Researchers have developed a wireless, wearable brain-monitoring device using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to detect cognitive fatigue in real time. The miniaturized system enables mobile brain activity tracking, with potential applications in driving, military, and high-stress work environments.

Researchers from James Cook University highlight critical gaps and future directions for developing a large-scale, machine-learning-based satellite spectroscopy system to monitor sugarcane health and detect diseases and pests.

This product review covers products introduced from May 2024 to April 2025.

In a press release on Tuesday May 6th, 2025, Waters Corporation, an analytical instrument, separations technology, and software manufacturer, announced several updates to its Empower software.

A newly published review in the journal Advanced Materials explores how intelligent wearable sensors, powered by smart materials and machine learning, are changing healthcare into a decentralized, personalized, and predictive modeling system. An international team of researchers highlights emerging technologies that promise earlier diagnosis, improved therapy, and continuous health monitoring—anytime, anywhere.

A recent review article highlights the promise of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for on-farm analysis of liquid organic manure.

In this edition of “Inside the Laboratory,” Johanna Nelson Weker of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory discusses her laboratory’s work in battery analysis. In the final part of our interview, Weker continues our discussion of battery cell geometries and why computed laminography is a good technique to use for this purpose.

Carbonyl containing functional groups are strong infrared absorbers and a number of them are easy to identify by infrared spectroscopy. Here, we will review the spectra of ketone and carboxylic acids.

A new comprehensive review explores how wearable plasmonic sensors using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) are changing the landscape for non-invasive health monitoring. By combining nanotechnology, AI, and real-time spectroscopy analysis to detect critical biomarkers in human sweat, this integration of nanomaterials, flexible electronics, and AI is changing how we monitor health and disease in real-time.

A new study published in Geoderma Regional by J. A. Arias-Rios and colleagues at IFAB demonstrates that near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a rapid, cost-effective tool for assessing soil and tree traits critical to forest ecosystem monitoring and management.

In Part 3 of our conversation with Johanna Weker of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, she discusses battery cell geometry configurations and how they inform battery design.

Noureddine Melikechi, dean of the Kennedy College of Sciences and professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, shares his work on the early detection of diseases like epithelial ovarian cancer and Alzheimer’s.

Top articles published this week include interviews from our National Space Day content series, a news story about satellite-based spectroscopy, and an interview about battery analysis conducted at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

Join us in celebrating National Space Day! Today, Spectroscopy magazine is teaming up with the Society for Applied Spectroscopy (SAS) to honor National Space Day and highlight the latest advancements in space exploration.

The intersection of atomic and molecular physics with astrophysics has become a cornerstone in unraveling the mysteries of the universe. A paper by Diriba Gonfa Tolasa of the Department of Physics at Assosa University (Assosa, Ethiopia) explores the pivotal role of spectroscopic techniques in probing celestial phenomena, enabling researchers to decode the composition, temperature, density, and motion of astronomical objects through the analysis of spectral lines.For this year’s National Space Day, Tosala spoke to Spectroscopy about his paper.