Often, we use the terms’ bacterial endotoxin’ and ‘pyrogen’ interchangeably. They refer to phospholipid-polysaccharides (also termed lipopolysaccharides, or LPS). And there’s a chance that these pyrogens may be released from decaying Gram-negative bacteria such as E. coli. Following cell death, these complex macromolecules emanate from compromised outer cell walls. If unchecked, it can induce and [Read More…]
Category Archives: Cleanrooms
A Global Response to Coronavirus. In a headline image a floodlit cruise ship sits somberly in dock. In the foreground, buses ferrying passengers across the tarmac vanish into the dark Yokohama night. Flashing lights cast a red glow onto the metal fences separating the liner from the port, illuminating the quiet drama playing out under [Read More…]
There are few things more iconic than a Ball Mason Jar. Beloved of homesteaders, canning fans, and smoothie-swigging hipsters alike, the dumpy glass jars with their two-part metal lids are – dare we say it? – screwed firmly into place in our society. Since its invention in the mid-1900s by John Landis Mason, the eponymous [Read More…]
Happy New Year and welcome to 2020! Following the celebrations of ‘The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,’ you’ll be forgiven for experiencing ‘The Most Hungover Time of the (New) Year.’ Let’s face it – who did not overindulge during the holidays? So if you need a few minutes of peace and quiet to nurse [Read More…]
Welcome to 2020! A new year and a new decade that’s ripe with possibility and opportunity. A time to take stock, change life up a little (or a lot), and refocus on priorities. Maybe for you it’s a renewed commitment to better health? More conscious curation of your social media stream? Or perhaps it’s that [Read More…]
It is the stuff of science fiction and of conspiracy theory. Brain-implantable chips that monitor our health, overcome physical limitations, improve memory, or track us, control our thoughts and manipulate our actions. Or even change the way we perceive and interact with reality. A technology to improve the lives of those living with a disability [Read More…]
Back in 2011, a ‘wild card’ movie based on The Dark Fields, a science fiction novel by Alan Glynn, hit the box office to unexpected success. Grossing more than $160 million on a slender $27 million budget and starring Hollywood icons Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper, the narrative follows writer Eddie Morra as he [Read More…]
Now that the poolside grill-fest that is Memorial Day is behind us, it’s time for a pop quiz to jolt us out of our carb-induced somnolence. So here’s a question: what do semiconductors, LEDs, solar panels, and diamonds have in common? Take a moment, we’ll be right here waiting… No, it’s not that they’re all [Read More…]
If it’s been a long week already perhaps you’re in the mood for a little light relief for your Thursday. So here’s a quick quiz to see whether you – our readers – pay as much attention to broader culture as you do to news from within our industry. So without further ado, here’s our [Read More…]
What do we talk about when we talk about Apple? Perhaps it is no longer surprising that the devices and consumables that most readily spring to mind when we hear of the 11th most profitable company in the world (behind a spill of oil producers, Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway, and the perennial love-to-hate behemoth, Walmart) [Read More…]