National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

A rare but painful disorder can make it difficult for people to swallow food. The symptoms include weight loss and chest pain after eating. Scientists are working to better understand this condition, known as?corkscrew esophagus.? NIST and Northwestern University researchers are using math, physics and computer modeling to help contribute to treatment options for the condition.? Learn more in our latest Taking Measure blog post: https://lnkd.in/e7vSRzvj #Physics #Math?

Exploring the unknown without any tools wouldn’t be wise. To identify an unknown chemical compound, for example, it’s important to have a reference to compare against. That’s what NIST provides to chemists across the nation and beyond. Mass spectrometry is a technique that analyzes chemical compounds and produces a unique pattern for each. This pattern is the chemical compound’s fingerprint, a mass spectrum. Every compound in the universe has unique one, which makes mass spec a very powerful tool. Our Mass Spectrometry Data Center compiles and shares libraries of reference data, featuring more than 2 million spectra, and is used by industry, academia and other federal agencies. These spectra help scientists to identify everything from proteins for forensic evidence to ‘forever chemicals’ (i.e., from proteomics to polyfluoroalkyl substances). The mass spectral libraries that NIST creates are delivered to thousand users every year, showcasing their versatility for industrial chemistry, forensic science, pharmaceuticals, clinical medicine, environmental science, the food industry, and much more.? To search for your unknowns, start here: chemdata.nist.gov #Chemistry #Spectrometry #ForensicScience #Pharmaceuticals #Data

We learn about atoms by studying their light — specifically, whether they emit or absorb particular types of light. This is what the field of atomic spectroscopy studies.? Anywhere plasma is used, you find atomic spectroscopy. NIST has a database that helps businesses and researchers find and use this important information. The database receives more than 70,000 search requests each month, and users rely on it to design lighting, operate thermonuclear power plants and more.? There is no equivalent database anywhere else, so scientists worldwide count on NIST to provide this service that only we have the expertise to manage. Learn more in our latest Taking Measure blog post: https://lnkd.in/eRHPuvMG #Atomic #Spectroscopy #Database #Plasma #Light

NIST is pleased to announce the International Face and Fingerprint Performance Conference (IFPC) 2025 on April 1 - 3, 2025. IFPC is focused on all technical factors affecting the deployment and use of high-performance face recognition tools, including risk management, demographic effects, age estimation and verification, accuracy measurement, and more. IFPC 2025 will bring together global experts in face and fingerprint recognition to enhance performance, transparency, and trustworthiness of these technologies. IFPC 2025 is hosted by NIST in conjunction with the DHS Science and Technology Directorate and European Association for Biometrics (EAB). Register Now: https://lnkd.in/dRfMPXUt #Biometrics #Fingerprinting #FacialRecognition #CareerGrowth

We can make time go faster (kind of). Here's how:? The Integrating Sphere-based Weathering Device, also known as SPHERE, is designed to simulate real-world environmental conditions to test the durability of materials. In this video, you can see guest researcher Leo Hsu adding a sample to a chamber within the SPHERE. By exposing samples to controlled levels of UV radiation, temperature, humidity, and mechanical stress, this device helps researchers assess how materials will perform over time.? It’s a crucial tool for providing accurate data and accelerating weathering tests that can lead to longer-lasting, more reliable products.? ?#MaterialTesting #WeatheringDevice #InnovationInScience?

NIST has released a human stool reference material to aid gut microbiome research, a promising field of biomedical research that could one day offer treatments for some of humanity’s most serious and intractable diseases.? ? The human gut microbiome is a rich ecosystem of microorganisms and their byproducts that line the human gastrointestinal tract. During the last decade, scientists have linked activity in the gut microbiome to obesity, diabetes, cancer and other medical conditions.? ? To study the microbiome, researchers often investigate human stool samples, which contain a rich sampling of the gut microbiome’s contents.? ? NIST’s stool reference material is "the most precisely measured, scientifically analyzed and richly characterized human fecal standard ever produced,” said NIST molecular geneticist Scott Jackson. “We hope our reference material will lay the foundation for gut microbiome research to thrive and reach its full potential.” https://lnkd.in/gu6VsXqf? #ReferenceMaterial #Microbiome #Bioscience #Health #Biomedical

It’s not luck that ensures the food you buy in the grocery store is safe or the lab where your doctor sends your samples accurately calculated your cholesterol levels.?? That's one of the big reasons NIST exists—to reduce uncertainty in our measurements and increase your confidence in the information you use to make important decisions in your daily life.? And part of the way NIST does that is through Standard Reference Materials (SRMs). In fact, NIST produces than 1,000 different types of SRMs, from gold nanoparticles to slurried spinach.? Read more about SRMs at https://lnkd.in/g8EfDp8P #StPatricksDay #Standards #ReferenceMaterial

Happy Pi Day from NIST! #PiDay

Ever heard of a geoduck clam? These uniquely shaped outsized mollusks are an important U.S. food product and vital to coastal economies in Washington state and Alaska. To make sure these clams and other shellfish are safe to eat, they must be tested for:? ?? toxic elements? ?? biotoxins? ???inorganic arsenic (a known carcinogen) and other compounds NIST researchers developed a standard reference material that will help support more accurate measurements of inorganic arsenic in geoduck clams and other shellfish.? Learn more about the material: https://lnkd.in/ewS9x3HT #Shellfish #Standards #Health #Arsenic #Innovation #AnalyticalChemistry

Maria Sk?odowska-Curie (commonly known as Marie Curie) revolutionized our understanding of the atomic world. Her work had long-lasting effects on medicine, technology and the course of human history.?? An extraordinary scientist, Nobel Prize winner, wife and mother, Curie paved a path into science?for generations of women who came after her. One of the women Curie inspired is NIST researcher Justyna Zwolak, whose work focuses on using AI and computer vision to advance quantum technology.? Learn Justyna’s story – and how Curie’s life and legacy motivated her – in our latest Taking Measure blog post: https://lnkd.in/ek4XW-jd