Laboratory experiments are controlled empirical methods conducted in artificial or semi-artificial settings to isolate, manipulate, and measure specific variables under reproducible conditions. They typically involve systematic variation of one or more independent variables while holding extraneous factors constant, enabling causal inference about their effects on dependent variables. Experimental designs may include control groups, randomization, blinding, and standardized protocols to minimize bias and confounding. Laboratory experiments are widely used across natural and social sciences to test hypotheses, validate theoretical models, calibrate instruments, and generate high-precision data, often serving as a precursor to field studies or in vivo applications where environmental control is more limited.
A new autonomous laboratory recently navigated through billions of potential material synthesis recipes to identify brighter, lead-free light-emitting nanomaterials in just 12 hours. The work could accelerate development ...
Nanomaterials
May 4, 2026
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63
Researchers have developed a new methodology that uses artificial intelligence tools to identify and count target viruses more efficiently than previous techniques. The new approach can be used in applications such as pharmaceutical ...
Biotechnology
Apr 23, 2026
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11
The time had come to open the envelope, but Stephan Schlamminger, a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), wasn't sure he wanted to know the secret number that lay inside. For the past 10 ...
Astronomy
Apr 16, 2026
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The underground laboratory in Nevada where the U.S. conducts nuclear subcritical experiments is riddled with faults. Researchers have not confirmed whether any of these faults are active and could rupture during an earthquake, ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 16, 2026
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16
Artificial intelligence is rapidly learning to autonomously design and run biological experiments, but the systems intended to govern those capabilities are struggling to keep pace.
Biotechnology
Apr 12, 2026
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61
If you were rewarded for following a particular pattern of behavior, wouldn't you keep doing it? The answer turns out to be more nuanced than you might think. In a new study, University of Iowa researchers report that pigeons ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 6, 2026
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78
Chicks, just like pets, also benefit from gentle human touch, new research has revealed. Scientists at the University of Bristol have discovered that gentle human interactions do not only prevent fear in baby chicks but also ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 30, 2026
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48
Most people have experienced it: when you're moving, engaged, and focused, pain fades into the background, then flares when you're immobilized with nothing to do. That isn't imagination; it's biology. A comprehensive review ...
Veterinary medicine
Mar 24, 2026
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9
New research from the Technical University of Denmark indicates that the outcome of a resistance measurement may depend on the conditions under which the bacterium is tested. Standard laboratory tests are carried out under ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 10, 2026
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13
AI has designed candidate drugs for antibiotic-resistant infections and genetic diseases. But efforts to incorporate AI into the design of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), the revolutionary delivery vehicles behind mRNA therapies ...
Bio & Medicine
Mar 9, 2026
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