A novel strategy has recently been developed which allows the visualization of DNA synthesis in intact cells or organisms. This strategy, developed by the University of Zurich’s Institute of Organic Chemistry, utilizes a tailor-made nucleic acid which can be incorporated into a normal DNA strand to allow this biochemical process to be seen using fluorescent probes.

A new awareness campaign warns of the dangers of improper cooling and handling of laboratory samples.

Mill Valley, California: Scientists working with laboratory samples are accustomed to having to control for many variables, but a new awareness campaign led by biotechnology firm BioCision aims to reduce deterioration of samples as a result of another potential threat in the lab--inconsistent sample temperature during cooling and handling.

The campaign, called Scientists Against Sample Abuse (SASA), takes a humorous approach to a serious issue that’s garnering more attention recently within the scientific community.

Coming to a grocery store near you: transgenic salmon? That’s been on AquaBounty Technologies' wishlist since the company genetically engineered a salmon for human consumption more than 15 year ago.

A formal application for the so-called AquAdvantage (AA) salmon was first submitted in 1995 to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an investigative new animal drug. AA salmon contain a transgene that encodes for a Chinook salmon growth hormone which results in faster fish growth and consequently increases food production. However, the FDA approval process to market the genetically engineered salmon has been log-jammed over safety and efficacy issues.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers have developed the first fluorescent protein that enables scientists to clearly see the internal organs of living animals without the need for dissection, contrast agents or radiation exposure.

We are fans of Alan Marnett and the team at BenchFly.com and have been following their work for a few years now. It was high time that we spotlighted their community, instructional videos and shared their mission with you all. OK, lets hear about BenchFly from Alan himself.

LabGrab - When was Benchfly.com started, and who is its target audience?

Europe's latest public opinion poll shows concern yet optimism toward emerging technologies and new fields within science. A clear optimistic trend appears in this latest report, "Europeans and biotechnology in 2010 Winds of change?". This is of course balanced with a public concern for safety and a need for further public awareness on some topics.

Researchers from Purdue University have improved a previously developed yeast strain by modifying it to now ferment all five types of a plant's sugars - enabling the yeast to produce more biofuel from cellulosic plant material.

By Brandon Keim, July 27, 2009: A new genetic engineering technique could make it as easy to rewrite a genome as it is to read it.

Although they have no sensory organs, by secreting and taking in chemicals from their surrounding environment, bacteria are able to communicate with each other and gain insight into what is going on around them.

Deep within the Amazon jungle, an amateur home brewer - Enrique Carvajal - uncovered a new species of yeast while prospecting for oil.