the definitive source for lab products, news and ...€¦ · lb_julyaug11_issue2.indd 1 8/16/11...

July/August 2011 www.labbusinessmag.com

The definitive source for lab products, news and developments

Can

adia

n Pu

blic

atio

ns M

ail P

rodu

ct S

ales

Agr

eem

ent 4

0063

567

Animal Ethics

Thorium’s Time?

Ill Oceans

Closing the Gap Between What We Know and What We Do

Safer Science

Everybody is a ScientistDr. Mary Ann White on Educating the Public

Quantum QuakeHigh Power Computers Arrive

LB_JulyAug11_Issue2.indd 1 8/16/11 10:20 AM

CHOICEMATTERS

Choice Matters

VWR, forms of VWR and the VWR logo and/or design are either registered trademarks ® or trademarks™, or service marks SM of VWR International, LLC in the United States and/or other countries. ©2011 VWR International, LLC. All rights reserved.

Contact your VWR Sales Representative, visit VWR.com, or call 1.800.932.5000 today.

Because No Two Labs are Completely AlikeScience should never be limited by a lack of options. Every lab deserves the freedom to � nd tools perfectly suited to speci� c needs. VWR is committed to offering broad product choice to a world of accelerating scienti� c advancement. We give you direct access to the world’s most respected equipment, supplies, chemicals, furniture, and more.

Talk to us about the needs of your lab. We are ready to help you succeed.

CA_Add template_final.indd 1 3/16/2011 2:43:52 PMLB_JulyAug11_Issue2.indd 2 8/16/11 10:20 AM

LAB BUSINESS July/August 2011 3



standards5 EDITOR’S NOTE

6 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

7 NEWS

22 TECH WATCH

24 LAB WARE

DOING WHAT YOU KNOW YOU SHOULD DO The gap between what labs know they should do and what they do is vast. Closing the gap means acknowledging the problem, say experts.

ON THE COVER: A lab technician takes precautions as he handles sensitive samples.

Cover credit: Ian Wilms

14



Can

adia

n Pu

blic

atio

ns M

ail P

rodu

ct S

ales

Agr

eem

ent 4

0063

567

Animal Ethics

Thorium’s Time?

Ill Oceans


Safer Science



inside

9 Sick at SeaNewdataontheillnessoftheoceansgivesnewimpetustoacttopreserveoceanhabitats,arguesDavidSuzuki.

10 Nuke Nuclear?Recentdisastersmakealternativefuelsourcesmoreandmoreattractive.ButwithChinaburn-ingthoriuminnuclearreactors,isnowthetimeforthorium?

18 Number Crushing Computers Accelerate the LaboratoryQuantumcomputersandhighpowercomput-ingofferlabsnewtoolstocrush,notjustcrunch,numbers.

21 End Chimp Testing, Says Author AuthorAndrewWestall’snewbookmakesastrongcasetoendalllabtestingonprimates.

26 Everybody is a ScientistDr.MaryAnnWhitediscussestheimportanceofpublicscienceeducation.

25

CHOICEMATTERS

Choice Matters

VWR, forms of VWR and the VWR logo and/or design are either registered trademarks ® or trademarks™, or service marks SM of VWR International, LLC in the United States and/or other countries. ©2011 VWR International, LLC. All rights reserved.

Contact your VWR Sales Representative, visit VWR.com, or call 1.800.932.5000 today.

Because No Two Labs are Completely AlikeScience should never be limited by a lack of options. Every lab deserves the freedom to � nd tools perfectly suited to speci� c needs. VWR is committed to offering broad product choice to a world of accelerating scienti� c advancement. We give you direct access to the world’s most respected equipment, supplies, chemicals, furniture, and more.

Talk to us about the needs of your lab. We are ready to help you succeed.

CA_Add template_final.indd 1 3/16/2011 2:43:52 PM LB_JulyAug11_Issue2.indd 3 8/16/11 10:20 AM

One program for Life Science RewardsFisher Scientific is proud to offer the new Life Science

Rewards Program. Receive up to $500 in FREE products

from select leading brands when you enrol in the

program. Earn an additional 10% in FREE Life Science

products from select leading brands on all your

GE Healthcare Life Science, BD Discovery Labware,

Corning Plasticware, Thermo Scientific Fermentas and

Thermo Scientific Nunc orders placed from your

enrolment date to September 30, 2011. Maximize your

savings with Fisher Scientific – your one source for the

most trusted names in science.

ONE SOURCE. INFINITE SOLUTIONS.

Enrol today to start saving!Visit www.fishersci.ca/lifesciencerewardsfor more information.

www.fishersci.ca



Serving Canadian Laboratories and Lab Suppliers since 1985

Publisher Christopher J. Forbes & CEO [email protected]

Executive Editor Theresa Rogers (On leave) [email protected]

Managing Robert Price Editor [email protected]

Staff Writer Jason Hagerman

Editorial Intern Chelsea Shim

Contributors David Suzuki

Art Tammy Malabre Director [email protected]

Secretary/ Susan A. Browne Treasurer [email protected]

Director of New Business Jacquie Rankin Development [email protected]

Account Paul Rankin Manager [email protected]

Marketing Heather Kerr Manager [email protected]

Marketing Keri LaPlante Co-ordinator [email protected]

VP of Roberta Dick Production [email protected]

Production Crystal Himes Manager [email protected]

Production Joanna Forbes Co-ordinator [email protected]

Lab Business is published 4 times per year by Jesmar Communications Inc., 30 East Beaver Creek Rd., Suite 202, Richmond Hill, Ontario L4B 1J2. 905.886.5040 Fax: 905.886.6615 www.labbusinessmag.com One year subscription: Canada $35.00, US $35.00 and foreign $95. Single copies $9.00. Please add GST/HST where applicable. Lab Business Subscription and circulation enqui-ries: Garth Atkinson, [email protected] Fax: 905.509.0735 Subscriptions to business address only. On occasion, our list is made available to organizations whose products or services may be of interest to you. If you’d rather not receive information, write to us at the address above or call 905.509.3511 The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in whole without the written consent of the publisher. GST Registration #R124380270.

PUBLICATIONSMAILAGREEMENTNO.40063567RETURNUNDELIVERABLECANADIANADDRESSESTOCIRCULATIONDEPT.202-30EASTBEAVERCREEKRDRICHMONDHILL,ONL4B1J2email:[email protected]

JESMAR COMMUNICATIONS INC. Publisherof

LABBUSINESSMagazineLABBUSINESSCards

BIOBUSINESSMagazine

Printed in Canada

editor’s note

Scientists work to explain what we don’t understand. Whether peeringthroughamicroscopeatmoleculesormeasuringtoxinsinavialofblood,thescientistuncovers,isolates,tests,andverifiesevidenceuntilwehave,as

bestaswecanreason,factsaboutthenaturalworld.Canadaisfortunatetohavesomanyscientistsabletoeducatethepublicabout

whatsciencedoesforus.Inthisissue,weprofileDr.MaryAnnWhite,oneofthebestpublicscienceeducators in thecountry (p.20).Butcouldwe interviewDr.Kristi Miller about her research into the declining salmon populations in theFraser River? No. Because the Federal Government forbade Dr. Miller fromspeakingtothepublicaboutherlatestfindings.

PublishedinScienceinJanuaryofthisyear,Dr.Miller’sresearchindicatesthatB.C.salmonareacquiringaviralinfectionwhileatsea.ThisinfectioniskillingthefishbeforetheyreachtheirspawninggroundsintheFraserRiver.

DocumentsobtainedrecentlythroughaccesstoinformationlawsshowthatthePrivyCouncilOfficebarredMiller,headofapubliclyfunded$6-millionsalmongenetics project at Nanaimo’s Pacific Biological Station, from discussing herresearch.OfficialssaidthatallowingDr.Millertospeakaboutherresearchmightaffect the Cohen Commission, a judicial inquiry investigating why the salmonstockshavedecreased.

ThemuzzlingofMillerisdisturbingonmanylevels.Thecensorshipdemon-stratesadisregardforthetimelinessofinformation,underminestheprincipleofopengovernment,andremovesscientistsfromthecitizenstheyserve.

Thegovernment’ssuggestionthattheyneedtosilenceDr.Millerasamatterofproprietyissuspect.Dr.Miller’sstudyisalreadypublic.Whatthegovernmentisdoingislimitingaplainlanguagediscussionofthestudybyremovingthesci-entistfromthedebate.Thegovernmentis,again,demotingtheutilityofscienceandscientistsinpublicdiscourse.

Noneofthisisnew.PrimeMinisterHarperhasshownapuritanicalcommit-ment tokeeping thepublic celibate to the facts athand.His governmentusespublicresourcesasaprophylacticagainstthefreeflowofinformation.

Thereasonwhyourgovernmentcensorsscientistsisamatterofspeculation.Buteverypropagandistknowsthatanuninformedpublicismoremalleablethananinformedpublic.Whenthepropagandistcannotconvincethepeopletoseethefactshisway,hecandeprivethepeopleofthefactsaltogether.

