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Material Measurement Laboratory

News and Updates

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How Do Nature’s Materials Stack Up? “Patchy” Framework Offers New Insights into Self-Assembly

April 19, 2016

Nature’s toolkit includes its still-matchless ability to effortlessly assemble proteins, membranes and other complex structures from parts lists of atoms...

For Rechargeable Batteries That Crush the Competition, Crush This Material

April 1, 2016

By chemically modifying and pulverizing a promising group of compounds, scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have potentially...

DNA-Encoded Circuits Made Easier, Faster, and More Measurable

April 1, 2016

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston University, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have...

Amping Antimicrobial Discovery with Automation

March 16, 2016

The antimicrobial arsenal that we count on to save millions of lives each year is alarmingly thin—and these microbes are rapidly evolving resistance to our...

Study Highlights Need for Better Characterized Genomes for Clinical Sequencing

March 2, 2016

A new study that assesses the accuracy of modern human-genome-sequencing technologies found that some medically significant portions of an individual's DNA...

3-millimeter-long capacitors (top photo), NASA photo showing cracks(bottom)

New NIST Method May Find Elusive Flaws in Medical Implants and Spacecraft

February 29, 2016

Medical implants and spacecraft can suddenly go dead, often for the same reason: cracks in ceramic capacitors, devices that store electric charge in electronic...

How Refreshing: NIST's Natural Air Standards Support Accurate Greenhouse Gas Measurements

February 19, 2016

When it comes to tallying emissions of greenhouse gases, there is no better substitute than directly measuring the atmosphere. But this important accounting can...

New Experimental Test Detects Signs of Lyme Disease Near Time of Infection

February 11, 2016

When it comes to early diagnosis of Lyme disease, the insidious tick-borne illness that afflicts about 300,000 Americans annually, finding the proverbial needle...

Image of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor

Assessing the Biosimilarity of Protein Drugs: New Study Shows Method's Precision at Atomic Resolution

February 5, 2016

A first-ever interlaboratory study of four versions of a therapeutic protein drug—all manufactured from living cells—reports that an established analytical tool...

NIST Simulates Fast, Accurate DNA Sequencing Through Graphene Nanopore

January 15, 2016

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have simulated a new concept for rapid, accurate gene sequencing by pulling a DNA...

Portable NIST Kit Can Recover Traces of Chemical Evidence

January 7, 2016

A chemist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a portable version of his method for recovering trace chemicals such as...

NIST Featured in Media's Top Science Stories of 2015

January 6, 2016

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is featured in several of the news media's lists of the top science stories of 2015. NIST's change at...

Electron micrograph of surface-directed nanochannels formed on surface of indium phosphide.

Nanoworld "Snow Blowers" Carve Straight Channels in Semiconductor Surfaces

December 28, 2015

In the nanoworld, tiny particles of gold can operate like snow blowers, churning through surface layers of an important class of semiconductors to dig...

black and white image that looks like a dust bunny

Mixing Modern Materials? NIST Math App Helps You Manage Your Mashup

December 22, 2015

Imagine you're baking a special cake, one in which the shape of each mote of spice mixed into the batter can have a profound effect on your dessert's color, its...

Scientist puts material down below a tube. Background: computer screen

NFL, Under Armour, GE & National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Announce Five Winners of Head Health Challenge III

December 15, 2015

NEW YORK – The National Football League (NFL), Under Armour (NYSE:UA), GE (NYSE: GE), and the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and...