The Column-01-16-2012

The cloning of animals by somatic cell nuclear transfer has been carried out successfully for many years, however, the survival rates of cloned animals is very low. This has been attributed to abnormal gene expression in cloned placentas that results in the loss of the foetus or the death of newly born animals.

Caffeine levels in espresso coffees purchased from coffee shops have been found to vary greatly and at well above the recommended daily allowance set by the Food Standards Agency.

A team of scientists in China have conducted a study to assess the relationship between liver fatty acid accumulation and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Spiders face potential predators on a daily basis, yet, surprisingly, ants are rarely reported as foraging on the webs of orb-weaving spiders. A recent study has found a novel way in which spiders ward off ant invasion.

For many years, packed column supercritical fluid chromatography (pcSFC) has proven to be extremely useful for chiral chromatography at both the analytical scale and preparative level.

'Training' means different things to different people in various working environments. Done well, it can be the bedrock of a successful laboratory; conversely it can be the undoing of whole organizations.