Scientificcensorshipmuststop.WritetoyourMPsandMPPstoprotestthiscensorship.Writetothismagazineaboutotherscientistswho’vebeenmuzzledbytheiremployers.

But ifyoudon’twant towrite,at least read.ReadDr.Miller’s research.Seewhatshediscovered.Thensharethearticlewithothers.Tellthemtheyneedtoread the findings because the Canadian Federal Government doesn’t want Dr.Millerspeakinginpublicaboutherfindings.

DowhatDr.Miller’semployerswon’tallowhertodo—talk inpublicaboutwhat’shappening.

YoucanfindDr.Miller’sarticlehere:Science,331,214(2011);DOI:10.1126/science.1196901

Scientific Censorship is Propaganda

RobertPrice,ManagingEditor

One program for Life Science RewardsFisher Scientific is proud to offer the new Life Science

Rewards Program. Receive up to $500 in FREE products

from select leading brands when you enrol in the

program. Earn an additional 10% in FREE Life Science

products from select leading brands on all your

GE Healthcare Life Science, BD Discovery Labware,

Corning Plasticware, Thermo Scientific Fermentas and

Thermo Scientific Nunc orders placed from your

enrolment date to September 30, 2011. Maximize your

savings with Fisher Scientific – your one source for the

most trusted names in science.

ONE SOURCE. INFINITE SOLUTIONS.

Enrol today to start saving!Visit www.fishersci.ca/lifesciencerewardsfor more information.

www.fishersci.ca

LB_JulyAug11_Issue2.indd 5 8/18/11 2:01 PM

6 July/August 2011 LAB BUSINESS

NSERC’s policy does not serve Canada well

I DON’T DISAGREEwith your editorial on NSERC’s elitism (March/April) and I don’t disagree

with the remarks that you attri-bute to Dr. Raymond March. However, I do think that both of you missed the more impor-tant point that NSERC’s new policy is designed to not be transparent and not be account-able. It is designed to be unfair.

Under the new policy, excel-lence is judged primarily by the number of publications and graduate students supported by the applicant. The research funding that applicants have had to support their research is hidden from reviewers. So the performance of a researcher with $250,000 per year in fund-

Sustainability isn’t heresy

letters to editor

DAVID SUZUKI’Scommentary “Pol-iticians who reject science are not fit

to lead” (March/April) hit the mark, and I support his views completely.

However, his letter identi-fied a problem without consid-ering the underlying causes. Science has enjoyed enormous support throughout western nations since WWII, particu-larly when it was congruent with national agendas of tech-nological and economic prog-ress. Historically, however, sci-ence and scientists have been attacked and repressed when they challenged the status quo.

The growing understanding of the ecological impacts of an expanding human population, with an accelerating resource consumption and waste pro-duction, demands radical change in the way that we manage our individual behav-iour, our societies, and our economies. The debate on cli-

mate change, when carried to its logical conclusion, repre-sents a major challenge to the status quo. Environmental sci-entists, the messengers of the bad news, often are character-ized as radicals and outsiders, bent on destroying prosperity. Unlike earlier attacks on scien-tists, those who feel most threatened now have the capacity to fund research aimed to counter or confuse the understanding of environmen-tal issues.

In the short-term, scientists who promote environmental sustainability may be treated as pariahs, but in the long-term (should there be one), they may be regarded in the same light as the innovators of the Renaissance.

Peter V. Hodson, School of Environmental Studies and the Department of Biology, Queen’s

University at Kingston

Choose New Technology for your Lab with a KNF Automatic Vacuum System

Send for our new lab notebook and try our

web Pump Finder. Covers all major lab

applications.

for transfer andliquid metering

for all rotary evaporators

pumps forfiltration

609-890-8600 labpumps.com

The SC920 series lab vacuum system shown above, brings a new level of precision to your applications at the touch of a button, including auto-BP detection, sequence programming, evacuation and recording functions.

• Very quiet, smooth running oil-free vacuum system• Control and monitor everything from up to 60 ft away• Remote features an intuitive, one touch knob control• Monitor your process without opening the sash.

AUTOMATICVACUUM SYSTEM

ing competes with a researcher with $15,000 per year, as if this was a fair and equal contest. Of course the $250,000 per year researcher should win.

(No one should be surprised that this NSERC policy was developed primarily on the advice of committees consist-ing of researchers who received research funding of more than $100,000 per year.)

In the downturn of 1980, the U.S. concluded that a poli-cy very similar to NSERC’s new policy of elitism contrib-uted to the U.S.’s lack of com-petitiveness in the automotive sector. A dozen elite research-ers in theory of kinematics of mechanisms were funded by the National Science

Foundation, but almost none of their research was used by the automotive industry.

To address the deficiencies in U.S. research policy, the U.S. Federal Government appoint-ed Erich Bloch, the Vice-President of Manufacturing at IBM, as the head of the NSF. Bloch was the first engineer to head the NSF. Under his lead, the NSF developed the Engineering Research Centers program to improve U.S. com-petitiveness with Japan. The

ERC program focussed on research to improve design and manufacturing. This program was strongly opposed by elitists.

NSERC’s new elitist policy is an unfair system that lacks both transparency and account-ability. It is immoral, not cost-effective, and does not serve Canada well.

John Goldak, Distinguished Research Professor Mechanical

& Aerospace Engineering, Carleton University

Send letters to [email protected]

With Metrohm IC in your lab you’ll: SAVE ON TIME with intelligent components and automation that simplify your processes and optimize your workflow.

SAVE ON STrESS thanks to systems built for decades of reliable service, and backed by expert support — when you need it.

SAVE yOur ANNuAl budgET from replacement suppressor costs with a 10-yr suppressor guarantee — and the only sample prep system to eliminate expensive syringe filters and filter caps.

SAVE yOur COMpANy lONg-TErM with 3-yr system warranties and spare parts available for 10+ years after any model is discontinued.

get the best return on your investment!

www.IC-changeisgood.com

Save more with our limited-time offers at: www.IC-changeisgood.com/4waystosave

I love to save!

0708

.A1.

100

4-LB

U ©

201

1 M

etro

hm C

anad

a.

CAN.0708.A1.1004-LBU.indd 1 7/8/11 8:56 AMLB_JulyAug11_Issue2.indd 6 8/16/11 10:21 AM

With Metrohm IC in your lab you’ll: SAVE ON TIME with intelligent components and automation that simplify your processes and optimize your workflow.

SAVE ON STrESS thanks to systems built for decades of reliable service, and backed by expert support — when you need it.

SAVE yOur ANNuAl budgET from replacement suppressor costs with a 10-yr suppressor guarantee — and the only sample prep system to eliminate expensive syringe filters and filter caps.

SAVE yOur COMpANy lONg-TErM with 3-yr system warranties and spare parts available for 10+ years after any model is discontinued.

get the best return on your investment!

www.IC-changeisgood.com

Save more with our limited-time offers at: www.IC-changeisgood.com/4waystosave

I love to save!

0708

.A1.

100

4-LB

U ©

201

1 M

etro

hm C

anad

a.



news beat

From the blogosphere“We could still conclude that as we expand knowledge, the specialists have a greater and greater edge: it becomes riski-er and riskier to be anything but a specialist. But I believe the opposite is happening. Far from moving toward hyperspecialization, we are in fact moving toward hypergeneralization. Millions of freelance workers worldwide fill out their taxes electronically, bypassing the specialists

(accountants). Whereas researchers absolutely needed expert librarians to avoid wasting days in libraries, Google Scholar has made reference checking accessible to all, at no cost. […] Soon augmented reality glasses will allow you to walk in any park and know instantly the characteristics of any flower you encounter.”

-Daniel Lemire’s blog

Report shows damaging impacts of climate change on Great Lake parksAccording to a report by the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization and Natural Resources Defense Council, ris-ing temperatures from climate change could have destructive impacts on the national parks in the Great Lakes area.

The report projects that summers in the Indiana Dunes could become as hot as those in Gainesville, Florida. Lake levels will continue to decrease, and in the winter, ice covers will disappear.

The report shows that these changes could increase erosion and wipe away some of the parks’ signature sand dunes. The changing temperatures could also bring immense changes to bio-diversity, with possible losses of moose, wolves and other wildlife at parks cov-ered in the report.

Saskatchewan funded $2.7 million to produce hydrogenThe University of Regina received a $2.7 million investment through the Canada-Saskatchewan Western Economic Partnership Agreement (WEPA). The University hopes to bring a new energy market into Saskatchewan and will use the funding to work towards building a hydrogen

production plant. The H2 Plant project will demonstrate

new and innovative ways to produce hydrogen in an environmentally sustain-able manner.

The University of Regina would own and operate the plant and will hold ownership rights of technologies developed through its research.

Better microscopes in EdmontonA partnership between Canada and Japan will help Canadian companies examine the nanoworld more clearly. The $15 million partnership gives com-panies access to a transmission electron microscope at the Hitachi Electron Microscopy Products Centre at the National Institute for Nanotechnology in Edmonton, Alberta. The partnership will also help the institute commercialize its microscope innovations with the help of Hitachi High Technologies.

