Tucson was a great host city for the 2026 Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry, but there are other cities that make sense to host future iterations of this conference. Here are our top five suggestions.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst demonstrated that X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy combined with chemometric modeling can provide a rapid, minimally destructive, and accurate alternative to traditional methods for routine arsenic quantification in rice and rice-based foods.

A new review article explores how integrating artificial intelligence (AI) with established analytical techniques such as spectroscopy, chromatography, mass spectrometry (MS), and sensors is significantly improving the efficiency, accuracy, and scope of food chemistry research and food quality assessment.

In this article, we look at the five major reasons why San Antonio is set to be a perfect host city for Pittcon this year.

Over the past two years, near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and related NIR techniques have seen rapid adoption in biomedical research. These developments span non invasive diagnostics, functional monitoring, machine learning integration, point of care probes, and applications in complex clinical settings such as liver fibrosis, viral detection, neonatal care, brain injury, and neurodegenerative disorders. This article synthesizes 10 key publications, highlighting trends, methodologies, and clinical potential.

A recent study shows that handheld near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy combined with artificial neural networks can rapidly and non-destructively distinguish human from animal bones with high accuracy, offering a practical new tool for on-site forensic investigations.

A recent study demonstrated that combining laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) with machine learning (ML) can accurately identify gunshot residue from nontoxic ammunition and reliably distinguish shooters from non-shooters despite the absence of traditional elemental markers.

Over the past three to four years, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy has emerged as one of the most rapidly expanding vibrational techniques in biomedical research. Driven by advances in attenuated total reflectance (ATR), live-cell measurements, chemometrics, and machine learning (ML), FT-IR has moved beyond descriptive biochemical profiling toward predictive diagnostics and translational clinical science. This article highlights and critically summarizes the top 10 most influential peer-reviewed articles published recently on FT-IR applications in tissues, cells, hair, blood, saliva, urine, and exercise physiology, emphasizing analytical innovation, clinical relevance, and future impact.

The 12th Nordic Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry and Ionization Principles in Mass Spectrometry will take place from June 14–18, 2026, in Loen, Norway. We preview the conference here.

In Part III of our conversation with David Clases, we discuss how optical trapping better enables polymer identification via Raman spectroscopy, and where ICP-MS research is heading in the future.

In this interview previewing the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS 2026), Conference, Spectroscopy sat down with James Cizdziel of the University of Mississippi to discuss the state of forensic analysis.

In the past few years, Raman spectroscopy and its technological modifications—such as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), coherent Raman scattering (CRS), and multimodal platforms—have transitioned from proof-of-concept demonstrations to impactful tools in biomedical research. These advances span therapeutic monitoring, chemical biology imaging, deep-tissue diagnostics, precision oncology, and multimodal analytics. This article synthesizes the most influential reviews in these areas, highlighting emerging trends, limitations, and future directions.

In an exclusive interview with Spectroscopy, John Margeson, a Product Manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific in the company’s Tewksbury headquarters, discusses the current state of handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) instrumentation.

Part II of our conversation with David Clases focused on his proof-of-concept analysis of microplastic and TiO₂ nanoparticles, and the new insights that emerged from simultaneously accessing size, molecular identity, and elemental composition at the single-particle level.

Returned samples from asteroid Bennu by the NASA OSIRIS-REx mission were analyzed using complementary spectroscopic and microspectroscopic techniques, including Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) microscopy (μFTIR), scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM), and secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), revealing a previously unknown polymeric organic phase enriched in nitrogen and oxygen. Spectroscopy spoke to Scott Sandford and Michel Nuevo of NASA’s Ames Research Center (Moffett Field, California), and Zack Gainsforth of the University of California’s Space Sciences Laboratory (Berkeley, California), three of the authors of the paper (1) resulting from the research team’s analysis.

Top articles published this week include several interviews from our ongoing coverage of the Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry and an inside look at an upcoming Pittcon 2026 symposium about generative AI.

In this video segment, Sarah Theiner explains why using LA-ICP-TOF-MS was the ideal technique for this research compared to more conventional methods. She also touches upon how the findings from her study could inform the design of future chemotherapies and combination treatments.

In this interview clip, David Clasas of the University of Graz discusses the trapping mechanism of the OF2i and how it improves downstream Raman and ICP-TOFMS measurements and also highlights the multimodal approach his team used to improve microplastic analysis.

In the final part of our conversation with Ken Marcus, he discusses how external acquisition systems enhance isotopic precision and what spectroscopic trends experts should be paying attention to in 2026.

In this video segment, Alex Scheeline of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign discusses how hyphenated approaches are changing the nature of speciation analysis.

In this “Pathways in Spectroscopy” episode, Sarah Theiner discusses what her career transition from research to sales was like, and how her experience at the University of Vienna prepared her for the rigors of her new role at Nu Instruments.

Specac Ltd, a global provider of spectroscopy accessories and sample preparation solutions, has announced the acquisition of Amax Precision Ltd, a Singapore-headquartered company that specializes in high-precision analytical instrument manufacturing.

In this video segment, Sarah Theiner dives into the research that she conducted at the University of Vienna, which focused on how chemoresistance affects drug distribution in the tumor microenvironment.

In the final part of our conversation with Martin Resano, he discusses how the use of partial least squares (PLS) regression improves the quality of the isotopic analysis data.

In this interview clip, we turn the focus to the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in spectroscopy, and Alex Scheeline discusses how AI and ML will enhance SIBS and LIBS calibration.

For Pittcon 2026, the James L. Waters Symposium, scheduled for Monday, March 9, from 2:30 to 4:40 p.m. in Room 221A, turns its focus on Generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems in analytical chemistry, which are increasingly being used for analytical data interpretation, algorithm development, experimental planning, and scientific communication. This article introduces the general concepts of generative AI and its use in spectroscopy.