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Material Measurement Laboratory

News and Updates

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Topic Area

Stopping Fentanyl at the Border: Can Chemical Detectors Help?

November 21, 2019

Large quantities of the synthetic drug fentanyl flow into the country at ports of entry along the Southwest border, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency. As

Stem Cells and AI: Better Together

November 18, 2019

One day in the future when you need medical care, someone will examine you, diagnose the problem, remove some of your body’s healthy cells, and then use them to

woman in a blue dress and white sweater stands next to an electron microscope

Spotlight: June Lau

November 18, 2019

Closing in on a clear picture: NIST's June Lau, in collaboration with Brookhaven National Lab and Euclid Techlabs, is giving us a freeze-frame look at the

Several rectangular pieces of flat metal, a fake key and a rectangular "gun shaped" piece of metal are arranged on a table.

NIST Develops New Standards to Improve Metal-Detector Testing

November 6, 2019

Metal detectors now appear routinely in the entrances of many schools, airports and even houses of worship. They serve as portals to correctional facilities

A Solution to a Hairy Problem in Forensic Science

November 5, 2019

In an effort to make hair comparison a more useful technique for investigating crimes, scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

A photo illustration of a hand holding forceps editing DNA

NIST Seeks Comments on Genome Editing Terms

September 18, 2019

The NIST Genome Editing Consortium seeks feedback on terms and definitions specific to genome editing. The purpose of this project is to encourage the use of a

A Safer Way for Police to Test Drug Evidence

September 17, 2019

Scientists have demonstrated a way for police to quickly and safely test whether a baggie or other package contains illegal drugs without having to handle any

Woman in safety goggles operates an instrument housed in an aluminum briefcase

Sniffing Out Corpses and Other Signs of Trouble

September 10, 2019

Science stinks. So thought Megan Harries as she measured drops of putrescine and cadaverine — the chemicals that give decomposing corpses their distinctive

Multiscale Polymer Dynamics in Hierarchical Carbon Nanotube Grafted Glass Fiber Reinforced Composites

August 27, 2019

NIST researchers utilized a suite of techniques typically reserved to investigate polymer dynamics and structure in nanocomposites with dispersed fillers to

A test tube is filled with spherical particles, with an equal sign and a question mark next to it.

Solving the Big Problem of Measuring Tiny Nanoparticles

August 14, 2019

Tiny nanoparticles play a gargantuan role in modern life, even if most consumers are unaware of their presence. They provide essential ingredients in sunscreen

10 NIST Researchers Receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

July 25, 2019

WASHINGTON — Ten researchers from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) received the Presidential Early Career

American Chemical Society highlights NIST paper with Editor’s Choice Award

June 26, 2019

A recent manuscript published in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels was selected for the Editor’s Choice Award, which is given to just one paper every day across

New NIST Reference Material Aims to Improve Food Safety in Corn Products

June 18, 2019

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new reference material that can be used to identify deadly toxins in

A man in brown camouflage clothing, including baseball cap, gloves and ear protection, uses a long pole to clean the inside of an HVAC unit outside a military tent.

NIST Study Identifies Chemical Blends as Possible Alternative Refrigerants

May 29, 2019

More than a dozen chemical blends could serve as alternative refrigerants that won’t heat the atmosphere as much as today’s refrigerants do, or catch fire

A woman with goggles prepares a sample near a large instrument.

How Milk Does an Animal Body Good

May 7, 2019

It has been called the world’s most perfect food, and there’s unequivocal evidence that it can fight off disease and build better baby brains. But even after

NIST Genome Editing Workshop to Explore Measurement Challenges

April 1, 2019

A workshop on May 3, 2019 on the NIST campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland will explore the measurement and standards needs of members of industry, academia

Assessing the Next-Generation Backing Materials for Body Armor Testing

March 28, 2019

A framework of rheological techniques was developed to evaluate a candidate ballistic witness material developed by the U.S. Army.

NMR scientists from ACMD selected for Best Poster award

March 7, 2019

A NIST poster presenting recent breakthroughs in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) analysis of vapor mixtures was recently awarded “Best Poster” at

An illustration of a small particle is placed next to an illustration of polystyrene spheres.

Want to Avoid Problems in Powerful New Drugs? Ask a Roofer.

February 28, 2019

Understanding how proteins clump together is essential in modern pharmaceuticals. When these tiny particles aggregate, they can alter the effectiveness of both

NIST 2D NMR ‘Fingerprinting’ Study Gives Biopharmaceutical Sector New Power to Assure High Quality Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutics

December 20, 2018

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently completed a large international study * that establishes two-dimensional