Let procurement push innovation, says reportIn a recent report, the Conference Board of Canada argues that govern-ments must do more to use their enor-mous procurement powers to improve the health system.

The report, Innovation Procurement in Health Care: A Compelling Opportunity

for Canada, says that Canadian health executives too often focus their procure-ment efforts on cost control, rather than increasing value. Canada’s cautious approach to spending—where most pro-curement expenditures discourage the uptake of innovative products and servi-ces—puts Canada at a disadvantage.

Drawing on research from U.K.’s experiments in innovative procurement practices, the Conference Board says that Canada needs to act on four fronts.

First, the federal government must ensure that it structures innovation-mind-ed procurement practices into the next federal-provincial/territorial health trans-fer agreement.

Second, procurement practices must encourage greater risk taking, greater value generation, and more innovative developments in technology.

Third, governments should give regional health authorities explicit mandates to act as health-care innov-ators. Governments should support the development of regional innovation hubs.

And fourth, Canada needs to encourage a more innovative and entre-preneurial health care culture. Such a culture, the report says, will generate higher quality and more cost-effective health care.

“The loss to society in general from stopping the Shuttle is pretty well zero, and the direct loss to science is not a whole lot bigger. But the money that the Shuttle was sucking up isn’t going to come back to the parts of NASA that actually do good science, and there are lots of scientists

and engineers whose jobs are going to go away with the end of the program. And that will be bad for science as a whole. But not for any reason related to space itself.”

-Chad Orzel, Uncertain Principles



WITec awarded for True Surface Microscopy…

WITec’s True Surface Microscopy won the 2011 R&D 100 Award. True Surface Microscopy allows confocal Raman imaging guided by surface topography. The topographic coordi-nates measured from an integrated pro-filometer are used to follow the sample surface in confocal Raman imaging mode. The result is an image revealing optical or chemical properties at the surface of the sample, even if this surface is rough or inclined.

…And Thermo Fisher Scientific recognized for innovation

For the fourth year in a row, Thermo Fisher Scientific won Microsoft Corporation’s Life Sciences Innovation Awards. The award recognizes innova-tion in enterprise informatics in the life sciences industry.

Microsoft selected Thermo Fisher and its customer Nova Biologicals, a full-service testing laboratory for water, medical devices, pharmaceutical, and food industries globally, as a winner for their use of Thermo Scientific SampleManager laboratory informa-tion management system, integrated with a document management system.

The instrument featuring the award- winning True Surface Microscopy Mode.

The world’s information is more than doubling every two years—with a massive 1.8 zettabytes to be created and replicated in 2011. A zettabyte is one billion terabytes.

In terms of sheer volume, 1.8 zettabytes of data is equivalent to:

• Every person in Canada tweeting three tweets per minute non-stop for 242,976 years.

• Every person in the world having more than 215 million high-resolution MRI scans per day.

• Building a mountain of 32GB Apple iPads, 25 times higher than Mt. Fuji.

*Source: IDC Digital Universe Study, June 2011

1,8 ZETTABYTES(1,800,000,000,000,000,000,000)

MottLab.indd 1 8/16/10 4:11 PM


A BUCHI for every budget!

The Rotavapor® R-3 provides a value-priced high-quality BUCHI alternative to unreliable imitation brands for cost-conscious customers. Now, there is no longer a reason to compromise quality, safety, or peace of mind when choosing a rotary evaporator – there is a Buchi for every budget!

BUCHI Corporation

New Castle, Delaware 1-877-MYBUCHI or visit www.mybuchi.com Quality in your hands

R-3

RII

R-210

R-215

0199 Buchi Budget fullpg LabBusiness JanFeb11.indd 1 1/24/2011 5:03:18 PMLB_JulyAug11_Issue2.indd 10 8/16/11 10:21 AM


suzuki comment

The oceans are illBy David Suzuki with contributions from Ian Hanington

Oceans keep us alive. They provide food, oxygen, water, medicines, and recreation. They help protect us from climate change by absorbing and storing carbon dioxide.

If we care about ourselves and our children and grandchildren, we must look beyond our immediate surroundings and do all we can to care for the oceans. But instead of respecting oceans as a life-giving miracle, we often use them as vast garbage dumps and as stores with shelves that never go empty.

The shelves are going empty, though. Humans are changing the chemistry and ecology of the ocean at a scale and rate not previously believed possible. According to a study from the International Programme on the State of the Ocean, the combined effects of overfishing, fertilizer run-off, pollution, and ocean acidification from carbon dioxide emis-sions are putting much marine life at immediate risk of extinction.

The 27 scientists from 18 organiza-tions in six countries who participated in the review of scientific research from around the world concluded that the looming extinctions are “unprecedented in human history” and have called for “urgent and unequivocal action to halt further declines in ocean health.” The main factors are what they term the “deadly trio”: climate change, ocean acidification, and lack of oxygen. Overfishing and pollution add to the problem.

The researchers also found that “existing scientific projections of how coral reefs will respond to global warming have been highly conservative and must now be modified.” And they found that chemicals such as “brominated flame retardants, fluorinated compounds, pharmaceuticals and synthetic musks used in deter-gents and personal care products” — which can cause cancer and disrupt human endocrine and immune systems — have been found in aquatic animals everywhere, even in the Canadian Arctic. Marine litter and plastics are also found throughout the oceans, sometimes in massive swirling gyres.

Alex Rogers, the scientific director of IPSO, is quoted in the Guardian as saying he was shocked by the findings: “This is a very serious situation demanding unequivocal action at every level. We

are looking at consequences for humankind that will impact in our lifetime, and worse, our children’s and generations beyond that.”

Action at every level means just that—actions that we can all take as individuals as well as actions that governments and industry must take. Reducing our own wastes, being careful about what we put down the drain, cutting down the amount of animal-based protein we eat and feed to our pets, and joining efforts to protect the oceans are a start, but the most important role we can all play is to tell governments and industry that we will no longer stand for this.

We can already anticipate that indus-try-funded deniers and the dupes who help spread their misinformation will be out in force, painting this as yet another conspiracy on the part of the world’s scientists, and that some governments will put industrial interests ahead of everything else. We must put a stop to this nonsense. Every year that we stall on the solutions to climate change means we are less likely to be able to resolve the problems. Other scientists and I have been warning about the consequences of

climate change for more than 20 years, and yet governments are still dithering while the world’s natural systems continue to erode.

What this study also shows is that we cannot look at ecosys-tems, species, and environmental problems in isolation. This research points out that the combined impacts of all the stressors are far more severe than what scientists might conclude by look-ing at individual problems.

The report exemplifies the old adage about death by a thou-sand cuts. There is no single place to concentrate blame except in the mirror. The study’s authors note that, “traditional economic and consumer values that formerly served society well, when coupled with current rates of population increase, are not sustain-able.” In other words, we need to account for the impact we have on the planet each time we flush a toilet, drink a pop, hop in a car, or eat a radish. There is no shortage of solutions, just a shortage of political will. Further delay in resolving these serious problems will only increase costs and lead to even greater losses of the natural benefits oceans give to us. LB

Action at every level means just that—actions that we can all take as individuals

and actions that governments and

industry must take.

State of the ocean report a wake-up call for the world

A BUCHI for every budget!

The Rotavapor® R-3 provides a value-priced high-quality BUCHI alternative to unreliable imitation brands for cost-conscious customers. Now, there is no longer a reason to compromise quality, safety, or peace of mind when choosing a rotary evaporator – there is a Buchi for every budget!

BUCHI Corporation

New Castle, Delaware 1-877-MYBUCHI or visit www.mybuchi.com Quality in your hands

R-3

RII

R-210

R-215

0199 Buchi Budget fullpg LabBusiness JanFeb11.indd 1 1/24/2011 5:03:18 PM LB_JulyAug11_Issue2.indd 11 8/16/11 10:21 AM


alternative energy

When Canadian scientists set out to design nuclear reactors in the early 1950s, they did

so with an eye to the future, the far future, when uranium supplies ran out. The Canada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactor, the product of this foresight, can burn thorium as well as uranium. At the time of the initial design, burning thorium, a cleaner burning nuclear fuel, seemed fantastic—the mar-ket wanted uranium reactors, and besides, thorium burns so hot that scientists had no technology at the time to actually burn thorium.

Now we do. Robotics can now sup-port the thorium cycle in a commercial environment, giving way to the possibil-ity of a commercial-scale CANDU reac-tor burning thorium.

Now it seems that thorium’s time—a time Canadian scientists envisioned at the dawn of the nuclear age—has finally come, as China’s growing economy adopts thorium reactors, as countries around the world look more closely at their growing energy needs, at the dangers associated with nuclear power, and the inadequacy of so many renewable energy sources.

The Canadian perspectiveIn the 1950s, Canadian scientists designed nuclear reactors to use natural uranium, instead of enriched uranium, in an effort to combat nuclear proliferation.

