Bunsen burners’ reputation for sterilizing workplaces flames out0

• SCIENCE, Science / Health, Science Mission Directorate, scientists, Space, Space Communications & Navigation Program, Space Launch System (SLS), Space Telescope, space-x-ipo, SpaceX
• September 7, 2026

The Bunsen burner’s future in modern microbiology labs is flickering, some scientists say. Credit: Alfonso Fabio Iozzino/Alamy The Bunsen burner, a workhorse of biology and chemistry labs around the world for decades, might have been getting more credit than it deserves. Many scientists have long relied on Bunsen burners to decontaminate airspace and surfaces in