News

  • Open source goodies

    Byscientist

    Open source text search engine There are many technologies available that get slightly better packaged and then sold commercially. Often times the technologies are so superb and crowd sourced so well that it is surprising that many people do not consider it as a valid strategy for their laboratories or companies. Take the example of…

  • Bioluminiscent imaging

    Byscientist

    Bio-luminescent imaging Hair growth has been on ongoing research topic It is thought that stem cells can regenerate hair follicles when injected into animals and humans. However, this process has not been imaged very clearly. A group of scientists from Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea have used bioluminescent imaging to…

  • Controls and standards

    Byscientist

    Controls and standards: Often times it is easy to get lost in the process of image quantitation rather than controlling the parameters. For example, it is easy to start writing the specifications of the camera, intensity of light, how many pixels per inch while having no control of what can be done. Next time doing…

  • 3D microscopy

    Byscientist

    Super resolution microscopy One of the problems with Quantum dots and some fluorescent proteins/molecules is that they blink. And they all photo-bleach. Bayesian analysis of blinking and bleaching or 3B microscopy analyzes images using Hidden Markov Model (HMM) allows useful information to be extracted from the data. Dr Susan Cox has come up with unique…

  • Squid camouflage

    Byscientist

    Distributed light sensing Squid can really hide well in their environment. It is important for their survival since they have minimal active defenses but how is it important to us? Office of Naval Research thought that it was important enough to grant a $ 6 million grant to Roger Hanlon of Woods Hole Marine Biological…

  • Elastomer for surface imaging

    Byscientist

    Surface geometry made easy It is extremely difficult to measure the cell surface topology using microscopes or camera’s. Typically, the choice is to use reflected light, refracted light or some unique modification that requires light to enter at correct angles, be altered and then measured with the camera. Typically, setup like that cost hundreds to…

  • Spider robot molded cheaply

    Byscientist

    Cheap robots by the millions Typically it costs many hundreds of dollars to make a robot that can do something substantial. However, researchers at the Fraunhofer institute have created molded or stamped robots that can be created very cheaply – they imagine them to be like disposable gloves. Make them, use them and then throw…

  • Fluorescent living cell produces laser

    Byscientist

    Harvard Wellman Center for Photo medicine’s two scientists, Gather and Yun, have shown that they can generate laser light from single cells. These HEK293 cells were transiently transfected with GFP. The expressed GFP (~300 microMolar) showed optical amplification of light. The cells had to placed in an artificial cavity and stimulated by external pulsed laser…