Many scientists have long relied on Bunsen burners to decontaminate airspace and surfaces in labs. The burners' flames were thought to create convection currents that carry microbe-containing particles away from the lab bench. Now, a study has found not only that the devices are ineffective at cleansing workspaces of bacteria-laden particles, but that they can even make contamination worse. Even before the study came out, biologists had divided opinions about Bunsen burners, says Hannah Gavin, a microbiologist at Providence College in Rhode Island and a co-author of the paper. Some researchers swore by the burners' ability to sterilize research spaces, but others had doubts. The study could fuel debate about whether this low-tech device still has a place in the modern laboratory. It could even be the 'nail in the coffin' for the burners' use in biology labs, says Amir Mitchell, a systems biologist at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in Worcester. Researchers began...
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