In this edition of “Inside the Laboratory,” Brett McGuire of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) discusses his laboratory’s work in astrochemistry.

A joint study conducted by Applied Spectra (West Sacramento, California) and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley, California) used laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to measure uranium with a detection limit as low as 1.3 picograms, achieving unprecedented sensitivity by optimizing the uranium emission line, system hardware, and light collection efficiency. Richard Russo is the corresponding author for the paper that resulted from this research, and will receive, on behalf of the rest of his team, the 2024 Spectrochimica Acta Part B Best Paper Award.

The recipient of the 2025 NYSAS Gold Medal Award is Geraldine L. Richmond, Presidential Chair in Science and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oregon.

In the lead-up to the International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy conference, Brett McGuire of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology sat down with Spectroscopy to preview the ISMS conference.

Researchers at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences have developed a non-destructive method using hyperspectral imaging combined with chemometrics and machine learning to accurately predict fat and protein content in diverse cheese types.

Top articles published this week include a tribute to Alan G. Marshall, an interview series that highlights how inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) can help analyze metal content in pet food, and an announcement from Rigaku about their latest handheld Raman instruments.

Researchers from the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA) in Catalunya, Spain used fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy to explore complex tissue changes behind wooden breast myopathy in chickens.

Because the United Arab Emirates is seeing an increase in pet ownership, the quality of both dry and wet pet food is undergoing greater scrutiny to ensure its safety and efficacy. Lucy Semerjian, who works as a Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Health Science at the University of Sharjah in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, recently explored this topic in a recent paper

A new study reveals how changes in refractive index can skew transient absorption data in thin-film materials, leading to misinterpretations unless properly corrected.

Researchers in Brazil have developed new optical techniques—SLIM, IC-scan, and RICO-scan—to probe the complex nonlinear properties of scattering and disordered materials, expanding potential applications in photonics, biomedicine, and thermometry.

In the final part of our interview with 2025 Charles Mann Award recipient Marc Porter, Distinguished Professor in Chemical Engineering at the University of Utah, imagines a world where diagnosing deadly diseases is as easy as pulling out a handheld device. With portable Raman spectrometers entering decentralized healthcare, even the most remote settings can benefit from instant analysis—slashing turnaround times and costs while boosting patient care.

A recent study conducted in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis examined the concentrations of ten metals in 52 commercially available wet and dry cat food samples, assessing their compliance with U.S. and European pet food safety standards. The lead author of this study, Lucy Semerjian, recently sat down with Spectroscopy to discuss the findings of her study.

A pioneer of FT-ICR Mass Spectrometry, Alan G. Marshall (1944–2025), is best known for co-inventing Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), a transformative technique that enabled ultrahigh-resolution analysis of complex mixtures. Over a career spanning more than five decades at institutions like the University of British Columbia, The Ohio State University, and Florida State University, he published over 650 peer-reviewed papers and mentored more than 150 scientists. Marshall’s work profoundly impacted fields ranging from astrobiology to petroleomics and earned him numerous prestigious awards and fellowships. Revered for his intellect, mentorship, and dedication to science, he leaves behind a legacy that continues to shape modern mass spectrometry.

In the second part of our interview with 2025 Charles Mann Award recipient Marc Porter, Distinguished Professor in Chemical Engineering at the University of Utah, discusses how surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) enables faster, more reliable detection in point-of-need settings, and explore its potential for real-world clinical deployment.

In an announcement on June 12, Rigaku Analytical Devices, which is a division of Rigaku Holdings Corporation headquartered in Akishima, Tokyo, announced the launch of its Icon series of 1064-nm Raman analyzers, its fourth-generation of the instrument.