For The Better

It’s been over 100 years since Dr. Alois Alzheimer first described a patient’s increasingly severe condition of memory loss, changes in personality, and sleep disturbance as a “peculiar severe disease process of the cerebral cortex”. His report referred to distinctive plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain histology, which are now considered as the fundamental …

In a recent report, McKinsey & Company calculated that lab automation increases productivity in the lab by 25% or more1. That type of increase can make a real difference in the GC lab. A previous blog introduced the significance of adopting Industry 4.0 strategies for GC labs; the topic warrants a deeper dive into the …

In February 2020, just before the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that bringing the outbreak under control would necessitate harnessing the power of science. “There are questions we need answers to, and tools we need developed as quickly as possible,” he said. Indeed, researchers …

Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Water is the driving force of all nature.” In this case, Leonardo proves wise beyond measure. All humans depend on water for drinking, sanitation, and hygiene. We use it to prevent disease and stay healthy. We need it for our food sources, commerce, and industry. Yet, we are in a …

The mining industry impacts water resources through the heavy use of water for processing and through water pollution from discharges and seepage from tailings or waste rock impoundments. PerkinElmer’s John Martin, Environmental Segment Marketing Manager, recently moderated a one-on-one with Dr. Upmanu Lall, Director of the Columbia Water Center at Columbia University. Watch the interview …

Thanks to its versatility in addressing several applications Gas Chromatography (GC) is a very established technique in the analytical community. Most labs own a GC or GC/MS System and have been using it for a long time, so long, in fact, that some might think they know everything there is to know about gas chromatography, …

Organic farming began as a countercultural movement in the U.S. in the 1960s. As the public became more aware of the negative effects of pesticides, demand for organic food increased.1 According to the Organic Trade Association’s latest Organic Industry Survey, between 2020 and 2021, organic sales surpassed $63 billion, with $1.4 billion (2% total growth) …

When you have an optimized lab, you have more time to be strategic, attend a conference, or just recharge and explore. Running a laboratory is no walk in the park, any scientist could attest to that. The constant daily requirements to calibrate instruments, maintain compliant processes, schedule preventative maintenance or instrument repairs is a lot …

The first commercial gas chromatography instrument dates back to the 1950s. Seven decades later, driven by its versatility, GC plays a substantial role in most analytical laboratories. In fact, with 70 years of analytical studies behind it, GC is viewed as de rigueur… with any possible questions already answered. Not quite. Any technology must be …

The saying “necessity is the mother of invention” certainly applies to Industry 4.0., or what some experts call “the fourth industrial revolution.”  In pre-pandemic times, interest in the potential of smart technologies was high-but it took a pandemic to truly force innovation to the forefront. Demands for social distancing, work-from-home, a hybrid workforce, and labor …