Filters vs. Monochromators - When using a microplate reader, these are the two options to filter light into monochromatic wavelengths. Filters offered higher performance because of greater light transmission and wider bandwidths; monochromators offered greater flexibility, no new filters were needed for each new assay.

Life scientists started using microplates in the 1950s, with some of the first ones literally machined from solid blocks of plastic. You don’t need to wander around a molecular biology lab long today to see the progress in microplates, some now including thousands of wells.

Modern military defense planning is already heavily focused on how to gain strategic advantage through brainpower. Another significant step in that direction could result from an Arizona State University engineer’s new research on using cognitive abilities to control defense operations in more direct ways than ever.

As of January 1, 2014, Newport Electronics, Inc. has merged into Omega Engineering, Inc. NEWPORT has been a leader in high-precision test, measurement, process control and automation instrumentation for more than four decades. NEWPORT began manufacturing electronic instrumentation in 1965 and quickly earned a reputation for designing and building the world’s most accurate industrial instrumentation.

Researchers are programming robots to communicate with people using human-like body language and cues, an important step toward bringing robots into homes

Microplate handlers are the robotic “glue” that unifies operations around a microplate workflow. The
 evolution of robotics and software has caused a “democratization” of lab automation in general, and microplate handlers in particular.

Proof-of-concept study could soon allow analysis of early earth chemistry on meteorites and other rocks.

Microplate readers are widely used in research, drug discovery, bioassay validation, QC, and manufacturing processes for the detection of biological, chemical, or physical processes in samples contained in microtiter plates. 

Louis Scampavia, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Molecular Therapeutics at the Scripps Research Institute in Florida, talks to contributing editor Tanuja Koppal, PhD, about how automation has been a critical part of their high-throughput screening activities. He goes into the details of what can and should be automated and the due diligence that needs to be performed before these decisions are made—decisions that have a long-standing impact on the workings of a lab.

Join Tecan on booth #405 at this year’s SLAS Conference and Exhibition in San Diego, California, to discover the latest developments in automated liquid handling. From the 18th to 22nd of January, this annual event will once again play host to the very best in laboratory equipment from around the world, together with a wide range of presentations, seminars and workshops designed to ignite imaginations and push the boundaries of laboratory automation.

Titan Enterprises has produced an informative illustrated guide to help simplify the process of identifying and selecting the best type of small bore flowmeter (< 0.5-inch / 12.5mm bore) for a particular application.