A recent study presented an approach combining Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) imaging spectroscopy, histology, and statistical analysis that can identify biochemical spectral markers and distinguish benign from malignant uterine smooth muscle tumors.
Spectroscopy is seeing several important changes in the industry. In this feature, we focus on four topics that have emerged.
In this tutorial, we break down these vibrational spectroscopy advancements and what we can expect in the months and years ahead.
In this blog post, Alexis Weber, a Field Applications Scientist at PerkinElmer, describes how early forensic-science ambitions inspired by NCIS and Bones evolved through education at University of Central Florida, University of New Haven, and University at Albany, SUNY into a PhD-level spectroscopy career and ultimately a dynamic Field Applications Scientist role at PerkinElmer, highlighting the value of exploring nontraditional science careers.
In this episode of “Pathways in Spectroscopy,” episode, Mercedes Bertotto provides insight into the technical, financial, and strategic decisions that new business owners should make in order to ensure the long-term success of their business venture.
In this episode of “Pathways in Spectroscopy,” Mercedes Bertotto, who is the Founder of Vibralytics, discusses translating her scientific and spectroscopic knowledge into a marketable business plan and some of the surprising realities she faced when starting her own venture.
A study conducted at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley, California), with collaboration from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan), presented a comprehensive characterization of the gaseous UF6 LIBS plasma behavior, examining the effects of laser pulse width and wavelength on spectral characteristics and fundamental plasma properties through temporally resolved analysis, Boltzmann-plot temperature determination, and electron number density evaluation. Spectroscopy spoke to George Chan of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and corresponding author for the paper resulting from this work.
In the final part of our conversation with David Clases at the Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry, he reacts to winning both awards and offers his perspective on the key spectroscopic trends this year.
Top articles published this week include the latest “Focus on Quality” column, an interview about handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) instrumentation, and the latest episode in “Pathways in Spectroscopy.”
A recent study demonstrates that updated predictive models based on NIR spectra can outperform traditional nitrogen-based prescreening methods in identifying samples suitable for radiocarbon dating.
From a chemometric standpoint, artificial intelligence (AI) in spectroscopy is best understood as an extension of established multivariate methods rather than as a replacement. Most AI approaches closely parallel familiar tools such as regression, classification, and principal component analysis, but offer greater flexibility to handle nonlinear behavior, interacting physical and chemical effects, and large, heterogeneous datasets. By learning directly from raw spectra, AI methods can reduce reliance on manual preprocessing while still indicating which spectral regions influence predictions. In this sense, AI represents a developmental layer of chemometrics that enables classical concepts to operate effectively in modern spectroscopic systems. Overall, AI is best viewed as the next developmental layer of chemometrics, not as a competing discipline. As with all current AI programs, domain knowledge of analytical chemistry is essential for AI’s effective application. Knowing the boundaries of what is plausible in any chemical or modeling system allows fine-tuning of the models towards useful and reliable analytical results.
In this “Pathways in Spectroscopy” episode, Mercedes Bertotto, who is the Founder of Vibralytics, talks about the necessary skills spectroscopists need when starting their own business, and what challenges they will need to face head-on during this process.
In this video segment, John Margeson, a Product Manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Tewskbury headquarters, discusses the updated software capabilities in the company’s new line of handheld XRF spectrometers.
In this Pittcon preview, we highlight some important talks, workshops, and symposiums happening during the conference.
A 2026 study published in the journal Remote Sensing tested Germany’s EnMAP hyperspectral satellite to see if it could identify and map acid mine drainage (AMD) and associated mineral residues from a legacy sulfide mine in Sardinia, Italy.
In this episode, Mercedes Bertotto, who is the Founder of Vibralytics, discusses her background in spectroscopy, highlighting how her experience working in a national reference laboratory in Argentina led to her next opportunity to work with chemometrics and spectral sensing in the Netherlands.
HÜBNER Photonics has announced the launch of the C-WAVE BTS, which is a continuous-wave (CW), single-frequency titanium:sapphire laser.
In this tutorial article, we review the latest in microplastic analysis, highlighting the techniques that have been frequently used in this space and where they have been most effective.
Validated green ICP-OES/ICP-MS workflow quantifies 25 toxic metals in wastewater at trace levels, guiding labs on tiered monitoring and compliance.
At Pittcon, generative artificial intelligence will be presented at the James L Waters Symposium on Monday, March 9, 2:30 PM to 4:40 PM in Room 221A. Generative artificial intelligence has transitioned from a conceptual novelty to a practical approach for innovation in spectroscopic data analysis. During 2025, a small set of highly influential publications crystallized this transformation by demonstrating how generative models can synthesize realistic spectra, solve inverse spectral problems, accelerate materials discovery, and automate molecular structural elucidation. This article reviews six pivotal contributions published in 2025 that collectively define the state of generative artificial intelligence in spectroscopy. These works establish theoretical foundations, survey emerging methods, introduce physics-informed generative architectures, and demonstrate transformative applications across vibrational, electronic, and magnetic resonance spectroscopies.
The final FDA guidance on Computer Software Assurance (CSA) was released in September 2025. This was followed by an update in Feb 2026 incorporating Quality Management System (QMS) based on ISO 13485:2016. Many proponents particularly outside of the medical device ecosystem have said that CSA will replace Computerised System Validation (CSV). But will it? Really?
A recent study demonstrated that Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy combined with chemometric modeling can accurately quantify ethanol in beer.
Research evaulating the performance of modern micro-X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) silicon drift detector (SDD) systems for forensic discrimination of electrical tape evidence, comparing results from eight participating laboratories addressed the critical need for standardized analytical protocols in forensic laboratories analyzing pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes, which are frequently encountered in criminal investigations including drug trafficking, kidnapping, and improvised explosive device construction. Spectroscopy spoke to Lacey Leatherland, lead author of the paper resulting from the study.
In this article, we highlight some of the important talks on atomic spectroscopy that will take place at Pittcon on Sunday March 8th.
Top articles published this week include a look at the top 10 applications of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy in biopharmaceutical analysis, an interview about the current trends in spectroscopy, and an inside look at handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) instrumentation.
Spectroscopists are routinely embracing complex algorithms to handle high-dimensional, nonlinear, and multimodal data. Why is this happening? We explore this question in this tutorial.
How are ICP-MS and ICP-OES revealing heavy-metal trends in pet food? In this short tutorial, we explain how these techniques have been tracking pet food trends, and what owners can do in response to these trends.
A study published in Food Control shows that near-infrared spectroscopy can accurately and non-destructively authenticate the feeding regime of purebred Iberian pigs in vivo.
In an upcoming “Pathways in Spectroscopy,” episode, John Margeson of Thermo Fisher Scientific will discuss what it is like to work as a product manager for a major scientific instrument company.
Click here to access the Spectroscopy January/February 2026 North America PDF in an interactive format.
