Monthly Archives: February 2012

We’re expanding our Laboratory Equipment section with the addition of the Scilogex line of products. This new gear can be found among the Mini Centrifuges, Hotplates/Stirrers, and Shakers. We also made a new category to accommodate their collection of Overhead Stirrers.

The Scilogex products complement our existing lineup by providing a premium option to accomplish a variety of common lab functions. The new items incorporate features like digital displays to make these everyday tasks a snap. For instance, the new Orbital Shakers have an RS232 interface so they can be controlled

Yesterday news broke that the possible revolutionary findings of the physics experiments that detected particles traveling faster than the speed of light may have been corrupted by two mechanical errors, one of them being a loose cable. Since proof of particles breaking the speed of light would contradict Einstein’s special theory of relativity, not to mention certain principles of quantum mechanics, the initial report in September was met with a great deal of skepticism from the scientific community, and even members of the team that released the data expressed doubts at the time. Since the announcement, the research team and physicists around the world have been reviewing the results to see if they could detect any flaws in the experiment. The tests were performed by the OPERA c

Marine biology and Oceanography organizations have long used a variety of filter media to assist with their research. While the ways in which filtration supplies can be used are as diverse as the life forms that live under the waves, here we highlight a couple of these applications that have previously been mentioned in published papers to give you an idea about some ways filters can be purposed in marine research.

In a study on mercury content of the ocean area between Antarctica and Tasmania, researchers from the Ifremer Institute used the 0.2 Micron, 47 mm polycarbonate membrane filters to

An especially pungent use for glass fiber filters is described in the latest issue of the Soil Science Society of America Journal. In the paper, “Influence of Dissolved Carbon and Nitrogen on Mineralization of Dilute Liquid Dairy Manure” two scientists from the University of California examined the wastewater used to flush dairy cow waste for the presence of these elements. On dairy farms in which the milk cows are confined, water is used to flush away the manure and is then stored in lagoons to be treated for coarse solids before being re-applied to crop fields through irrigation. Refuse reuse if you will. One problem with this procedure is that if there is too much dissolved Carbon or Nitrogen in the wastewater it can create groundwater contamination. For this study, the researchers collected wastewater samples from seven lagoons and analyzed them in order to investigate the relationship between the starting levels of Nitrogen and Carbon and the wastewater’s mineralization

In a case of good news/bad news for industrial workers, OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) is getting a budget increase for 2012, but the money comes with a delay on a proposal that would further limit workers’ exposure to carcinogenic silica dust. The backstory: Last February OSHA sent a proposal to the White House Office of Management and Budget that called for a reduction in the silica PEL¹ (Permissible Exposure Limit), which would be the first change to this regulation since the 1960’s². The plan was to get the approval of the OMB and then open up the proposal to public debate after 90 days, but one year later and OSHA is still waiting. The reason for the snag is most likely because of concerns raised by the industries that would be financially affected by stricter controls. Some opponents of the new OSHA proposal argue that the government needs to do a better job of enforcing the current rules before making any changes to the exposure