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Search below to delve into the Bitesize Bio archive. Here, you’ll find over two decades of the best articles, live events, podcasts, and resources, created by real experts and passionate mentors, to help you improve as a bioscientist. Whether you’re looking to learn something new or dig deep into a topic, you’ll find trustworthy, human-crafted content that’s ready to inspire and guide you.
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.
A Hemocytometer is a precision tool used to count cells and determine cell concentration in suspensions. This manual method is essential for tasks like seeding, passaging, and viability assessment. Proper sample preparation, counting technique, and calculation ensure accurate results. The guide covers protocols, a calculator, troubleshooting tips, and common errors to improve reliability in cell counting for bioscience applications.
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.
Read on to learn more about live cell imaging, including how high rate microscopy can help you capture rapid cellular processes.
If you need to copy, sequence, or quantify DNA, you need to know about PCR. Read our guide to the PCR process, and discover tips to help you avoid the most common PCR pitfalls.
qPCR primer design is a bit of science, a bit of magic, and a little bit of luck. Here’s the science to help you design the best primers for your experiments.
Understanding the different forms of uncut plasmid DNA on agarose gels is essential for assessing prep quality. The supercoiled plasmid is the desired dominant form, migrating fastest due to its compact structure. Other forms like nicked, linear, denatured, and multimers indicate damage or contamination. Proper gel conditions and controls help identify these forms, guiding troubleshooting and ensuring your plasmid prep is suitable for cloning, transfection, or sequencing applications.
Want to know more about ethanol grades commonly used in the lab? We help you make sense of your flammables cabinet with our rundown of the ethanol grades typically used in molecular biology, as well as some important rules for how to use them correctly.
It’s not always easy deciding whether to run electrophoresis at a constant voltage, current, or power. Here, we outline the differences to help you make an informed decision.
Discover how chromatic and geometric imaging aberrations have been corrected over the last few centuries with the development of corrected lenses and objectives.
Are you struggling with your DNA clean-up? Then check out our top five methods so you can pick the best option for your experiments.
New to PCR? This Double Delta Ct Calculator simplifies qPCR data analysis by converting Ct values into fold change for gene expression studies. It also highlights potential errors like unstable reference genes or high Ct values, guiding users to validate results before reporting.
Are you having problems with tissue sectioning? Follow these 10 tissue sectioning tips to create the perfect tissue section every time without stressing out.
Want to know about stereo microscopes? This article answers what a stereo microscope is, how it works and why it’s a great tool for biologists!
Need a crash course in microbial identification methods? Here we give you a rundown of the methods available for the identification of bacteria, yeast, or filamentous fungi to the species level.
Getting publication perfect confocal images can be tricky. If you are struggling or just want to ensure you’re capturing the best images possible, check out our top 7 tips for confocal imaging.
Get the best out of your time on the microscope by understanding the refractive index of your experiment to optimize and increase your resolution.
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