Desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) coupled to mass spectrometry has been used to detect explosive residues and pesticides on fruit. One study used it to determine drug concentrations at different locations in a body, which could be a medical diagnostic tool. Purdue researchers measured concentrations of Clozapine in different parts of a rat.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques can determine membrane protein structure and orientation — without requiring the proteins be crystallized or solution-state NMR. Researchers custom combined spectrometers, probes, and pulse sequences to develop the solid-state NMR method to probe protein chemistry and structure.

A set of radiolabelled molecules for use in medical imaging bind specifically to amyloid beta — the build-up of misfolded proteins in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease. Molecules act as tracers for positron emission tomography (PET) scans, which could allow early detection of the disease.

Neutron computed tomography helps scientists understand how plant roots work. Nondestructive techniques developed by the U.S. Air Force to detect corrosion and defects in aircraft are being used by soil scientists at University of California at Davis to image how roots take up water and nutrients.

A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found a link between arsenic in drinking water and type 2 diabetes. Arsenic takes many forms, with different biological effects. The first step was to separate arsenic species using liquid chromatography, coupled with inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Need to characterize polymers, proteins, or other macromolecules? A maker of Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) systems recently released an application note on combining solvent-enhanced light scattering with GPC. It lets users with two different solvents optimize sample preparation to achieve better light scattering responses.

Illumination levels are always an issue in optical microscopy. LEDs offer a number of advantages, including lower cost over time, stability, and useful spectral properties. In their fluorescence microscopes, Andor Technology is now offering illumination from the CoolLED PrecisExcite light source.

An ISO particle-counter calibration standard makes a difference to suppliers of particle counters for clean rooms. Semiconductor processors use clean rooms, but particle-counting manufacturers say adoption of the standard is likely to be pushed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which monitors drug and medical device makers.

"It's the message, not the medium," says Rick Nelson, Editor in Chief of Test & Measurement World, in an editorial about whether or not what the next president of the U.S. should know about technology and science. It doesn't matter whether he can play a YouTube video, contends Nelson, as whether he understands the major scientific issues of the day, such as those presented by the Science Debate 2008.

Is engineering and scientific equipment a bit on the boring side? Try this intro: It's cheesy, it's ridiculous, and it's almost as catchy as the last musical ad we mentioned in this newsletter Eppendorf put together a music video — complete with boyband dreaminess that would put NSYNC to shame — to publicize their epMotion automated pipetting equipment.

Can Politicians and Science Coexist?

How much do you want a politician to know about science and technology? Is respect without understanding enough? Or can our political leaders skate by on people skills alone?