November 20 - 1:50pm EST   OnScreen Science today announced that OnScreen DNA Lite, the entry-level edition of its software for learning the structure and function of DNA, is available for free via download. OnScreen DNA Lite uses a 3D virtual model in a tutorial framework to teach the structural details of DNA, including its double helix geometry and chemical components and bonds. The software also includes animated simulations of biotech lab phenomena in which the two strands of DNA are seen to separate and then reattach. OnScreen DNA Lite requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. [full story]

November 14 - 4:05pm EST   Wolfram Research today announced a slew of specialized add-ons for its Mathematica 6 software designed specifically for interactivity as well as graphics and data integration. Mathematica serves as computational software for science and technology that boasts thousands of original algorithms as well as a tightly unified overall design. The company lists numerous applications that are fully compatible with Mathematica 6 which provide a broad array of functionality, from a finite-element environment to extending as well as organizing and visualizing everyday work in Mathematica. [full story]

November 2 - 7:05pm EDT   Papers, a program which helps scientists on the Mac to create and organize their Personal Library of Scientific literature, has been updated to version 1.5. The new release brings over 100 new features and bug fixes. A major new addition is support for search engine plugins, it ships with built-in support for Google Scholar, Google Books, Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science. The new release is also fully compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, has an improved and streamlined user interface, and more tightly integrates with other applications in the literature workflow. This is a free update for existing users and prices start from 29 euros for a single user license. PhD students ... [full story]

October 24 - 5:50pm EDT   Gene Codes today released the latest revision of Sequencher, its Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence assembly and analysis software. The update is designed to be easy to use, fast, and powerful enough to handle virtually any DNA sequencing need, according to the company. "Researchers in academic labs and pharmaceutical companies around the world study DNA, which contains the essential genetic instructions key to an organism's growth and development, in hopes of discovering the causes of disease, and the development of novel treatments or diagnostics, and Sequencher is a key tool in their research," Gene Codes stated. Upgrades to Sequencher 4.8 are available for free ... [full story]

October 12 - 11:10am EDT   CLC bio today announced a forthcoming November release of CLC Bioinformatics Database that will enable users of CLC bio's DNA, RNA, and protein sequence analysis software to store and work on sequence data in a secure and shared central relational database. The software aims to raise the bar for what users can expect from a database system, and the development team has focused heavily on eliminating classic obstacles like different operating systems as well as limited support for database formats. CLC Bioinformatics Database is scheduled to ship in November (pricing was unavailable). [full story]

July 24 - 3:20pm EDT   Wolfram Research today released Wolfram Workbench 1.1, the latest revision of its integrated development e4nvironment (IDE) for Methematica technologies. Built on the Eclipse IDE, Workbench 1.1 is designed for all stages of the development process and is fully compatible with Mathematica 6. Key features include support for Mathematica development projects, a specialized Mathematica code editor, syntax coloring, error as well as warning reporting, debugging, profiling, unit testing, and support for gridMathematica as well as webMathematica. Workbench 1.1 adds a Version Migration Assistant to help users optimized Mathematica 5.2 code for Mathematica 6 intelligent Mathematica ... [full story]

July 19 - 12:35pm EDT   Sonny Software has launched Bookends 10, the latest version of its reference, bibliography and general information management program. The software lets users list, tag and search files, organize them into smart groups, and download new ones directly from sources such as Amazon, PubMed and the Library of Congress. Version 10 introduces an improved, customizable interface, including a built-in viewer for PDF, image and text files. Users can now also rate their references, and combine Spotlight searches with those in databases and smart groups. An upgrade is $30; the full program is $70 for students, and otherwise $100. Mac OS X 10.4 is required. [full story]

June 14 - 1:00pm EDT   ResearchWare today released HyperRESEARCH 2.8, a multi-platform software package designed for qualitative analysis research. The latest revision offers enhanced support for Microsoft Windows Vista, runs natively on Intel-based Macs as a Universal Binary, and includes improvements to reporting and printing features alongside broader support for contextual menus. The software is used by researchers in social science research, psychology, usability, and corporate marketing to identify as well as analyze patterns and trends among qualitative data from a variety of media file types, according to ResearchWare. HyperResearch 2.8 is priced at $370 for a single-user license, and ... [full story]

