New Species Named After Thermo Fisher Scientific: <i>Fissuroderes thermoi</i>

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, has been honored by having a new species named after it by researchers at the Natural History Museum, Humboldt University, Berlin.

Fissuroderes thermoi, a species of microscopic worm of the group Kinorhyncha, was recently identified during the groups’ evolutionary research using the Thermo Scientific Heraeus^® Multifuge^® 3S for specimen preparation. Excellent customer relations and superior centrifuge performance has contributed greatly to their success. The new species was identified following extensive studies of marine habitats in the deep sea and continental shelf of New Zealand and Costa Rica. The use of the Heraeus Multifuge 3S has significantly aided this research, providing robust, fail-safe performance to meet the demands of both their university- and ship-based laboratories.

Dr Birger Neuhaus of the Humboldt University’s Natural History Museum has been studying the evolution of microscopic worms for the past 20 years. “Most of these worms live in a marine environment. Deep-sea expeditions allow me to collect and study these species and as such I have to look for robust instrumentation to take on board.” He continued, “I have worked closely with Thermo Fisher Scientific over the last 7 years and built a good relationship with the team. Thermo Fisher Scientific has been extremely accommodating and has provided me with a quality centrifuge that was easy-to-use and could withstand the rigors of life at sea. The Hereaus Multifuge 3S is extremely well balanced and reliable, even on a moving ship, and this has been critical to the efficient isolation and study of retrieved specimens.”

As a robust high-capacity centrifuge, the Thermo Scientific Heraeus Multifuge 3S can process large numbers of samples within a compact footprint. This flexible centrifuge range offers a wide selection of rotors and can accept up to 68x15ml, 28x50 ml conical tubes, or up to 16 microplates, allowing up to 3 litres of sample to be processed in one run. In an unpredictable environment such as on board a research ship, user safety is of paramount importance. The Heraeus Multifuge 3S range uses a wide range of adapters, inserts and bucket sealing lids to ensure hazardous materials are securely contained. Additionally, with the highly efficient SMARTspin™ imbalance detection system, the Thermo Scientific Heraeus Multifuge 3S is not only fast but provides the maximum protection for both users and samples.

To find out more about the methods used for the classification of Fissuroderes thermoi, amongst others, please read Birger Neuhaus & Tina Blasche, Zoologischer Anzeiger 245 (2006) 19-52.

For more information on the Hereaus^® Multifuge 3S, please visit the article webpage.