Abstract: Laboratory spatula having stalk regions with a hollow first end and a hollow second end and at manipulating regions may be used for collecting, transporting or storing a material. A manipulating region may be configured as a shovel region, a scoop region, a whisk region, a punch region, a sieve region, a loop region, a cutting edge, a spreading region, a grinding region, a hook region, a scraper region, a tweezer region, a grasper region, or a pick region. The spatula may be lightweight and disposable, and may be any appropriate size including micro size, a regular size, or a macro size. The spatula may also have an anti-stick surface. The spatula may be calibrated, and may include calibration marks or additional features.

Abstract: Methods of determining the presence or amount of a target polynucleotide in a sample are provided. A sample that contains a target polynucleotide, a polynucleotide that may include nucleic acid analogs and that is complementary to a target nucleic acid sequence of the target polynucleotide, and a dye for which the rate of change in an optical property is different in the presence and absence of a target polynucleotide/polynucleotide hybrid are combined to produce a reaction mixture. The rate of change in an optical property of the dye in the reaction mixture is compared to a reference value characteristic of the rate of change in the optical property of the dye in a similar reaction mixture containing a known amount of a polynucleotide/polynucleotide hybrid to determine a relative rate of change in the optical property. The relative rate of change in the optical property of dye in the reaction mixture is correlated with the presence or amount of the specified target polynucleotide in the sample.