Life sciences laboratories are another area in which plastic waste can be reduced. Approximately 5.5 million tons of plastic waste are produced every year in life sciences laboratories alone, including items like pipette tips, nitrile gloves, cell culture flasks. In the age of global waste pollution and the ubiquity of plastic in the world around us, this is definitely too much. It can’t all be changed, but improvements are possible in some areas.

Using four low-cost smartphone cameras and some simple colored backlighting, researchers could construct a tomographic particle image velocimetry (PIV) system that is capable of quantitative flow visualization.

Inspecting ship tanks and storage spaces underwater is a challenging task for humans. A start-up company that originated at Norway's NTNU is manufacturing autonomous drones that can do the job reliably and more cheaply.

Inspired by natural cellular structures, researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (Seas), the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, and MIT have developed a new method to 3D print materials with independently tunable macro-and microscale porosity using a ceramic foam ink.

In order to expand its capacities and modernise its packaging line, those responsible for the location of a large biotechnology firm in the Netherlands were looking for a new system to pack vials and pens in different configurations. Automating this small-component packaging task would open up the possibility of increasing efficiency and saving production costs. At the same time, the chosen packaging solution needed to offer a high level of flexibility and precise handling.

Swedish scientists have developed datasets that are able to map the three-dimensional distribution and volume of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The visual and quantitative data of this development could become a valuable reference resource for diabetes researchers. The Umeå University researchers are publishing these datasets in the Nature Research journal Scientific Data.

Agilent Technologies expanded its portfolio of instruments for molecular diagnostics with the introduction of the AriaDx Real-Time PCR System.

The first order of a 18 Tesla ultra-high field magnetic resonance imaging system, a new FTIR series and a special IR solution for the dairy industry: These are just some of the few products and informations, Bruker announced at tihs year's Pittcon.

Phytoplankton form the base of the marine food chain but are difficult for scientists to account for. An independent underwater vehicle designed by NTNU has accomplished this task and could thus provide insights into the declining populations of seabirds.

Mettler Toledo is launching a new series of XPR Analytical and Micro-Analytical Balances designed to free samples from electrostatic charges for exceptional accuracy and right-first-time results. With a strong focus on regulatory compliance, when connected to LabX laboratory software, these balances support data integrity.