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How do you make sure that the crystals you have grown are of your target protein? Can you tell salt and protein crystals apart without using X-ray diffraction? Yes, you can. Read on to discover five easy ways to distinguish between salt and protein crystals.
We’re all familiar with DNA and RNA. But have you heard of xeno nucleic acids (XNAs)? Read on to find out how they can be applied in biological research, and how you can start using them in your experiments.
Understanding how DNA extraction kits work is the key to troubleshooting your extraction issues.
Discover how you can visualize that notoriously difficult molecule, RNA using light-up RNA aptamers (LURAs).
This is the first installment in the DNA microarray series where I will introduce the technology and explain the basics.
Whether you’re simply seeking competent E. coli for a transformation experiment or building a panel intended for a whole project, it’s vital that you pick the right strain for your experiment. Find out more in our complete guide to choosing bacterial strains.
Are you struggling with your phenol-chloroform extraction or just looking to maximize the nucleic acid you retrieve? Then read our expert advice to improve your technique.
Phenol extraction is a common method for removing proteins from nucleic acids. Discover how phenol extraction of DNA works.
Ion-exchange chromatography is used to separate and purify proteins based on net charge at a particular pH. Here are the basics about this technique.
Do you need a way to estimate the molecular weight of a sample or protein? We walk you through one simple solution using a gel filtration chromatogram.
Making good quality electrocompetent E. coli is very easy. One morning’s work (with a bit of work ahead of time) is all it takes.
HEK293 cells are one of the most commonly used cell lines. But what are they? Why should you use them? And what does the ‘293’ mean?
Discover how the luciferase reporter assay works and how to get starting using it in your research.
Need to brush up on your alternative splicing knowledge? We’re here to help with our guide to this splicing mechanism.
Want to use Gateway cloning or having trouble using this technology? Find out how it works and get helpful tips to increase your success.
Discover the critical considerations when choosing a fluorescent protein, the key features of those most commonly used, and why newer might be better.
Want to know not only if your proteins bind but quantify the interaction? We walk you through how to perform a quantitative yeast two-hybrid assay.
Do you know your transfections from your transductions? We explain the differences between three of the most commonly used ways of introducing foreign DNA.
Excess detergent in your membrane proteins samples can cause you serious headaches. We’ve got you covered with 6 ways you can remove excess detergent from membrane proteins.
Discover what you need for successful DNA precipitation and how to choose between ethanol and isopropanol solvents.
Knowing how SDS-PAGE works means that you can troubleshoot any issues in your experiment and tweak the setup to get publication-worthy figures. Find out how it works here.
How you fix your tissue or cells can affect your results, for better or for worse. Discover the key points to think about before undertaking your histology fixation.
Discover the history of histology, from the first mention of a cell in 1665 to the identification and development of various stains.
Discover seven common histology mistakes and how you can avoid making them when performing your experiments.
How do you know when your bacterial culture is “done” growing? Read on to learn how to monitor bacterial growth using OD600 measurements, and how to figure out when you should harvest your culture.
Looking to engineer a crystal? Here are some key parameters to optimize to give you the maximum chance of success at crystallizing protein DNA–complexes.
Immunohistochemistry isn’t just a useful clinical tool, it also has great applications as a basic research tool. We’ll walk you through the immunohistochemistry basics to get you off to a flying start.
Do you know what that NA number is on your objective? We walk you through what the numerical aperture is and why it’s important.
There are a large number of microscope objective abbreviations relating to optical aberrations; here we’ll shed some light on some of the most common ones to get you up to speed in no time!
Are you finding the variety of available yeast media overwhelming? Read our guide to understand what’s in each and which is right for your fungus.
Do hemocytometers look scary and complicated with their multiple tiny squares, boxes, and grids? Take a look at our article and see how easy it actually is to use a hemocytometer.
Live imaging of phagocytosis helps capture the details of this dynamic process. Discover tips and tricks to visualizing this important cellular process.
Mass spectrometry can feel intimidating. Read this easy-to-follow guide to demystify mass spectrometry and learn how it can help your research.
Cryopreservation is crucial to the long-term maintenance of cells, so it’s important that you’re clued up on your freeze–thaw cycles. Check out our top tips for freezing and thawing cells.
Learn how the Point Spread Function affects what you see through your microscope and discover what you can do to improve your images.
Alkaline lysis for plasmid isolation? That’s like the ABCs in a molecular biology lab. Read this detailed article to understand the process behind this common technique.
If you need a multi-gene knockout or large-scale genomic modification, or want reduced off-target effects, then multiplex CRISPR is for you!
Discover what unnatural amino acids are, their applications, and how they can be used in your research in our beginner’s guide.
CRISPR interference allows for the regulation of gene expression in vivo. Here’s a short guide to how it works.
Live-cell imaging can bring a lot of clarity to cellular processes, but keeping your cells happy can be tricky. Read on to learn about 4 key parameters for achieving optimal conditions for live-cell imaging.
The eBook with top tips from our Researcher community.