“[Canadian labs] designed a technolo-gy that worked with natural uranium,” says Dr. Dave Novog, Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Physics at McMaster University. “This meant we didn’t need enrichment facilities that

could be construed as being weapons. In fact, we’re quite far from any technology that would be needed for weapons.”

Canada poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into thorium research in the 1950s and 60s, planning to eventually migrate to a domestic thorium cycle and sell the country’s substantial uranium stores as other countries run dry. Knowing the necessities of a thorium cycle, scien-tists designed the reactor to one day flour-ish in a thorium economy.

“The developers always had this tho-rium cycle in mind,” says Dr. Dan Meneley, former Chief Engineer of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited. “I’d say a fair amount of good management and a whole lot of luck went into those reactors.”

So why use uranium at all? “Things that happen early on tend to determine which way a country goes with a given technology,” Meneley says. “You can’t run a nuclear reactor without a fis-sile material and thorium doesn’t come

Why Not Thorium?By Jason Hagerman

With China purchasing Canadian-made thorium reactors, can thorium, a safer type of nuclear fuel, power a more sustainable energy system?

with a fissile material. Without the tech-nology to support thorium in the begin-ning, our only choice was to use natural uranium in our nuclear reactors, so that’s what we used.”

Thorium becomes uranium 233 in a thorium reactor. Advanced reprocessing at substantial cost is necessary in the thori-um-to-uranium conversion.

“Reprocessing has always been expen-sive,” Novog says. “The material is very radioactive when it comes out of the core and it has to be done robotically, and this is a stage we avoid when burning natural uranium like we do today. So really from the outset this complexity in reprocessing within the thorium cycle is something we avoided because we didn’t have the tech-nology and it was prohibitively expensive to develop.”

While they used natural uranium as a fuel source, Canadian scientists devel-oped early CANDU reactors with a thorium agenda. And for good reason. Canada holds about 100,000 tons of tho-



rium according to the World Nuclear Association, outstripped only by India (360,000), Australia (300,000), Norway (170,000), the U.S. (160,000) and possi-bly China.

The dollar economy Canada possesses large stores of thorium and the technology to use it, but, like most other nuclear countries, continues to burn uranium for fuel.

“It’s much cheaper to do things the way we do right now,” says Dr. Adriaan Buijs, President of the Canadian Nuclear Society. “We do have large quantities of thorium, but we also have one of the larg-est reserves of uranium on the planet. At the moment, thorium simply isn’t a prior-ity for us and that’s why we’re not focused on it. In China, it’s a different story.”

According to Buijs, thorium is burning in CANDU reactors in China today.

“The reactors we designed are the only type of reactor that can use thorium essen-tially as they are,” he explains.

Canada holds enough uranium to power its nuclear reactors for decades while still exporting to countries like India with rising demand.

For any country to migrate to a tho-rium cycle, the associated costs must drop. Currently, thorium costs about $5,000 per kilogram compared to urani-um 235 at $40. However, the World Nuclear Association projects thorium could drop as low as $10 per kilogram when mined en masse.

A one gigawatt uranium plant costs about $1.1 billion to build and $30 million to fuel annually. The World Nuclear Association says a thorium plant of equal size could cost as little as $250 million and fuelling it might cost $1 million annually.

Experts believe this is the future of energy mass production and it will come when necessity dictates.

“For somewhere like Germany or Italy, life is going to be very painful when oil is up to $300 per barrel,” says Meneley. “We can’t count on natural gas and we can’t count on oil. Without nuclear, and thorium as a significant part of that, it will be a low energy future.”

The neutron economyNatural uranium requires a heavy water moderator, and in the case of CANDU reactors, the water-like substance deute-rium. Deuterium is hydrogen with an extra neutron.

Without a heavy water moderator, natural uranium requires enrichment to react favourably in the burning process. A deuterium heavy water moderator absorbs fewer neutrons during the burn-ing process, freeing more neutrons for other activities, activities like converting thorium into uranium by making the thorium absorb some extra neutrons.

The heavy water moderator helps Canadian reactors achieve high neutron economy for converting thorium to ura-nium and using less mined uranium than most reactors.

Today, scientists are examining the commercial viability of the reactor’s neu-tron economy.

Canadian reactors in China are test-ing a once-through-thorium-cycle, Novog says.

Thorium absorbs neutrons from the heavy water moderator, becoming urani-um 233. In this process thorium is used once and then stored, as processing for reuse is expensive and technically chal-lenging.

But as China’s uranium stockpile dwindles, Chinese and Canadian scien-tists seek even greater neutron economy to support the possibility of a closed tho-rium fuel cycle.

Most scientists agree a closed, self-

Got class?Get LAB BusinessUniversity and college teachers:

Help your students get a better understanding of

Canadian science markets by ordering free copies of

LAB Business and Bio Business for your courses. We’ll mail the

magazines directly to your classrooms. Shipping and

handling is included for Canadian orders.

For more information, please contact Jacquie Rankin at

[email protected].



Can

adia

n Pu

blic

atio

ns M

ail P

rodu

ct S

ales

Agr

eem

ent 4

0063

567

Animal Ethics

Thorium’s Time?

Ill Oceans


Safer Science



www.biobusinessmag.com

National Biotech Week Preview

Can

adia

n P

ublic

atio

ns M

ail P

rodu

ct—

Agr

eem

ent

4006

3567

CHAMPIONING THE BUSINESS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN CANADA July/August 2011

Doing the DormBoston refines the research cluster

Worn Out WordsPEI’s Rory Francis on biotech buzzwords

Dr. Tom Hudson leads the fight to break cancer’s code

Mastering the Basics

What is thorium?Thorium is a chemical element that appears as a metal at room temperature. Scientists believe it is about three to four times more abundant in the Earth’s crust than uranium.

Experts say thorium is a better fuel for nuclear reactors than its common sibling, uranium. More readily abundant, thorium leaves less residual radiation and burns more efficiently. But uranium is readily accessible and cheaper than thorium, requir-ing less effort to extract from the ground and burn in a reactor. And uranium reac-tors produce another commodity, an important commodity during the nuclear arms race of the late 1930s and early 1940s: plutonium. The thorium cycle can produce weapons-grade material as well, but at a cost that far exceeds the enriched urani-um-to-plutonium cycle.

perpetuating thorium cycle is possible, but to demonstrate it on a commercial scale requires major capital investment. Countries like China and India, facing a future with little uranium and skyrocket-ing demand for energy, may invest sig-nificant resources into closed-cycle research. LB


The world of equestrian riding is steeped in centuries of tradition. More than 1500 years ago, Attila the Hun, leader of the Huns and feared enemy of the Roman Empire, taught his army to master horses using metal

bits attached to their bridles. Metal bars secured in the jaws of Mongol horses forced the beasts to heed their masters’ instruc-tions. Today, many riders still use bits, but the practice is growing less common, owing to the invention of the bitless bridle.

In 2005, long-time lab worker and newly-minted farm owner Zoe Brooks conceived a new design for a bitless bridle and sold it with much success.

“It was pretty simple,” says Brooks. “I basically just said, hey, there’s a better way to do this and thousands of people flocked to that new method. They thought, wow, a better way to ride my horse. I want to try that.”

And why wouldn’t they, Brooks asks. Replacing an archaic routine with a modern approach, producing better results, is a straightforward choice.

The Huns were at perpetual war when Attila bullied his horses with bits. But horses are no longer brutish vehicles of war and bitless, Brooks says, is simply better.

In a few short years, Brooks contributed to a new attitude sur-rounding the use of bits in the equestrian world. However, her long-running and sustained crusade in the lab science industry is less inspiring.

“The lab science industry is more stubborn than the long-established horseback world,” says Brooks.

According to Brooks, quality control theory and practice in the lab are separated by a gaping chasm.


By Jason Hagerman

AVOIDING A BLOODY

When lab workers can’t put theory into action, public confidence in science dwindles

lab spotlight

MESS



“For 50 years experts have said there’s a better way to do qual-ity control and nobody is listening,” says Brooks. “This leaves a frightening gap and in medical labs it endangers patients.”

Notes on a bloody terrible scandalPoor quality control measures contributed to Canada’s tainted blood scandal that left thousands of haemophiliacs infected with hepatitis and HIV in the 1980s.

The advent of freeze dried blood products in the early 1980s eliminated the challenges associated with early generation blood-factor concentrates, used by haemophiliacs for its clotting proper-ties, but created a new problem. Freeze dried products contained blood from thousands of different donors. A single unit of con-taminated blood could taint entire vats of product, and it wasn’t long after embracing freeze dried clotting factor that cases of hepatitis and HIV appeared in thousands of haemophiliacs.

The Red Cross, coordinating all blood distribution in 1982, was instructed by the Canadian Government to increase surveil-lance of haemophiliacs and coordinate lab studies if HIV contin-ued to spread.

In 1983, a haemophilia patient died of AIDS a month after he was refused surgery because of the risk associated with the blood clotting concentrate he required. At the time, however, haemo-philiacs across Canada relied on the same concentrate.

