Laboratory information management systems (LIMSs) are software packages that connect instruments, other software and sample management to human operators and other data systems, including electronic laboratory notebooks (ELNs).

Fume hoods are notorious for consuming expensive resources, particularly electricity and conditioned air that is vented to the environment along with volatile chemicals and other toxins.

In response to reduced reliance on core lab services, manufacturers of flow cytometers have been busily upgrading instrument capabilities for expert and casual users.

The annual energy usage in a typical U.S. life science laboratory has recently been estimated at 4.54 GJ/m2/year,1 almost three times the energy usage of a medium intensity commercial building (1.79 GJ/m2/year).

Refractometers are instruments that quantify and identify chemicals and materials based on their refractive index (RI).

Laboratories have numerous weighing options, including sliding-scale mechanical balances, top loaders, and analytical balances.

Most laboratory workers view ovens almost as utilities, using them principally for drying glassware and heatresistant equipment, regenerating desiccants and catalysts, gently heating samples (and sometimes whole experiments), and curing or preparing materials and composites.

Mass spectrometers, one of the principal instruments for investigating chemical composition, operate by separating ions according to their mass/charge ratio by transmitting them through a magnetic and electrical field.

Experimentation in microtiter plates exemplifies the two dominating trends in the life sciences: higher throughput and smaller sample size. Microplate handlers are the robotic glue that connects microplate readers, liquid dispensers, plate storage systems, plate washers, and other equipment essential for microplate-based research and development.