MoreA Molecular Biology Roadmap For First Time Travelers
…first started: How do all the different techniques fit together? How do I choose the right technique? Where do I start? And the always popular, Why isn’t this working? (Although…
Read MoreMass Spectrometry in Biological Research – A Guide for Beginners
Mass spectrometry, also referred to as mass spec or MS, is an analytical technique that is becoming increasingly important in bioscience research. This article will introduce you to mass spectrometry…
Read MoreSix Steps to Successful Mouse Genotyping
…of mice. Even though mouse genotyping is a simple enough technique, once standardized, here are a few specific tips to a hassle free genotyping experience: 1. Know What you are…
Read MoreTwo Photon Confocal Microscopy: What it is and How to Use it to Your Advantage
…to the usual one-photon technique): 1) Near-infrared radiation used in two-photon excitation suffers from significantly less absorption in biological specimens than UV or blue-green light, making the technique more appropriate…
Read MoreElectron Microscopy Sample Preparation: 10 Pieces of Expert Advice
…those preparing them? Electron microscopy (EM) is a powerful technique that contributes to revolutionary discoveries at the frontiers of science. It has tremendous potential within key fields such as epigenetics…
Read MoreSPUD’s Your Bud When it Comes to Sensitive qPCR
There’s piloting a brand new technique for the first time. Then, there’s jumping through hoops trying to get an established lab technique to work. The former, in contrast to the…
Read MoreJust This Moment. Introducing the Science Behind Mindfulness and Meditation
…is where the technique of mindfulness may help you in the lab and beyond. Using mindfulness can help us to pay greater attention to our tasks in the lab and…
Read MoreWriting Your First (or next) Paper: Part I
…trust in the authors of the papers we read, and you want people to trust the results you generate. Becoming a master of a technique can take as long, and…
Read MoreTop 10 Tips for Phenol-Chloroform Extractions and Ethanol Precipitations
There are a lot of “helpful suggestions” to wade through when it comes to perfecting your TRIzol Method technique, so let’s wade through the madness and share some tips! Comment…
Read MoreFlow Cytometry Gone Viral: Introducing Flow Virometry
…through what this technique is, its applications and relevance to your biological research, and how you can start using it in your experiments. Current Viral Detection Methods: Pitfalls and Problems…
Read MoreFTIR Spectroscopy: Every Window Needs a Good Acid Wash
…FTIR is not a simple technique to learn, and is highly sensitive, making this technique even more challenging to use. But if you start with clean windows, the results should…
Read MoreImmunoscience or Immunoalchemy?
First of all let me say the technique of labeling tissues (immunohistochemistry, IHC), and cells (immunocytochemistry, ICC) is indeed immunoscience NOT alchemy, though at times it may certainly seem like…
Read MoreAcid Phenol Chloroform Extraction of DNA, RNA and protein: 3 in 1
…resorted to acid phenol-chloroform extraction. With this technique, you can get 3 biomolecules at once by partitioning using their different physical and chemical properties. The substances needed for this isolation…
Read MoreGetting Those Chromosomes To Spread- A Beginner’s Guide To Meiotic Chromosome Spreads
…Whatever the case this technique can be a little tricky at first, but once you learn a few tricks it’s like riding a bicycle- so grab your bike helmet and…
Read MoreWhat Is Cryo-Electron Microscopy? A Brief Introduction
…the cryogenic aspect important? And how did it seemingly go from nothing to the big time? Simple answers: it’s an ultra-high resolution imaging technique performed at cold temperatures that can…
Read MoreCryo-EM Sample Prep: 5 Crucial Considerations
…the developments that lead to this powerful technique. How Do You Prepare Samples for Cryo-EM? Before getting down to the nitty-gritty of sample preparation, let’s look at the entire cryo-EM…
Read MoreTo boil? Or be boiled? Saving Time With Colony PCR
Applying molecular techniques to unicellar organisms leads to many questions… Did my electroporation work? Is my vector inside my competent cell? Do I have contamination in my liquid culture? Is…
Read MoreGet Started in Genome Editing with CRISPR
…Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats and in simple terms, this technique allows you to direct a nuclease to cut at a specific site in the genome of interest. The cell’s DNA…
Read MoreNew-ISH on the Block: Introduction to RNAscope®
…is there. Variations of this technique have been around since the late 1960s, and there have been many improvements along the way. One notable recent development is a technique from…
Read MoreGenetic Variants Explained
…Difficult to Detect Genetic variants that involve structural changes in the DNA, such as duplications, deletions, and inversions, are hard to detect using traditional current sequencing methods. A technique to…
Read MoreHow to Train a Junior Colleague in the Basics of PCR
…the difficult bits and guide you on training your junior colleague. PCR can be a tricky technique to master because it requires a lot of concentration and accuracy. Someone new…
Read MoreStructured Illumination Microscopy (SIM) – An Introduction
…benefit microscopists. SIM is a widefield microscopy technique that uses this same Moiré effect to extract higher resolution information as compared to standard, diffraction-limited, microscopy. How Does Structured Illumination Microscopy…
Read MoreCrash Course in Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is an extremely sensitive technique for measuring the absorption and intensity of electromagnetic radiation in the infrared region of the spectrum of either a solid,…
Read MoreThe Many Flavors of Widefield Microscopy
…you are using an inverted microscope- but that is a topic for another article). The main advantages of this technique are the simplicity of the microscope system and the simplicity…
Read MoreHow to Check the Accuracy of Your Pipette in 7 Easy Steps
…differences when pipetting. Note that you also need to make sure you are using a balance that has been properly calibrated too. How Pipetting Technique Affects Accuracy Before you check…
Read MoreAn Introduction To ChIP-seq
ChIP-seq is a wonderful technique that allows us to interrogate the physical binding interactions between protein and DNA using next-generation sequencing. In this article, I’ll give a brief review of…
Read MoreSimplicity in Science: How to Increase your Research Effectiveness by Doing Less
…resistance worldwide. [4] 2. Choose the Right Experimental Technique The newest and fanciest techniques can be very appealing to researchers, and you may think that they can help boost your…
Read MoreTissue Embedding Throwdown: Paraffin vs OCT vs Resin
…embedding, the most common embedding medium. But if you are still wondering if one technique is better than another, or what it would take to start using a new sectioning…
Read MoreDo You Work Like A Professional Scientist?
…behind the technique. This was published by Ulrich K. Laemmli at the start of the 70’s yet a basic understanding of a method regularly used by students is often absent….
Read MoreFive Methods for Assessing Protein Purity and Quality
…2 mg/mL to provide clear results. (More) Size Analysis: Mass Spectrometry Mass spectrometry is a very powerful analytical technique that can identify post-translational modifications with great accuracy and precision, which…
Read MoreA Beginner’s Guide to Single-Cell RNA Sequencing
…technique uses reverse transcriptase to reverse transcribe RNA into cDNA. We can then amplify the cDNA using PCR, and sequence the amplified cDNA using next-generation sequencing technologies. Therefore, we can…
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