Another year passed until the Government ordered all blood products used in Canada undergo heat treatment procedures. HIV couldn’t resist high temperatures but blood products them-selves were unaffected by the treatment.

In 1985, distribution of heat-treated clotting products start-ed. At the same time, existing stocks of blood products were ordered removed from circulation. But the order was not always observed, and existing product was used in unison with heat-treated products.

According to journalist Andre Picard who wrote about the scandal, the Red Cross recruited Connaught Laboratories Ltd to manufacture half of the blood clotting product Canada needed from 1981 to 1984 knowing the lab’s technology was out-of-date. The remaining supply was contracted to two labs that never before produced blood products in commercial quantities.

Picard notes that in 1987, Canada received a shipment of blood products from U.S.-based Armour Pharmaceuticals that infected seven Canadians with HIV. The Netherlands banned imports from the company based on low confidence in the qual-ity of its heat treatment. But Canada didn’t.

Shortcomings persistMany parties beyond lab workers were responsible in the tainted blood scandal, but ignorance surrounding quality of product developed in a lab—whether the product is a test, a reagent, and so on—played a part in the failure of the system.

This failure to properly monitor and assure quality is rampant across all scientific industries, Brooks believes.

“Different industries have different quality control challenges,

but the principles sort of remain the same,” says Sam Tarantino, Director of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Management at GMD PharmaSolutions. “Make sure quality is high, that’s it.”

During a 2009 webinar for the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Brooks presented a quiz to 100 participants from around the world.

“In one question I asked, ‘method quality is alright as long as all results are within plus or minus two points of standard devia-tion,’” she says. About 67 per cent of participants said no, more certainty is required to maintain high method quality. In the fol-lowing scenario, Brooks expressed the same question in a different way, showing results on a graph rather than as a direct question. “Before, 67 per cent of the participants said no, the quality isn’t sufficient,” Brooks says. “Now, with the same information pre-sented in a different way, 60 per cent say it’s fine and dandy.”

The final question in the series mirrored the first question, taking a theoretical approach to the same scenario. Again, pre-senting the same information, about 70 per cent of participants said the information was of insufficient quality to make a defini-tive claim. Brooks ran similar seminars with lab workers from across sectors and found that when questions are theoretical, lab workers can apply acceptable quality standards. When looking at hard data, however, standards of quality appear to change.

“The method was identical, the mean and standard deviation of that method are absolutely identical, the information given is completely identical and yet we get different results,” says Brooks. “It’s absolutely, bloody shocking.”

Quality suffers when panic sets inLab workers are less likely to observe quality control measures when stressed. Stress induced by overwork, unpreparedness, personal problems and so on, inhibits the brain’s ability to focus on the most relevant task.

A study by psychologist Sian Beilock at the University of Chicago demonstrated that writing down one’s worries helps alleviate the effect of stress and worry on work performance.

Beilock demonstrated this effect in a study on university students. In the paper, recording thoughts and feelings on paper for 10 minutes before an exam raised student grades from an average of B- to B+. Lab workers may benefit from starting the day with a venting exercise where they record worries and stresses.



lab spotlight

During a presentation to the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science, Brooks asked if attending lab managers and technicians can guarantee reported test results are close enough to right that clinicians can reach the correct clinical interpretation.

“Less than 50 per cent said yes,” Brooks says. Doctors rely on lab results to treat patients. Labs say they aren’t

turning out good results. A disease like rubella shows no symptoms and pregnant

women will pass the virus on to children, resulting in a range of horrific illnesses for the newborn. Doctors rely on lab data to determine whether or not a pregnancy should continue.

“Poor quality lab work can cause serious repercussions,” says Brooks.

What to do?“Training people properly helps maintain quality in any lab,” says Perry Oswald, Quality Practice Team Leader at College of Medical Laboratory Technologists.

“We can address the problem with education,” says Brooks.Lab technicians should clarify and understand concepts of

quality control and approach senior scientists and management staff to gain understanding of acceptable test values.

Senior scientists should know the answer to any questions lab technicians might ask, as well as the why and how. They should

know what might cause a correct answer to change and ensure written procedures are observed and reflect current scientific best practices.

Open discussion, facilitated by lab directors, can help alleviate worker stress and keep sample or test quality high. Discuss the concepts of biological and analytical variation with staff and explain the acceptable size of variation. Directors can conduct studies to confirm reference ranges reported in the lab reflect the population served.

Quality assurance managers should support all staff by making quality control documents available and encouraging staff to par-ticipate in quality control by seeking feedback on opportunities for improvement. Involving all lab employees in quality control pro-vides practical education that grows more functional and becomes second nature, Brooks believes.

Responsibility for quality assurance stretches beyond the lab walls to industry organizations and legislators, college and univer-sity professors, manufacturers of quality control material, lab instrument manufacturers, quality control software developers and published scientific experts.

“Everybody wants to do this right and thinks they’re doing it,” says Brooks. “But they just aren’t. All across the board they aren’t and we need to raise awareness in everybody from lab techs to instrument manufacturers to get up to snuff.” LB

www.scc.ca

No business can afford mistakes when it comes to the testing of their product. Limit your risk by choosing a laboratory accredited by the Standards Council of Canada.

Having confidence in your laboratory means your customers will have confidence in you.



T.J. Watson, former President of IBM, may not have uttered the famous line, “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers,” in the 1940s, but the sentiment rings true.

The market potential of new technology is rarely known and such is the case with the fabled quantum computer. Scientists in the field of quantum information processing aspire to design a truly quantum system. Doing so could alter the course of science and e-commerce the world over in some ways scientists understand. And other ways they can’t yet imagine.

Important factorsThe great supervillain of the future may not resemble a greedy corporate entity or battle-hardened extremist, but a quiet middle-aged woman parked in the corner of a darkened room, clicking away at the interface of a quantum computer.

Information traversing the Internet finds protection in math-ematics, in the factoring of numbers. Patient information, for example, undergoes encryption to ensure privacy. Encryption locks information behind a wall of digits.

“The way to break that encryption is equivalent to finding a factor of a large number,” says Dr. Raymond Laflamme, director of the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo. “Factoring small numbers is pretty simple. I say 15 to you, you say five and three to me.”

Information security wouldn’t work with factors of two or four or even 10 digits. Digital encryption relies on larger num-bers, typically 128 or 256 digits (called 128 or 256 bit encryp-tion). Some software encrypts at 512 digits. Classical computers struggle with factoring this kind of encryption and as classical computers gently increase in processing power, adding more digits to the encryption key increases data safety exponentially.

“As computers get better and more powerful, all you have to do is grow the key size a little bit and your data is safe,” says Dr. Barry Sanders, director of the Institute for Quantum Information Science at the University of Calgary.

“When you send information out into the internet you assume anybody trying to crack the encryption won’t be able to because it’s just too hard.”

Number CrushingPropelled by a new generation of computer scientists, high-powered computing will soon write a new blueprint for science and society

By Jason Hagerman

application note

Phot

o cr

edit:

D-W

ave



application note

Fight the powerClassical physics, the rules inherited from Galileo Galilei, Sir Isaac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell and others, outline the lan-guage allowing us to interact with the physical world on a daily basis. The language explains how airplanes fly, how car tires gain traction and how we manipulate information with computers. Classical physics are a pillar in the foundation of all science.

Classical computers are bound by the rules of classical physics. Quantum computers are not.

As scientists examine physical systems at the atomic level, the systems change. Quantum computers are tools that both use and help interpret the rules of physics at an atomic scale.

“A quantum computer would have enormous ramifications on information security. It could efficiently crack anything and we don’t have a way around that,” says Sanders. “So if there were quantum computers out there, we have no way to make e-com-merce safe. Indeed, any discussion about long term security of information cannot ignore the possibility that there might be a quantum computer. ”

Confidential information flowing out of the lab including test results, proprietary research, patent statistics and a host of sensi-tive data relies on a system that will crumble at the feet of a quantum breakthrough.

In 1994, Dr. Peter Shor, now a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, designed an algorithm that, paired with a quantum computer, could factor numbers more efficiently than any technology we possess.

“If we had a quantum computer it wouldn’t take an exponen-tial amount of resources to solve the problem, but a polynomial amount,” says Laflamme. “We have this algorithm now, and if we built this computer tomorrow we would destroy e-commerce.”

But when quantum computers close a door, they open another.“Quantum computers threaten security, but quantum cryptog-

raphy gives it back,” says Sanders. “Quantum cryptography is impervious to quantum attack.”

A recent application in quantum cryptography discovered by Anne Broadbent, a post-doc at Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing, means security on the cloud may be unbreakable.

Today, some labs use cloud computing for data storage and processing power. But they risk competitors listening in. The concept of blind quantum computation allows scientists without local access to a quantum computer to transmit data to a quan-tum cloud.

“Whatever computation you have the cloud do, you can do it in such a way that the cryptography absolutely cannot be broken,” says Laflamme.

