News and Updates

Displaying 1 - 25 of 705

NIST Releases New Forensic Genetic Reference Material to Help Crime Laboratories Analyze Challenging Cases

February 17, 2026

The reference material is the first to include mixtures of high-quality and degraded DNA from different individuals.  

Space: The Final Frontier for Standards

February 9, 2026

Seven NIST reference materials, including house dust and freeze-dried human liver tissue, have been flown to the International Space Station.

Nanoscale Mechanical Characterization for Hybrid-Bonding-Ready Structures in Advanced Packaging

January 29, 2026

Since the first computers were developed, their performance has mainly depended on increasing the density of transistors on monolithic chips. However, as we...

MMSD Staff Release 2025 Version of SRD31, Phase Equilibria Diagrams (PED)

November 25, 2025

Phase Equilibria Diagrams (PED) Version 6.0 of SRD31 is now commercially available with a new custom windowing system that improves and streamlines use of the...

Sparks shoot off as a laser cutting head slices a metal pipe into thin circles.

Building a Sustainable Metals Infrastructure: NIST Report Highlights Key Strategies

November 20, 2025

Making metals processing more sustainable and resilient will support U.S industrial innovation and competitiveness.

A semiconductor rendering at center with seven boxes, each illustrating: chemical kinetics & degree of cure; cure kinetics mapping; chemorheology & viscoelasticity; cure & hygrothermal induced warpage; cure & hygrothermal induced stress; extent of reaction & composition; and viscoelasticity mapping.

The “Soft Side” of Chips: NIST Advances Polymer Science for Semiconductor Packaging

September 10, 2025

After powering five decades of innovation, Moore’s Law is faltering. Here’s how the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is helping the...

A microscopic image of NISTCHO cells that are stained blue and green on a black background..

NIST’s ‘Living Reference Material’ Could Accelerate R&D of Lifesaving Biological Drugs

September 8, 2025

The NIST reference material, called NISTCHO, will help the biopharmaceutical industry develop new drugs more quickly and ensure that they are safe and effective...

Illustration shows two clear jars full of marbles on a red table with a piece of paper that says “Find the Concentration.”

NIST Researchers Develop More Accurate Formula for Measuring Particle Concentration

August 20, 2025

The new method will be useful in various fields, including nanomedicine, food science, environmental science and advanced manufacturing.

picture of a white box with a sticker label with a sticker label containing words Standard Reference Material 965c Glucose in Frozen Human Serum

SRM Story: SRM 965c Glucose in Frozen Human Serum

August 14, 2025

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that over 40 % of Americans suffer from diabetes-related conditions, including 29 million...

A woman wearing a lab coat and safety glasses stares into a large microscope.

New NIST Reference Material to Strengthen Quality Control for Biological Drugs

July 31, 2025

Impurities in these drugs can cause undesirable immune responses in patients and can significantly drive up costs for drug manufacturers.

A Particle Size SRM for Training and Qualifying Visual Inspection Analysts

July 31, 2025

NIST received requests from scientists in the biopharmaceutical industry, instrument vendors, and from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to develop a...

SRM 2323 - Step Height Standard for Areal Surface Topography Measurement

NIST Developed an SRM to Aid the Forensic Analysis of Firearms and Toolmarks

July 30, 2025

When a gun is fired, microscopic markings are left on the expelled bullet and cartridge case. Forensic firearm and toolmark examiners compare these markings to...

Close-up photo of multicolored gummy bears lying on a surface with cannabis buds interspersed.

NIST Makes First Detection of Cannabis in Breath From Edibles

July 24, 2025

Currently there are no reliable roadside tests to determine when a person consumed cannabis or how intoxicated they are as a result.

SRM Story: SRM 1641f Mercury in Water

July 17, 2025

Natural erosion and weathering of rocks and soils, as well as inputs from industrial processes, contribute to the mineral content of groundwater, rivers, lakes...

An image showing 22 pairs of numbered and color-coded chromosomes on a black background.

NIST Releases Trove of Genetic Data to Spur Cancer Research

July 16, 2025

NIST and collaborating institutions have released extensive data about the genome of pancreatic cancer cells.

New NIST Research Grade Test Material to support mRNA therapeutics

July 14, 2025

Messenger RNA ( mRNA)-based therapies require a careful assessment of Critical Quality Attributes (CQAs) using various analytical techniques, to ensure...

SRM Story: SRM 1224 Carbon Steel, AISI 1078 (disk form)

July 7, 2025

Do you ever think about how steel can be used for surgical instruments, reinforced concrete, cookware, ball bearings, railroad tracks, generating electricity...

STRBase Web Resource Update

July 1, 2025

A significant update was undertaken to modernize STRBase and make it more user-friendly. This project aimed to ensure that the website remains a relevant and...

An RM for Assessing the Performance of Bioprocess Measurement Systems

June 30, 2025

After the release of NISTmAb RM 8671, the biopharmaceutical community noted that a monoclonal antibody (mAb) producing Chinese hamster ovary line (CHO) cell...

Bioinspired Materials Can Take a Punch

June 24, 2025

Scientists develop new impact-resistant material based on the exoskeleton of the mantis shrimp.

A researcher in a lab coat and safety glasses uses lab equipment as another researcher looks on.

Spotlight: NIST Hosts Training Course on Sequencing of Bacterial Genomes Using Both Single Bacterial Strains and Stool Samples

May 22, 2025

NIST recently hosted a training course for graduate students and early-career researchers at its lab in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The participants learned about...

Material Measurement Laboratory