Beware the Lab Cannibals!

The same anti-historical stance applies to instrumentation. It's true enough that a new form of gas chromatograph or monochromator is assembled not for its novelty value but to get results. But if the results turn out to have special significance, then the instru ment with which they were obtained gains special status too. Clearly, not every production line galvanometer used by a Nobel laureate merits hallowed status, but when a custom -made instrument delivers important new insights it deserv

| 3 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
3:00
Share

The same anti-historical stance applies to instrumentation. It's true enough that a new form of gas chromatograph or monochromator is assembled not for its novelty value but to get results. But if the results turn out to have special significance, then the instru ment with which they were obtained gains special status too. Clearly, not every production line galvanometer used by a Nobel laureate merits hallowed status, but when a custom -made instrument delivers important new insights it deserves to be preserved.

Typically though, the approach is not preservation but cannibalism. Laboratory funding is rarely lavish. Often one apparatus is plundered for the sake of a few compo nents with which to build the next. Sometimes, of course, this practice is equivalent to saving the buttons from a worn-out jacket. But there are occasions when the ap paratus as a small piece of scientific history is worth far more than ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

  • Jon Darius

    This person does not yet have a bio.

Published In

Share
3D illustration of a gold lipid nanoparticle with pink nucleic acid inside of it. Purple and teal spikes stick out from the lipid bilayer representing polyethylene glycol.
February 2025, Issue 1

A Nanoparticle Delivery System for Gene Therapy

A reimagined lipid vehicle for nucleic acids could overcome the limitations of current vectors.

View this Issue
Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

sartorius logo
Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Lonza
An illustration of animal and tree silhouettes.

From Water Bears to Grizzly Bears: Unusual Animal Models

Taconic Biosciences
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo

Products

Photo of a researcher overseeing large scale production processes in a laboratory.

Scaling Lentiviral Vector Manufacturing for Optimal Productivity

Thermo Fisher Logo
Collage-style urban graphic of wastewater surveillance and treatment

Putting Pathogens to the Test with Wastewater Surveillance

An illustration of an mRNA molecule in front of a multicolored background.

Generating High-Quality mRNA for In Vivo Delivery with lipid nanoparticles

Thermo Fisher Logo
Tecan Logo

Tecan introduces Veya: bringing digital, scalable automation to labs worldwide