Cell lysis is a process in which the outer cell membrane is broken to release intracellular constituents in a way that important information about the DNA or RNA of an organism can be obtained. This article is a thorough review of reported methods for the achievement of effective cellular boundaries disintegration, together with their technological peculiarities and instrumental requirements. The different approaches are summarized in six categories: chemical, mechanical, electrical methods, thermal, laser, and other lysis methods. Based on the results derived from each of the investigated reports, we outline the advantages and disadvantages of those techniques. Although the choice of a suitable method is highly dependent on the particular requirements of the specific scientific problem, we conclude with a concise table where the benefits of every approach are compared, based on criteria such as cost, efficiency, and difficulty.

In recent years, excessive utilization of antibiotics has led to the emergence of antibiotic microbial resistance on a planetary scale. This recent phenomenon represents a serious threat to public health, as well as an enormous burden for healthcare systems’ budgets worldwide. Novel, rapid and cheap methods for antibiotic susceptibility screening are urgently needed for this obstacle to be overcome. In this paper, we present a microfluidic device for on-chip antibiotic resistance testing, which allows for antibiotic microbial resistance detection within 6 hours. The design, fabrication and experimental utilization of the device are thoroughly described and analyzed, as well as possibilities for future automation of the whole process. The accessibility of such a device for all people, regardless of economic status, was of utmost importance for us during the development of the project.

Microfluidics, also known as lab-on-a-chip or micro total analysis systems, can precisely regulate and manipulate micro-sized fluids. They have great potential in biology, chemistry, and medicine, as well as other fields of science. By definition, microfluidic devices operate with small-volume samples and small reactant quantities, which renders them both efficient and affordable. However, such small objects have very demanding requirements for the utilized optical detection system. Due to the specifics of those devices, monitoring the results of experiments is carried out with commercial inverted optical microscopes. Unfortunately, that type of optical device is still expensive. In this article, we present a truly functional, inexpensive, standalone, three-dimensionally printed, and inverted microscope, including the design, engineering, and manufacturing process and some of the experiments that have been conducted with it. Finally, we summarize the advantages of this three-dimensionally printed microscope (including the total fabrication costs) and the future improvements that will be introduced to it.

The growing use of large language models (LLMs) in scientific writing has intensified debates about authorship, originality, and research integrity. Critics often argue that LLM-generated text lacks originality because it is derived from existing literature. This Perspective challenges that assumption by arguing that scientific knowledge, whether produced by humans or machines, is inherently cumulative. We argue that both researchers and LLM systems operate within inherited bodies of scientific knowledge, making intellectual leadership rather than textual production the defining criterion of authorship. Researchers remain the legitimate authors when they formulate the research question, develop the central ideas, and critically direct LLMs throughout the writing process. Beyond authorship, we argue that scientific publishing increasingly rewards procedural compliance over epistemic quality, allowing formal citation practices to substitute for conceptual coherence. Rather than undermining research integrity, LLMs offer an opportunity to restore greater emphasis on reasoning and critical evaluation. Finally, we propose integrating standardized LLM-based verification directly into journal submission systems. Automated verification of references, factual consistency, and scientific and technical integrity should precede peer review, allowing reviewers to focus on originality, scientific significance, and conceptual evaluation. Properly governed, LLMs can become not only a writing assistant but also an institutional component of scientific quality assurance.