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Material Measurement Laboratory

News and Updates

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Topic Area

NIST Tree Nut Reference Materials Support Food Allergen Testing

June 6, 2022

Researchers from NIST have developed hazelnut and almond flour reference materials that will help ensure accurate and consistent results for industry test kits.

NIST Study Gives Animal Testing Alternatives a Confidence Boost

May 17, 2022

Researchers at NIST have worked with the CPSC and Inotiv Inc. to produce a new protocol for screening skin allergens.

Your Clothes Can Have an Afterlife

May 9, 2022

Only about 15% of used clothes and other textiles in the United States get reused or recycled. The other 85% head straight to the landfill or incinerator. This...

NIST Produces Complete Suite of Supports for Testing for Allergens in Food

April 25, 2022

With the addition of two new reference materials containing tree nuts, NIST now offers a complete set of aids for detecting allergens in food. As of 2022, the U...

NIST Supports Accurate Food Labeling with New Standard Reference Material for Fat

April 20, 2022

NIST Standard Reference Material® 2386 Avocado Powder helps food manufacturers evaluate their methods for determining the elements, vitamins, amino acids, fatty...

Illustration shows coffee cup with magnified section showing plastic particles.

NIST Study Shows Everyday Plastic Products Release Trillions of Microscopic Particles Into Water

April 20, 2022

Researchers analyzed widely used consumer products to better understand these microscopic plastics.

NIST Supports Measurements of Vitamins in Dietary Supplement Tablets

April 14, 2022

NIST Standard Reference Material ® 3289 Multivitamin Tablets will be used by testing laboratories to support the development of new analytical methods that...

An open black box with foam inserts holds plastic vials labeled SRM 2917.

NIST Collaborates With EPA to Develop a Standard to Improve Fecal Pollution Measurements in Recreational Waters

April 6, 2022

As we approach summer beach season, you may occasionally encounter a "keep out" sign indicating that the area is temporarily closed. If fecal pollution is...

First Complete Human Genome Poised to Strengthen Genetic Analysis, NIST Study Shows

March 31, 2022

Alongside the newly updated human genome, which fills in long-standing gaps to fully spell out the more than 3 billion letters that compose our genetic code, a...

Ultraviolet Light Can Clean N95 Masks for Reuse Without Hindering Performance, NIST Study Shows

March 25, 2022

To combat COVID-19 amid supply shortages in 2020, health care facilities across the U.S. resorted to disinfecting personal protective equipment (PPE), such as...

Revamped Design Could Take Powerful Biological Computers From the Test Tube to the Cell

March 23, 2022

Tiny biological computers made of DNA could revolutionize the way we diagnose and treat a slew of diseases, once the technology is fully fleshed out. However, a...

Spotlight: Mimicking Our Own Senses to Detect Ovarian Cancer

March 17, 2022

Discovering diseases early can mean successful treatment for patients, but many diagnostic tests aren’t sensitive enough for early detection. That’s why NIST...

120 Years of Data at NIST

March 2, 2022

In celebration of the 50 th anniversary of the founding of the Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data (JPCRD), two NIST scientists have published a...

New Benchmark Could Improve Detection of Genetic Variants Linked to Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Other Diseases

February 7, 2022

The stretches of DNA that differ from person to person, called variants, are a major part of what makes us unique, but they can also put us at greater risk of...

Suite of NIST Reference Materials Reflects Supply Chain and Production Stages of Ginseng Supplements

January 25, 2022

Three NIST reference materials of ginseng in different forms support ginseng supplement manufacturers’ analysis of the authenticity and purity of their products...

NIST Food Nutrition and Safety Quality Assurance Program Launches New Exercise

January 21, 2022

The second exercise of the NIST Food Nutrition and Safety Quality Assurance Program (FNSQAP) is underway. FNSQAP helps food laboratories demonstrate measurement...

NIST Quality Assurance Program for Dietary Supplement Measurements Open for Registration

January 21, 2022

NIST has revitalized the Dietary Supplement Laboratory Quality Assurance Program (DSQAP) to support the measurement needs of the dietary supplement testing...

Megan Cleveland with white lab coat and safety glasses in front of a lab bench with pipettes.

RNA Reference Materials Are Useful for Standardizing COVID-19 Tests, Study Shows

January 20, 2022

Scientists track and monitor the circulation of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, using methods based on a laboratory technique called polymerase...

Ana Barrios poses for a selfie wearing safety glasses.

Spotlight: Ana Barrios Is Listening to Her Gut and Replicating Yours

January 18, 2022

Gut reactions — NIST postdoctoral researcher Ana Barrios is preparing a cell-based model of the human gut for future animal-free experiments with nanoplastics...

Collaborating to Design Disinfectant Technology through Light

January 11, 2022

When Babak Nikoobakht arrived at Georgia Tech to begin his PhD studies, he knew the field of research he wanted to devote his academic focus. Babak worked in...

Spotlight: Blood Vessels on a Chip for Dental Research and More

January 7, 2022

Here’s something to smile about: We’re creating blood vessels on a chip. Researchers at NIST collaborated with the American Dental Association to 3D-print small...

Sneezes, Rain Clouds and Ink Jets: NIST Improves the Ability of Optical Microscopes to Measure the Volume of Microdroplets

December 20, 2021

Sneezes, rain clouds, and ink jet printers: They all produce or contain liquid droplets so tiny it would take several billion of them to fill a liter bottle...

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