The research lab
A setting for science and academia
The term ‘laboratory’ is derived from the Latin word ‘laborare’, which means to ‘work’ or to ‘strive’ – a laboratory is a scientific workplace where skilled professionals, but also students during their education, conduct scientific, technical or medical experiments, inspections, measurements and tests.
The laboratory is an essential aspect of and academia: it enables to be conducted under controlled conditions – and therefore provide precise and reliable results. Many scientific breakthroughs and technological innovations would have been impossible without work in a laboratory.
What are the different types of laboratory?
The equipment in laboratories varies depending on the discipline and . There are, for example
- Chemistry labs: a chemistry laboratory is specifically equipped for chemical experiments and analyses. It is where chemical reactions are studied, new substances are synthesised and existing materials are analysed. Typical equipment includes laboratory glass instruments, chemicals, scales and spectrometers.
- Physics labs: a physics laboratory is where physical phenomena are investigated. This can comprise experiments involving mechanics. electricity, magnetism or optics. Its equipment often includes oscilloscopes, lasers, particle accelerators and a variety of sensors.
- Biology labs: a biology laboratory specialises in the investigation of living organisms and biological processes. It is where experiments involving genetics, cell biology, microbiology and ecology take place. Microscopes, incubators and pipettes are typical equipment in such a laboratory.
- Medical labs: the term medical laboratories can apply to locations in which diagnostics commissioned by physicians is performed. These laboratories are used to analyse patient samples, such as blood, urine or tissue, to help diagnose illnesses and monitor therapies.