in and around the lab

This is pretty amazing. I am not really familiar with this field, so I don’t really know what other sensors are around, I just like the the simplicity of the basic idea for this tool. 

Original publication:

A Modular, DNA-Based Beacon for Single-Step Fluorescence
Detection of Antibodies and Other Proteins

The abstract of the original article says:

A versatile platform for the one-step fluorescence detection of both monovalent and multivalent proteins has been developed. This system is based on a conformationswitching stem–loop DNA scaffold that presents a small molecule, polypeptide, or nucleic-acid recognition element on each of its two stem strands. The steric strain associated with the binding of one (multivalent) or two (monovalent) target molecules to these elements opens the stem, enhancing the emission of an attached fluorophore/quencher pair. The sensors respond rapidly (< 10 min) and selectively, enabling the facile detection of specific proteins even in complex samples, such as blood serum. The versatility of the platform was demonstrated by detecting five bivalent proteins (four antibodies and the chemokine platelet-derived growth factor) and two monovalent proteins (a Fab fragment and the transcription factor TBP) with low nanomolar detection limits and no detectable cross-reactivity.

A pretty nice summary on acceptance-publication delays. You should also check the comments, with reactions from a PLOS editorial manager.

This is a cute little fellow even if you are not really into robotics. The sad part is when it just dissolves in acetone (the permanent magnet remaines) or in water.

Major improvements in genome editing: light-targeting. Great achievements (imho). These 3 are must-reads in the topic.

First the “Engineered pairs of distinct photoswitches for optogenetic control of cellular proteins” next the “CRISPR-Cas9-based Photoactivatable Transcription System” and now the “Photoactivatable CRISPR-Cas9 for optogenetic genome editing”. 

I have been waiting for so long to use this expression: I am flabbergasted. :)

How cool is this:

In 2017, Dutch designer Joris Laarman will wheel a robot to the brink of a canal in Amsterdam. He’ll hit an ‘on’ button. He’ll walk away. And when he comes back two months later, the Netherlands will have a new, one-of-a-kind bridge, 3-D printed in a steel arc over the waters.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-06-mx3d-3d-print-steel-bridge-amsterdam.html#jCp

… or just put the ketchup on the side, not ON the fries, maaaan. :)

 … with PDMS-based lenses. I have to try this sometime. For the details and know-how, check the original article: 

http://biomedicaloptics.spiedigitallibrary.org/article.aspx?articleid=2279353

… they wandered out into the natural environs near their lab and collected a host of cellar spiders and carefully brought them back to their lab. They then proceeded to spray ten of them with a carbon nanotube solution and five with a graphene solution. Sadly, four of the spiders died shortly thereafter, and some produced poor quality webs, but a few of them produced webs that were actually stronger than their normal webs. Testing showed that some of the silk with nanotubes in it was 3.5 times as strong as giant riverine orb spider silk, which is considered the strongest natural spider silk. Also closer examination using Ramen spectroscopy revealed peaks in the silk where the nanotubes were present.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-05-spiders-carbon-nanotubes-superstrong-webs.html#jCp