This month we highlight companies who will be exhibiting at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry’s Annual Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo (AACC 2014) and the 248th American Chemical Society National Meeting & Exposition (ACS 2014). AACC 2014 will run July 27-31 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, while ACS 2014 takes place August 10-14 in San Francisco, California’s Moscone Center. Remember that the products shown here may not be at these shows, but the highlighted companies will be on hand to answer any questions you might have.

Winner will receive $70,000 worth of bioinformatics tools, software, hardware, and support to develop and build a production-grade pipeline

The Pittcon Exposition Committee is now accepting booth space reservations for Pittcon 2015, which will be held March 8-12, at the Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, Louisiana. The discounted rate of $2,400 for a standard 10’ x 10’ space is available to all exhibitors up to July 14, 2014. The cost per booth after July 14 is $2,900. Those who wish to be included in the first round of booth assignments should have their agreements submitted by the end of July, as assignments will begin August 2014.

A new study shows the public’s understanding of scientific topics varies by socioeconomic group.

Psychologists at the University of Bonn are amazed by the severe deficits caused by a sleepless night

Twenty-four hours of sleep deprivation can lead to conditions in healthy persons similar to the symptoms of schizophrenia. This discovery was made by an international team of researchers under the guidance of the University of Bonn and King's College London. The scientists point out that this effect should be investigated more closely in persons who have to work at night. In addition, sleep deprivation may serve as a model system for the development of drugs to treat psychosis. The results have now been published in "The Journal of Neuroscience".

Want to be more productive and happier during the workday? Try taking a short break to text a friend, play "Angry Birds" or check Facebook on your smartphone, according to Kansas State University research.

Nonhuman primates preferred African, Indian tunes over strong beats typical of Western music

Scientists from North Carolina State University and the University of Florida have combined cookies, citizen science and robust research methods to track the diversity of ant species across the United States, and are now collaborating with international partners to get a global perspective on how ants are moving and surviving in the modern world.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have headed a study that has provided new knowledge about the EphA2 receptor, which is significant in several forms of cancer. This is important knowledge in itself – but just as important is how this study, which is published in the highly respected journal Nature Methods today, was conducted. The researchers used the method of DNA origami, in which a DNA molecule is shaped into a nanostructure, and used these structures to test theories about cell signalling.

University of Missouri researcher claims "Eat for Life," a non-diet approach to weight management, is more effective than traditional weight loss programs

Researchers from Bochum detect olfactory receptors in the skin. Receptor accelerates cell division and migration

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) today (July 7) announced a $50 million gift from Jim and Marilyn Simons to establish the Simons Center for Quantitative Biology. The Center will support research and education programs at one of the world’s leading independent biomedical research institutions, a birthplace of molecular biology and one of the first institutions in the world to recognize the importance of quantitation in the life sciences.