Courtesy of Thermo Lab Systems Data management in the lab can be dizzying: Where is that clone? Which samples still need to be tested? Has anyone in the lab ever tried this experiment? Which batch of reagent did we use in that trial? As a laboratory grows, the inability to access and process data quickly can become a nightmare. Many research labs track samples, reagents, and experiments using paper records or even simple electronic spreadsheets. But as the amount and complexity of data grow,

A postdoctoral fellow has just identified an interesting new gene. But to get published in a top-flight journal, there's a need to figure out what the gene product does in vivo. Unfortunately, to accomplish that, the postdoc needs a way to get the protein into the cell, and therein lies the problem: There are many fast and effective methods to introduce transcriptionally active DNA into cells,1 but options for delivering functional proteins into cells are limited. New research and commercially a

Circadian clocks—the biological timekeepers that operate on a daily cycle—keep virtually every living creature in tune with its environment. These internal clocks regulate a wide range of fundamental biological processes, including movement, smell, sleep, mating, and feeding. A true circadian clock is endogenous; that is, it keeps time even in the absence of external cues. The clock can, however, be reset, or entrained, by daylight, allowing the synchronization of circadian rhythms t

Several companies offer arrays printed in microplate wells,1 but Tucson, Ariz.-based High Throughput Genomics Inc. (HTG) is the first to allow processing of small samples in the microplates prior to analysis. The result is "higher sensitivity and reproducibility," says HTG's CEO and president Bruce Seligmann, making the technology ideal for target gene validation or drug dose response profiling. Scientists can use HTG's Multiplexed Molecular Profiling (MMP) technology to assess protein functio

The oldest Web resource for life scientists just got a facelift. Bio.com got a new design and editorial focus last month; by year's end the site will also feature customized information for its users and an improved online store. Bio.com, established in 1992, can claim to be one of the first 50 sites on the World Wide Web. "Until 1994-95 there was nothing similar," says Lee Jensen, Bio.com CEO and founder. Since then, however, the number of Web sites that provide quality information and resou