June 11 - 6:30pm EDT  Progeniq has announced a Universal version of its BioBoost Accelerated HMMer application for Mac OS X, which provides hardware accelerated processing for Hidden Markov models (HMMs) -- generally used for protein and DNA sequence analysis. The new release uses Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology, allowing the processor to 'rewire' itself on the fly according to the application that needs to be accelerated. Prices start from $8000 [full story]

May 21 - 4:45pm EDT  Tension Software today released Calcline 1.2, an application designed to evaluate mathematical expressions with parentheses, nested functions, and variables. The mathematical tool is developed in Objective-C and Cocoa exclusively for Mac systems as an easy to use tool that serves as a substitute for the "ancient and obsolete" desktop calculator. Variable assignment and reference inside expressions are simplified via an interactive table, and Calcline supports high precision calculations using long double values. The latest release features smart pasting, new math functions, a result copy button, a fast decimal precision popup, and the ability to update via the network. Calcline 1.2 is priced ... [full story]

May 9 - 5:20pm EDT   VVimaging has released Vvidget 10.4.41, the latest release of its flagship charting and graphing application. The software primarily revolves around a Builder that combines wizards with a point-and-click interface to simplify graph creation. Vvidget also offers built-in support for tracking CPU and website usage, as well as plotting quadratic equations. The new release introduces a volumetric graphing feature alongside the launch of a companion user forum. The update brings new tool icons, as well as various enhancements and bug fixes. Builder itself is free; automating graphs for widgets and desktop programs, however, requires Code ($80 for educational users, $190 for ... [full story]

May 1 - 5:25pm EDT   Wolfram Research has released the latest version of its flagship product, Mathematica 6. The program is designed to ease the burden of performing complex research calculations; the new edition is designed to further expand and automate its functions, the latter through a concept called "instant interactivity." Wolfram claims the latest release can turn models, simulations, computations, and other forms of data into their own applications, often in a matter of seconds. The update expands functions with a new development environment (IDE), which should allow work on infrastructures as well as more routine analysis. [full story]

May 1 - 10:00am EDT   New Zealand-based Biomatters has released Geneious Pro 3.0, an update to the application for scientists designed to search, organize, access, visualize and analyze genomic information. The company says that Geneious Pro 3.0 delivers a 'backbone' application connecting the spectrum of biological science, enabling existing and future software research tools to 'talk' with each other in full inter-operability. Offering sophisticated genome & proteome research tools as well as protein or molecular visualization, Geneious Pro 3.0 allows users to teach or learn bioinformatics interactively and includes patented scientific document and data "search and store" functions. [full story]

April 26 - 3:00pm EDT   Two Mac developers have released the first complete version of Papers 1.0, an application designed for scientists that supports finding and organize research texts on a Mac. Users can add PDF-formatted journals and papers to a database, which organizes them similarly to iTunes with categories such as Year, Rating and when they were last read. Users can also download new papers directly through PubMed, and read via print-out or from within Papers where the documents are viewable in tabbed or full-screen modes. Single user licenses for Papers 1.0 are priced at $40, requiring Mac OS X 10.4 or later. [full story]

February 22 - 5:40pm EST   Maplesoft has begun shipping Maple 11, the latest version of its flagship software for solving complex mathematical problems and creating rich technical documents. The latest revision of Maple features enhancements to its smart document interface, strong computation engine, and connectivity capabilities. The smart document environment automatically captures all technical knowledge in an electronic form to integrate calculations, explanatory text and math, graphics, images, sound, and more. Maple 11 is priced at $1,900 for a professional license, which includes the Maple Toolbox for MATLAB and MapleNet alongside a one year subscription to the Maplesoft Elite Maintenance ... [full story]