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Material Measurement Laboratory

News and Updates

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'A Little Off the Top' Helps NIST Map Cells with Submicrometer Resolution

March 1, 2011

To determine if a tissue biopsy reveals the presence of cancer, a histologist often screens for cells with an abnormal appearance or a specific visible trait...

Using Artificial, Cell-Like 'Honey Pots' To Entrap Deadly Viruses

March 1, 2011

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Weill Cornell Medical College have designed artificial "protocells" that can...

Transmission electron micrograph of gold nanoparticles clustering in solution.

NIST Technique Controls Sizes of Nanoparticle Clusters for EHS Studies

February 2, 2011

The same properties that make engineered nanoparticles attractive for numerous applications—small as a virus, biologically and environmentally stabile, and...

Eggs Show Arctic Mercury Cycling May Be Linked to Ice Cover

January 19, 2011

An international research team working with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) scientists at the Hollings Marine Laboratory (HML) in...

New Guidance Issued for First Responders Collecting Suspected Biothreat Agents

November 24, 2010

Suspicious packages and powders have triggered more than 30,000 responses by U.S. law enforcement agencies across the country since 2001. These events are...

Three NIST Scientists Earn Presidential Early Career Awards

November 24, 2010

Three NIST researchers have been chosen to receive Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the U.S...

Image of the preparation of quartz crystal microbalance disks

Quartz Crystal Microbalances Enable New Microscale Analytic Technique

November 24, 2010

A new chemical analysis technique developed by a research group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) uses the shifting ultrasonic pitch...

New NIST Dietary Supplement Reference Materials Could Be 'Berry' Useful

November 9, 2010

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers have developed new certified reference materials for measuring amounts of organic acids in...

Faster CARS, Less Damage: NIST Chemical Microscopy Shows Potential for Cell Diagnostics

October 13, 2010

A paper by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) may breathe new life into the use of a powerful—but tricky—diagnostic...

Illustration of a single row of nanowires

Growing Nanowires Horizontally Yields New Benefit: 'Nano-LEDs'

September 28, 2010

While refining their novel method for making nanoscale wires, chemists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) discovered an unexpected...

NIST to Host Third Annual Maryland Stem Cell Research Symposium

September 14, 2010

On Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will host the Third Annual Maryland Stem Cell Research Symposium at NIST...

Archaeologists routinely use radiometric dating to determine the age of materials such as ancient campfires and mammoth teeth.

Research Shows Radiometric Dating Still Reliable (Again)

September 14, 2010

Recent puzzling observations of tiny variations in nuclear decay rates have led some to question the science of using decay rates to determine the relative ages...

Micro Rheometer is Latest Lab On a Chip Device

August 31, 2010

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a microminiaturized device that can make complex viscosity...

Body of Evidence: New Fast, Reliable Method to Detect Gravesoil

July 21, 2010

Nothing against bloodhounds, but finding bodies buried by someone who wanted them to stay undiscovered can be difficult. However a new technique developed by...

'Instant Acid' Method Offers New Insight into Nanoparticle Dispersal in the Environment and the Body

June 9, 2010

Using a chemical trick that allows them to change the acidity of a solution almost instantly, a team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST...

Experimental hydrogel scaffolds prepared at NIST for culturing bone cells clearly show the dependence of bone mineralization on the stiffness of the gel.

Scaffold Gradients: Finding the Right Environment for Developing Cells

May 25, 2010

People often have strong opinions on the "right" firmness of mattresses for themselves, and, as it turns out, some cell types have similar preferences for their...

NDE Methods for Evaluating Ancient Coins Could be Worth Their Weight in Gold

May 25, 2010

Demonstrating that chemistry sometimes can inform history, researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Colorado College and...

NIST to Sponsor Greenhouse Gas Emissions Workshop

May 25, 2010

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is sponsoring a workshop on June 2 and 3 to discuss technical barriers to our ability to accurately...

New Study Helps Explain the Surprising Behavior of Tiny 'Artificial Muscles'

April 27, 2010

Using neutron beams and atomic-force microscopes, a team of university researchers working with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) may...

Knowing When Poultry Goes Foul

April 13, 2010

Mom's trusty nose may be good, but researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have gone her one better by designing an instrument...

A quantum-mechanics-based simulation demonstrates how a new NIST instrument can delicately pull a chain of atoms apart.

NIST Researchers Holding Steady in an Atomic-Scale Tug-of-War

March 30, 2010

How hard do you have to pull on a single atom of--let's say--gold to detach it from the end of a chain of like atoms?* It's a measure of the astonishing...

This atomic-force microscopy image shows wrinkling in a single-wall carbon nanotube membrane; the inset shows an optical reflection micrograph of the membrane without any strain.

NIST Scientists Address 'Wrinkles' in Transparent Film Development

March 30, 2010

A closer look at a promising nanotube coating that might one day improve solar cells has turned up a few unexpected wrinkles, according to new research...

Mouse Work: New Insights on a Fundamental DNA Repair Mechanism

March 2, 2010

Adding a new link to our understanding of the complex chain of chemistry that keeps living cells alive, a team of researchers from the University of Vermont...

Future of Hydrogen Fuel Flows Through New NIST Test Facility

February 16, 2010

If hydrogen is ever to play a significant role as a clean, everyday energy source, it will need a safe and reliable distribution system. To pave the way for a...

Marine Lab Hunts Subtle Clues to Environmental Threats to Blue Crabs

January 26, 2010

The Atlantic blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, long prized as a savory meal at a summer party or seafood restaurant, is a multi-million dollar source of income...

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