Language barrierQuantum computers command this power by using the language that atoms and quantum systems use.

Where classical computers use bits, quantum computers use quantum bits called qubits

“This is the fundamental point of departure between conven-tional systems and quantum systems,” says Geordie Rose, CEO of Burnaby, British Columbia-based quantum computer com-pany D-Wave.

Classical bits must exist as either a 1 or a 0. Qubits, according to experts, can appear as 1, 0 or a little bit of either.

“You take one of these qubits and you can flip a switch, and because of the peculiar nature of the device and the environment in which it sits, it goes into this strange configuration that has no classical analogue where the quantum bit is both things at the same time,” says Rose.

Where quantum effects are present, qubits out per-form classical computers on an exponential scale because of their ability to occupy two states simultaneously through a phenomenon called superposition.

“So, for 10 quantum bits it takes about a kilobyte of classical memory,” says Laflamme. “For 20 quantum bits it takes about a million kilobytes, for 30 it’s a billion, for 40 a trillion and for 50 a quadrillion.”

Because of its peculiar nature, its ability to speak the language of atoms and quantum systems, a quantum bit is exceedingly efficient as a simulator of quantum effects.

“One of the great things that goes on in science is that instead of doing every single thing through trial and error, we’re able to simulate a lot of things,” says Sanders. “But now we are getting into things like superconductors, superfluids and quantum mate-rials, things that are very useful and in general these things are far too difficult to simulate on a classical computer.”

Materials science may reap substantial benefits from the devel-opment of a quantum computer.

“Quantum computers should be able to simulate materials,” says Sanders. “We believe it should be possible to design some-thing like a molecule that could be a catalyst to clean up oil spills.”

The computers may facilitate simulated drug design from the atomic level up, exploring how single atoms react to each other.

“You can solve a problem in chemistry, but if you look at a slightly different molecule or a slightly different material, the problem can become immensely more difficult,” says Sanders.

Quantum Horsepower10 x Qubits = 1,000 Classic bits

20 x Qubits = 1,000,000 C-bits

30 x Qubits = 1,000,000,000 C-bits

40 x Qubits = 1,000,000,000,000 C-bits

50 x Qubits = 1,000,000,000,000,000 C-bits



German Engineered. German Quality. German Made.

The Miele Professional suite of lab washer products, from undercounter to large chamber, were created to meet 100% of your needs. Fully customizable, efficient, powerful and intuitive.

No task is too big or too small.

Contact your Miele Professional sales representative to discover how a Miele lab washer can be the solution to all your cleaning challenges. mieleprofessional.ca

The clear benchmark for clear results.

Manufacturer direct service available: 1-888-325-3957 Toronto • Montreal • Calgary • Edmonton • Vancouver

© Miele Limitée 2011. © 2011 Miele Limited.

“The idea of the quantum computer is not that it will solve the problem, but that it will efficiently solve the problem even as you make it more difficult.”

Is it out there?In May 2011, Lockheed-Martin dug into its deep pockets and pulled out $10 million in change to purchase a computer designed and manufactured by Canadian tech company D-Wave. The company claims the D-Wave One system is the first ever com-mercial quantum computer. According to Rose, Lockheed-Martin plans to use the computer for verification and validation.

“That means taking a design for a complex machine with different processors, software, actuators and hardware and pro-viding some degree of comfort that it won’t fail in an unex-pected way,” says Rose.

But critics remain unconvinced the D-Wave One is truly a quantum computer. They believe D-Wave fails to show true quantum activity in its quantum bits.

“We want to ask the question, what could a quantum com-puter do that we believe is completely hopeless forever without a quantum computer,” says Sanders. “What D-Wave is doing is not of that type.”

“I’m not yet convinced they’ve proven sufficiently that it acts like a quantum computer,” says Laflamme.

But if nothing else, academics believe D-Wave is building a foundation, a capability to jump in when the next generation of quantum visionaries present ideas never before imagined.

Today, the first generation of computer scientists raised on quantum algorithms prepares to enter the workforce.

“We’ve struggled with these concepts for a lot of years,” says Sanders. “But for these young scientists it’s natural. They didn’t come from other fields, they’re native to this field and they will dream up things that older people like me simply can’t think of.”

Maybe we will need a quantum computer in every lab, home and classroom. But what, muses Laflamme, will we use it for? LB

Scared, Einstein?Albert Einstein once described quantum entanglement as spooky. A connection so strong can exist between two or more quantum particles that they can link in perfect unison across great distances.

According to the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, particles can link so intimately that they dance in perfect unison even when placed at opposite ends of the universe.



Talking Chimps

On about 240 acres of farmland outside Montreal sits Fauna Sanctuary, a rehabilitation and retirement home for great apes that spent a portion of their lives as test

subjects in a U.S. biomedical testing laboratory. Journalist and primatologist Andrew Westoll volunteered to care for the apes and recorded his experiences in his new book, The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary (HarperCollins, 2011).

Currently, the U.S. is the only country to allow invasive testing on members of the great ape family. In April, the Great Ape Protection Act was reintroduced to the U.S. congress for the third time, under the new and more precise designation the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act. Westoll believes it’s time the U.S. caught up with the rest of the world and protected apes from lab testing. In June, LAB Business spoke to Westoll about this book and his thoughts on animal testing.

How many chimps live at the Fauna Sanctuary?There are thirteen. The majority of the chimp family are from a lab that was called LEMSIP in upper New York state and it closed down in 1997. There are also three chimps from zoos that have either shut down or wanted to get out of the chimp business. They’ve been trying to resocialize the zoo chimps in with the lab chimps.

What happened to the chimps at Fauna Sanctuary?It’s important to note that I’m talking about what the specific chimps at Fauna went through. And a fair amount is known about what these chimps went through. A lot is because the vet that worked with them for a few decades wrote a memoir. It’s now out of print. Fauna Foundation had a lot of the incomplete medical files that were from the lab somebody snuck them out.

These chimps were knocked unconscious regularly. The most common method is with a dart gun. When a chimp is approached with a dart gun, they basically think they are about to be killed. It usually happens in front of nine of their friends. In the adult units there were nine other cages along with your own. The other chips would witness this other chimp in the belief that it was going to be killed, and it’s not too much of a stretch to think that the chimps believed it. Once the chimp was knocked unconscious, the body would be dragged out of the cage, put on a trolley and shipped out of the unit. If the chimp was to be involved in a long term study, the others would never see it again.

There are two sides to this. There are the lethal human viruses that were injected into the chimps to test vaccines and viral load.

By Jason Hagerman

Testing on great apes must stop, says author Andrew Westoll

Viruses like HIV and hepatitis were used. Also there are invasive surger-ies, most commonly the punch-liver biopsy. That was again to test hepatic function and viral load in the liver as far as I know. Those leave quite a scar on the inside of the body. It’s sort of a needle jabbed through the torso, into the liver, and pulled back out again. Yoko, one of the chimps at Fauna, he’s been through hundreds of punch-liver biopsies. One year there was a study he was on where he had about two weeks to recover between each biopsy. The whole procedure from knock-down on is pretty traumatic and it affected everybody around him. Recovery from anaesthesia is never good either, and a lab chimp isn’t allowed any pain killers.

Where do you propose we draw a line with animal testing?I don’t know. I don’t think anybody knows. I think our culture knows but we haven’t really said it. I think it’s a continually mov-ing line. To think there is a line in the sand is far too black and white and almost counter-productive. It needs a conversation.

I think we know enough about chimpanzees right now in terms of the scientific results. There have been some positive things as a result of research on chimps. I’m not ignoring that. But we know enough to draw the line at least at the great ape. Further down the line, in my gut I feel a certain way. But I don’t believe anybody actually knows the answer. Things need to come from a culture-wide conversation.

Is there science without the exploitation of nature?When I started researching this, I came to a fundamental conclu-sion right away. Science started by taking bodies apart. Science started by killing things and putting pins in them. I think it’s valu-able to not think about turning back the clock and looking at we’ve done. If we were to stop animal research overnight, there would be a heck of a lot of projects that have real potential to help humans stopped in their tracks. But that’s not to say there aren’t ways to refine the use of animals in those studies. I think it’s a gradual process.

I also take vaccines—I take my shots. I’m just as much of a hypocrite as anybody else. LB

critical perspectives



Sharpshooting strange new worldsReviewed: Strange New Worlds: The Search for Alien Planets and Life Beyond Our Solar System, by Ray Jayawardhana, HarperCollins

Future Science, by Max Brockman (Ed.), Random House Canada

Future Science offers a youthful perspective on the latest theories and discoveries in science through a collection of essays from 18 innovative researchers. Featured are the writings of new generation research-ers, including a virologist’s discussion of antiviral immunity; a neuroscientist’s explanation of how social rejection affects us physically; a computer scientist’s thoughts on the social impact of massive datasets; and a physicist’s travels through the world of infinity.

