The Petri Dish Gets a Makeover

A nanopore membrane creates faster, surer cultures for everything from hospital diagnostics to water-quality checks. A new type of diagnostic could let hospital laboratories identify the presence of dangerous bacteria up to five times faster than conventional methods. The test could reduce unnecessary antibiotic use and provide more reliable water-quality test results. The key to the process is a membrane with nanosized pores, which enable rapid growth and identification of live organisms.

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