The fume hood in your lab might seem ancient, unless you imagine Thomas Edison working in the early 1900s under a fireplace chimney. In the summer, though, Edison’s idea failed to create enough draft as outside temperatures increased.

The right chromatography data system (CDS) can spell the difference between a streamlined data collection process and one that is haphazard. CDSs are software packages that collect, store, and help users interpret data.

Glove boxes are specialty enclosures that allow tight control over experimental conditions. Sizes range from less than five to several hundred cubic feet.

Lug a tank of gas to an experiment station, break the connection to the old tank, unhook the device that keeps the tank in place, pull out the empty tank and wrestle in a full one, secure the tank in place, attach the regulator and repeat, repeat, repeat.

The amount of carbon in an organic compound makes up the so-called total organic carbon (TOC), which serves as a crucial metric in a wide range of processes.

The Greek translation of chromatography— basically “color writing”— fails to reveal the breadth of this technology.

Electrophoresis relies on a basic process— particles moving in an electric field, more or less. Although known for more than 200 years, this phenomenon still drives fundamental techniques in many laboratories.

The wide variety of lab-shaker designs on the market reflects the increasing diversity of scientific experimentation. Labs now use a greater range of sample sizes than ever before, from liters to microliters.

Although flow cytometry first appeared (as fluorescence-assisted cell sorting) in the late 1970s, the last three years have seen a surge of innovation in instrumentation and applications.

As a mature market, filtration moves forward incrementally through improvements in filter media and housings.

Live cell imaging is made possible by a confluence of advances in imaging, computing, microscopy, and reagent technologies, connected by a deeper understanding and appreciation for cellular processes.

For automated liquid handlers (ALHs), a secure investment means modularity, flexibility, scalability, and upgradability.