Time for a Tune-Up

Now that it's winter here in the Northern hemisphere, many of us are spending more time inside than usual. Sure, there's plenty of chores to keep everyone busy, but there are also some yearly maintenance projects you should do this season to keep your home in tip top shape. Why not get them done now?

• Check that all outlets are functional
• Check all locks and deadbolts on doors and windows
• Inspect all caulking and grout in kitchens and bathrooms
• Tighten any loose handles or knobs
• Change the furnace filter
• Change the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

Your House Needs a Yearly Tune Up - What About Your Calibrated Instruments?

• 5 day turnaround*
• ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accredited facility
• Register your instrument to receive automatic renewal reminders when your instrument is due for recalibration

So Cold It Burns!

Nearly all of us have gotten burned before (and no, we don't mean by the date who never called you back). Whether it's a sunburn, touching a hot stove or pot with your hand, or burning your tongue on hot foods or drinks, burns are one of the most common injuries. But what about getting burned by something cold? While not as common as hot burns, cold burns and frostbite are just as painful and potentially dangerous.

• Symptoms of an ice burn can be similar to hot burns including redness, itchiness, pain, swelling, and blisters
• 30-49 year old men are at the highest risk of cold injury, possibly due to occupational or recreational exposure to cold
• Many soldiers throughout history have died or suffered painful, long-term injuries due to frostbite and exposure to freezing temperatures

Does your work require dry ice? Don't wait for deliveries - have dry ice on demand with Frigimat® Dry Ice Makers from Bel-Art - SP Scienceware!

• Produce solid blocks or flakes of dry ice in minutes
• Attach directly to CO₂ cylinder
• Creates dry ice when and where you need it!

Happy Fibonacci Day!

In addition to this Thursday being Thanksgiving here in the States, November 23 is also Fibonacci Day! If you remember from math class, the Fibonacci sequence is an integer sequence in which every number after the first two is the sum of the two preceding numbers: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, ...
While it may look simplistic, the sequence actually has far reaching implications, more than even Fibonacci himself probably imagined!

• Named after Italian mathematician Leonardo of Pisa, known as Fibonacci, who introduced the sequence to Western European mathematics in the 1200's.
• Used in many different mathematics applications & algorithms, but also in investments, artwork, even architecture!*
• The sequence can even be found in nature! Fibonacci spirals, aka 'nature's numbers' can be seen on flower petals and seeds, plant leaves, nautilus shells, the DNA molecule, and even hurricanes and galaxies.
• The spiral is charted as a series of connected quarter-circles drawn inside an array of squares with Fibonacci numbers for dimensions. (see right).

No matter what order you like your numbers in,
our Indexed Racks keep samples organized!

• Available in standard or serpentine numbering
• Ideal when cell identification/location is critical
• Round holes with tight tolerances hold tubes firmly

Tipping the Scales

When does a pumpkin go from big to giant? 100 lbs? 1000 lbs? More? In the 1980's, the heaviest pumpkin weighed in at just over 400 lbs. Now, pumpkin growers are aiming for 2000+ lbs, and getting heavier every year! Here are some interesting facts about these scale-tipping giants!

• Virtually all giant pumpkins are descended from "Dill's Atlantic Giant" variety which took 30 years to cultivate.
• High-pedigree hybrid seeds of prize-winning giant pumpkins can cost growers anywhere from $10-100 or more per seed.
• The world record for the heaviest pumpkin is held by Mathias Willemijns of Belgium. The pumpkin weighed 1,190.49 kg (2,624.6 lb)
• Bragging rights are not all you win for growing a giant: the recent winner of the 2017 Half Moon Bay Champion Pumpkin Weigh-Off in California took home $7 per pound for his 2,363 lb pumpkin (that's $16,541!)

When weighing powders and not pumpkins (or other solid matters), SP Scienceware has a variety of sampling tools that double as weigh boats!

• Sterileware® Sterile Scoops - Perfect for taking large samples from wide-mouth containers (also in metal-detectable!)
• EcoTensil® Paper Sampling Spoons - Ships & stores flat, recyclable/compostable
• Clear Polypropylene Scoops - Rigid, strong, smooth, and autoclavable
• Sterileware® Economy Sample Scoops - Inexpensive, accurate measuring
• Sterileware® Economy Sample Spoons - For small, specific quantities