Dreams and Due Diligence: Till & McCulloch’s Stem Cell Discovery and Legacy, by Joe Sornberger, University of Toronto Press

Arguing that Ernest Armstrong McCulloch and James Edgar Till deserve the same celebrity as Frederick Banting and Charles Best, this new work examines the influence McCulloch and Till had on the development of stem cell research. Sornberger’s clear explana-tion of the science adds to the drama that unfolds in the lives and labs of these two Canadian researchers.

The Aquaculture Controversy in Canada, by Nathan Young and Ralph Matthews, University of British Columbia Press

Subtitled, “Activism, Policy, and Contested Science,” this new book by Young and Matthews, two soci-ologists, examines the controversies surrounding aquaculture—the business of industrial-scale fish farming. Young and Matthews present readers with

a detailed examination of the history of the industry, providing the context readers need to draw conclusions for themselves about the morality and sustainability of aquaculture.

Braintrust What Neuroscience Tells Us about Morality, by Patricia S. Churchland, Princeton University Press

In this new book, neurophilosopher Patricia Churchland argues that the root of morality origi-nates in the biology of the brain. Churchland says the structure, processes and chemistry of the human’s brain inclines our species to strive for

themselves and the protection of their kin. In light of this biological truth, how much weight should we give religion, absolute truth, and pure reason?

Step outside the lab for a min-ute—way outside the lab. Look across light years at the

fields of stars. That twinkle in the starlight might be the signature of a world rotating a distant sun.

Strange New Worlds, the new book by Ray Jayawardhana, a professor at the University of Toronto and Canada Research Chair in Observational Astrophysics, surveys the latest understanding of faraway planets. The book functions as a primer on planetary astronomy that guides readers on a tour of distant solar systems, the physics of planet formation, and the history of the field of exoplanet discovery.

Drawing on his background as a science journalist, Jayawardhana has managed to write a weekend book you can take with you to work on Monday and Tuesday. The writing is plainspoken and engaging (good for the weekend), but the science is detailed enough to push readers to commit them-selves to a second reading, or, more probably, to scour the Internet for the tangents and ideas Jayawardhana chose not to develop.

This may be the chief shortcoming with Strange New Worlds: it doesn’t go deep enough into the big issues. This is a book that needs a sequel. It moves quickly and lithely through the history, science, and personalities of the field, but it skims the surface of the larger issues at stake. What if astronomers do discover habitable Earths or new life? This is a topic Jayawardhana touches on in the first chapter, when he talks about the profound “ramifications [of new worlds] on all areas of human thought and endeavor—from religion and philoso-phy to art and biology.” The absence of a more developed discussion of the what-might-happen-next is too bad, since the book’s title hints at something more than a sharpshooter’s bulls-eye description of the science of distant worlds.

But this shortcoming is what will distinguish this book from similar titles on the market. Strange New Worlds remains grounded in science, so much so that it avoids the airy philosophy, what-ifs, and science fiction of books that so many non-scientists have already written. (Reviewed by Robert Price)

NEW AND UPCOMING TITLES



To meet the needs of researchers seeking precise physiological culturing conditions and the pro-tection of 24/7 contamination prevention, Thermo Scientific introduces the Heracell I range of CO2 incubators featuring variable oxy-gen control and solid 100 per cent antimicrobial copper interiors. Ideal for advanced applications

in the area of stem cell research, regenerative and personalized medicine, and other protocols that necessitate reduced oxygen concentrations, Heracell I variable oxygen control models are available for hypoxic experimentation where oxy-gen levels above atmospheric levels are required.www.thermoscientific.com

Variable Oxygen Control

Despite its small footprint, MidSci’s LabDoctor Mini is a compact shaking incubator with a large 11.5 x 9.5 inch workspace. The compact shaker accepts several platforms for use with a variety of vessels. The standard plat-form features a non-slip rubber coated surface ideal for TC flasks, petri dish-es, and staining trays. The Magic

Clamp Platform is also available for use with Erlenmeyer flasks and test tube racks. The magnetic attachment method allows the user to change between flask clamps of different sizes. The LabDoctor mini has a tem-perature range from 5 C to 60 C and weighs 25 lbs. www.midsci.com

Miniature Shaking Incubator

tech watch

IncubatorsBiology relies on microorganisms and precise cell culturing. When working with these

cells, it is crucial to store them in the proper environment and to maintain consistent settings. Incubation systems safely house cultures and provide optimal growth for cells. A wide range of lab incubators are available on the market with settings for temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and oxygen. Some offer advanced features such as enhanced sterilization methods, energy effiency, physical stackability, condensation eliminators, and more. Featured below is a sample of advanced lab incubators available on the market.

SANYO’s Sterisonic GxP cell culture carbon dioxide incubator is for appli-cations like stem cell research, regen-erative medicine, in vitro fertilization and conventional incubation. The H2O2 decontamination process works in conjunction with SANYO’s SafeCell UV system. Following a sev-en-minute cycle, vaporization is

stopped and the UV lamp is turned ON for up to 90 minutes. The Active Background Contamination Control fights contaminations while cell cul-ture protocols are in process. The SafeCell UV system scrubs interior airflow to destroy airborne and humid-ity pan contaminants. www.sterisonic.com

Enhanced SterilizationEnhanced Sterilization



New Brunswick Scientific’s stackable laboratory shakers can save valuable floor space in a lab with limited space. The Innova44 is designed for precise regulation of culture conditions. Large-capacity Innova44 models can be stacked up to 3 ft. high, hold flasks up to 5L, and offers independent con-trols for each shaker. The shakers allow users to set and store up to 4 programs, each with up to 15 steps to automate ramp up/down tempera-ture and shaker speed, as well as to turn optional photosynthetic & UV lighting on/off. A multi-function water reservoir humidifies the chamber and protects electronics from accidental spills. www.eppendorfna.com

Thermo Scientific’s Heratherm General Protocol Gravity Convection Ovens are designed for gentle heating and drying with minimal air turbulence. These ovens are a highly effective choice for precise heating applications. Their advanced microproces-sor controls deliver detailed information on current temperature and set points. Set the temperature from 50 to 330 C and store the setting in memory

while the oven is off. Visual over temperature alarm and built-in safety backup maintain temperature control at 5 C above the set point if the primary control fails. A circuit breaker protects the oven from power surges. Thick insulation in the walls and door maintains a safe exterior temperature and a silicone door gasket prevents heat loss. www.thermoscientific.com

Stackable Incubator Shaker Saves Space

Precise Heating Applications and Air Turbulence Control



lab ware

Quick Response Spill KitThe Lab Safety Supply Spill Defense Universal 30-Gallon Drum Spill Kit has everything you need to absorb up to 17- gallons of spills. The kit contains all of the equipment needed to safely tend to hazardous spills; this saves time and eliminates the need to hunt for items in a spill emergency. Included in the kit are a variety of personal protective equipment, absorbent pads and pillows, sorbent shakers and acid neutralizing products. The 30-gallon drum eliminates static buildup and conductivity, and is sturdy enough to withstand outdoor storage—without rust, dents, cracks or corrosion. www.labsafety.com

Formaldehyde Polymerizer GunThe Spill-X Gun is a fast and efficient method to handle small to medium sized chemical spills. The gun can be used from a distance of 10 to 12 feet, can pinpoint spills in hard-to-reach areas and treats up to a 3-gallon spill. The SPILL-X-FP formaldehyde polymerizer formula neutralizes formaldehyde solutions. The treatment chemically changes the formaldehyde so it is no longer able to evaporate into the work area.www.ansul.com

Glovebox Protection Baker’s IsoGARD Glovebox is designed to allow safe handling of hazardous microbiological agents or pharmaceutical potent compounds under contained conditions. The IsoGARD bathes the interior of the cabinet with HEPA-filtered air, thereby increasing entrainment of generated particles and keeping the work area free of contaminants. The glove box can be used in applications that involve mixing or weighing chemical carcinogens, and working with emerging diseases or diseases marked for near eradication.www.bakerco.com

Ultra lightweight formula with high absorptionENPAC’s ENSORB Super Absorbent immediately absorbs liquids of any viscosity, leaving surfaces clean and dry. The super absorbent is lightweight and has 15 to 20 times the absorption capacity of any clay-based product. ENSORB has the versatility to absorb any liquid or semi-liquid on contact, and will permanently encapsulate absorbed materials. Once the spilled liquid turns into a solid, it can be disposed of. www.enpac.com



Analytical and Precision Balance The OHAUS Explorer utilizes an application-based software platform in concert with a redesigned antistatic draft shield and modular construction. Utilizing the Smartext 2.0 software platform, the OHAUS Explorer provides easy-to-use graphical software featuring 14 applica-tions and delivers accurate results within seconds. Vibration filtering provides balance stability in unstable environments. The draft glass shield is antistatic-coated and provides ample access and visibility to the weighing chamber. Explorer features four “touch less” sensors for hands-free operation, this improves weighing efficiency, eliminates sample residue transfer and minimizes contamination. www.ohaus.ca

