One of the more fundamental tools in every laboratory, a pH meter is an absolute necessity. Decades ago, researchers would have used a pH indicator kit, but in the interest of time and faster processing, a meter (whether benchtop or handheld) is a staple in a modern lab. The “p” stands for potential, while the [...]
Those who watch or read the news may be familiar with how many decades it took for the first genome sequencing projects to come to fruition fully. Tens of thousands of individual fragments were used in these projects, but these fragments had to undergo processes before they became usable. Each fragment had to be cloned, [...]
No introduction to synthetic biology would be complete without the precise definition provided by The National Human Genome Institute, which describes syn-bio as “a field of science that involves redesigning organisms for useful purposes by engineering them to have new abilities.” A complete history and introduction to synthetic biology would teach that synthetic biology was [...]
Simply put, DNA testing looks for variants (or mutations) within the DNA. It is often referred to as genetic testing, but genetic testing to look for potential disease markers is not the only test type. Researchers can also use DNA in fields such as forensics and archaeology. Many advances in testing have been accomplished over [...]
Can you grow anything with synthetic biology? Not quite anything, but perhaps someday you can. Find out more about syn-bio and new plant trends.
Colony picking and its tools are essential parts of a molecular biology laboratory. Colony picking involves choosing one pure colony in a microorganism (usually bacteria or yeast) for future use, often as a part of DNA plasma isolation. Colony picking can be performed as a manual process, but automated colony pickers can also be used [...]
DNA polymerase (DNAP) is an enzyme that plays a significant role in DNA replication. DNAP produces nucleotide triphosphates, which are considered the building blocks of DNA. These enzymes work in pairs to create two identical DNA strands from one existing DNA molecule. The job of DNA polymerase is to “read” the existing DNA, which creates [...]
General DNA Processes The general public wasn’t too familiar with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and antigen tests before the COVID-19 pandemic. The intricacies of both types of testing may still be a mystery to some folks—for many, the type of test that mattered was the one required by their employer or school. For example, in [...]
DNA testing is widely used today in DNA testing laboratories for several applications. Persons can purchase a take-home DNA test to learn more about their heritage and ancestry. Government officials can apprehend criminals based on matches between DNA found at crime scenes and stored in DNA databases. Patients can undergo genetic testing to see if [...]
What is synthetic biology? According to the National Human Genome Research Institute, synthetic biology is “a field of science that involves redesigning organisms for useful purposes by engineering them to have new abilities.” Often called syn-bio, the field is helpful in several applications, such as manufacturing, agriculture, and medicine. Syn-bio allows this redesigning of organisms [...]
