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The last few bolts were tightened just weeks ago – by hand. Now fully restored, NIST's 4.45 meganewton (one million pounds-force) deadweight machine – the
Elemental mercury – which is being phased out of commercial thermometers worldwide due to safety concerns – may also be replaced as a temperature reference
Update: The work that was described in this article led to the publishing of the ASTM E3125-17 standard in December 2017.
Large-volume 3D laser scanners play
Whether you're using a landline or cell phone, there's a good chance that the signal spends at least some time traveling over fiber-optic cables. To ensure that
When a team of researchers at NIST's Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML) first tested a new kind of pressure sensor two years ago, initial results showed it
They activate airbags. Keep aircraft correctly positioned in flight. Detect earthquakes or sudden vibrations in failing machinery. Guide military hardware
A little over three years ago, NIST scientist Katy Keenan came back from a conference with an ambitious idea: to improve the quality of magnetic resonance
The Internet Time Service operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) serves much of the Earth, with customers from around the globe
A new study that assesses the accuracy of modern human-genome-sequencing technologies found that some medically significant portions of an individual's DNA
Standards impact more than 80 percent of global commodity trade, but often go unnoticed by the general public. The student paper competition requires applicants
Recipients of an annual flu shot may be surprised to learn that there is currently no official standard for vaccine storage equipment in clinics, pharmacies
When it comes to tallying emissions of greenhouse gases, there is no better substitute than directly measuring the atmosphere. But this important accounting can
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced a new round of financial support for developing undergraduate- and graduate-level
Welding has been around, in some form, for centuries. Today it enables a large percentage of the U.S. economy,* thanks to its role in the creation of a diverse
Let's say you're a biotechnologist working to develop new medicines or a better test for forensic analysis. You might find yourself frequently using absorbance
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking public comment on its latest draft of a publication intended to help computer security
A collaboration between NIST researchers and a private-sector firm has led to development of a commercial device to fill a critical need in industry: field
GAITHERSBURG, Md.—The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced the winners of the Reference Data Challenge, the agency's first-ever
Four federal agencies have joined with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to sponsor a new independent panel devoted to reducing barriers
You've probably seen it on TV: To determine whether a single weapon was used in multiple crimes, forensics labs run images of a spent bullet through a database
In a world of incessant change, some things have to stay the same. One is the set of values for the fundamental physical constants – such as the speed of light
NIST is about to open the world's most accurate facility for calibrating infrared (IR) detectors. It is made possible by the establishment of an extremely
The U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded seven grants totaling more than $490,000 to universities in
Last spring, PML's x-ray calibration facilities were used in a pinch – a Z pinch, that is.
The Sandia National Laboratories' Z Pulsed Power Facility, or "Z