Accurate Chemical IdentificationThermo Scientific’s FirstDefender RMX unit is for rapid, accurate identification of unknown chemicals. The point-and-shoot sampling operation avoids exposure and maintains evidence through sealed translu-cent containers. The substance library is easy to operate and includes explosives, toxic industrial chemicals (TICs), chemical warfare agents (CWAs), narcotics, precur-sors, white powders and more. www.thermoscientific.com

Toxic airflow prevention Baker ChemGARD high performance fume hoods are designed to provide personnel protection from toxic or volatile chemicals by continuously delivering airflow away from the user. Air is then filtered and treated before exiting the facility. ChemGARD employs unique airflow characteristics within a stream-lined, unobstructed work area, providing an energy-saving operation and minimal back drafts, turbulence and eddy currents. The continuous flow bypass design reduces roll effect, minimizes lingering concentrations and reduces contaminant concentrations to prevent potential exposure hazard to personnel.www.bakerco.com

LIST OF ADVERTISERS & WEBSITES

Buchi ..........................Page 10 ................... www.mybuchi.com Caledon Labs ............. ..............www.caledonlabs.com Eppendorf ..................Page 27 .................www.eppendorf.comFisher .........................Page 4 ........................ www.fishersci.caJesmar House Ad........Page 13 ....... www.labbusinessmag.comKNF Neuberger, Inc. ....Page 6 ................... www.labpumps.comMetrohm ....................Page 7, 28 .. www.IC-changeisgood.com...............................................................www.metrohmca.comMiele .........................Page 19 ........ www.mieleprofessional.ca Mottlab ......................Page 9 .......................www.mottlab.comSheldon Labs .............Page 23 ...................www.labarmor.com Standards Council of Canada ......................................................................................Page 16 .............................. www.scc.ca VWR ..........................Page 2 .............................www.vwr.com

ISO 9001:2008 Certified call 877.225.3366 | fax 905.877.6666 [email protected]

H I G H P U R I T Y P R O D U C T S F O R L A B O R A T O R Y C H E M I S T R Y

Caledon Labs, proudly Canadian. Celebrating 40 years!

visit caledonlabs.com

for our latest promotion!



scientist profile

“Why do my canning jars snap after I’ve made a batch of jam?” asked an elderly woman during the second half of CBC’s Maritime Noon program. “The cooling process creates a vacuum within the

canning jar,” replies Dr. Mary Ann White. “As the jars cool, the vacuum pulls the lid in. A simple solution to stop this from happening is to leave the lid off until it cools.”

Once a month, White, a professor of chemistry at Dalhousie University, sits in the CBC Maritimes studio with Dr. Richard Wassersug, a Dalhousie professor of astronomy, answering science questions in plain language for an inquisitive multitude of non-scientist callers.

“The average person thinks science is something apart, segregated or removed and that it is only acces-sible to those trained in the sciences,” says White. “I’ve spent a lot of my career trying to dispel that myth.”

Everybody is a scientistWhen White and Wassersug take to the airwaves, about 22,000 listeners tune in to hear how science perme-ates everyday life. Listeners want to know about astronomy, natural phenomenon and the reasons things do what they do in the kitchen. They want to know why chemicals are necessary for fracturing rocks and what the safe level of exposure to radiation is.

Everybody, White says, is interested in science and we all start out as scientists.“Every two year old is a scientist,” says White, the first female professor in the department of chemistry

at Dalhousie University. “A two year old playing in the bathtub, making bubbles and getting them to disap-pear, is doing scientific experiments. Even if they don’t understand it, they have a hypothesis and an experiment they’re testing.”

As time goes on, that inherent curiosity fades. White wants to invigorate average Canadians, young and old, with a desire to understand science and

how it applies to daily life. “Science is everywhere in the world,” says the well-known scientist. “If you’re going to be an educated

voter, you need to consider science. It allows you to be your own sceptic, to call somebody on something if their claim doesn’t hold up.”

White appears on CBC’s Quirks and Quarks program and rarely turns down the opportunity to speak publicly about science. She participates in Let’s Talk Science, an 18-year-old charitable group bringing science-based education to children.

“Many public issues rely on science to sway opinions and if people under-stand the science, they can get on to thinking about the actual pluses and

minuses of a given issue.” says White. White talks in plain language, lamenting the use of jargon that she believes alienates scientists from non-

scientists. As a bonus, using lay-language helps scientists gain a better understanding of their own research.“It makes you stand back and look at your own detailed work more distantly,” White says. In June, White received an honourary degree from the University of Western Ontario, where she earned

her bachelor of science in 1975. During the convocation ceremony, White spoke to almost 500 graduates.“As an educated person, you do have an obligation to share your knowledge with the world,” White told

the audience. “You have to keep it out there and not isolate it from people. Doing this, you help people make informed decisions in politics, in daily life—in all situations.” LB

Dr. Mary Ann WhiteBy Jason Hagerman

“A two year old playing in the bathtub, making bubbles and getting them to disappear, is doing

scientific experiments. Even if they don’t understand it, they have a hypothesis and

an experiment they’re testing.”

Full page journal ad BioBusiness and Lab Business - BBU and LBU

CE

NA

.A1.

0147

.A ©

201

1 E

pp

end

orf A

G

www.eppendorf.com • Email: [email protected]

In the U.S.: Eppendorf North America, Inc. 800-645-3050 • In Canada: Eppendorf Canada Ltd. 800-263-8715

Eppendorf—your complete liquid handling solution.

From pipettes to calibration to automation

The Eppendorf complete liquid handling solution meets the highest needs for precision, ergonomics and robustness. We offer your lab a single solution for the superior quality tips, calibration services and liquid handling products, from manual pipettes all the way to automation.

‡ Tips Never worry about the purity of your samples or the fit of your tip when pipetting. Eppendorf offers a variety of tips in the purity grade your lab needs. In addition, we offer specialty tips such as our Dualfilter tips, which eliminate the risk of aerosol contamination and our LoRetention tips which offer the lowest possible liquid retention for unsurpassed accuracy.

‡ Pipettes Feel the difference in weight and pipetting forces using an Eppendorf Research® plus pipette. Experience the outstanding ease-of-use and ergonomics of the Xplorer® electronic pipette. Automate your lab protocols with the easy-to-use epMotion® workstation.

‡ Calibration services Eppendorf also offers calibration and repair services for all Eppendorf and non-Eppendorf brand pipettes. With our field calibration specialists in many areas, calibrating your pipette doesn’t mean disrupting your work.

For more information visit www.eppendorfna.com/dispensers

CENA.A1.0147.A.CA-LBU.indd 1 6/30/11 12:13 PMLB_JulyAug11_Issue2.indd 26 8/16/11 10:22 AM

Full page journal ad BioBusiness and Lab Business - BBU and LBU

CE

NA

.A1.

0147

.A ©

201

1 E

pp

end

orf A

G

www.eppendorf.com • Email: [email protected]

In the U.S.: Eppendorf North America, Inc. 800-645-3050 • In Canada: Eppendorf Canada Ltd. 800-263-8715

Eppendorf—your complete liquid handling solution.

From pipettes to calibration to automation

The Eppendorf complete liquid handling solution meets the highest needs for precision, ergonomics and robustness. We offer your lab a single solution for the superior quality tips, calibration services and liquid handling products, from manual pipettes all the way to automation.

‡ Tips Never worry about the purity of your samples or the fit of your tip when pipetting. Eppendorf offers a variety of tips in the purity grade your lab needs. In addition, we offer specialty tips such as our Dualfilter tips, which eliminate the risk of aerosol contamination and our LoRetention tips which offer the lowest possible liquid retention for unsurpassed accuracy.

‡ Pipettes Feel the difference in weight and pipetting forces using an Eppendorf Research® plus pipette. Experience the outstanding ease-of-use and ergonomics of the Xplorer® electronic pipette. Automate your lab protocols with the easy-to-use epMotion® workstation.

‡ Calibration services Eppendorf also offers calibration and repair services for all Eppendorf and non-Eppendorf brand pipettes. With our field calibration specialists in many areas, calibrating your pipette doesn’t mean disrupting your work.

For more information visit www.eppendorfna.com/dispensers

CENA.A1.0147.A.CA-LBU.indd 1 6/30/11 12:13 PMLB_JulyAug11_Issue2.indd 27 8/16/11 10:22 AM

Free LaborMetrohm titration systems automate all your tedious and time-consuming tasks.

And let’s face it, what lab couldn’t use an extra hand with much of the daily/routine work? Our systems can handle your sample preparation from start to finish, fully monitor and control every aspect of your analysis, and securely store your data for quick and easy recall. Results are fast and, more importantly, always accurate and consistent.

Easy-to-use systems can:

•Automatically weigh, homogenize, filter and dilute

•Automatically pipet samples from 200 µL to 100 mL

•Automatically process from 12 to 141 samples

•Always be customized to meet your needs

•Always be counted on: 3-year warranty

CA

N.0

713.

A1.

100

0-L

BU ©

201

1 M

etro

hm C

anad

a.

866-METROHM (638-7646)

www.metrohmca.com
