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Standard Reference Materials

News and Updates

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NIST Standard Story: No Humans Were Harmed

February 15, 2017

NIST scientists have thoroughly measured and characterized more than 1,300 physical products, NIST Standard Reference Materials ®, to help people in industry

NIST Standard Story: A Fish Story

November 18, 2016

NIST scientists have thoroughly measured and characterized more than 1,300 physical products, NIST Standard Reference Materials ®, to help people in industry

This electron micrograph shows an oral squamous cancer cell being attacked by two cytotoxic T cells.

NIST Releases New 'Family' of Standardized Genomes

September 16, 2016

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—With the addition of four new reference materials (RMs) to a growing collection of “measuring sticks” for gene sequencing, the National

NIST research chemist Jeanita Pritchett extracts nicotine and tobacco-specific compounds from a candidate Standard Reference Material (SRM)

New NIST Reference Material Helps Assure Accurate Measurement of Constituents in Tobacco Products

September 12, 2016

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a reference material with certified amounts of nicotine and two carcinogens to help ensure

Three-dimensional culture of human breast cancer cells, with DNA stained blue and a protein in the cell surface membrane stained green.

NIST and Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research Help Ensure Accurate Clinical Measurements of HER2 Breast Cancer Gene

August 17, 2016

A new measurement standard developed by the National Institute of Standards of Technology (NIST) has been used successfully by the Frederick National Laboratory

An Extraordinary Standard: New NIST Protein Could Spur Biopharmaceutical Innovation

July 28, 2016

GAITHERSBURG, Md.—The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued one of the world's most intricate measurement standards: an exhaustively

How Refreshing: NIST's Natural Air Standards Support Accurate Greenhouse Gas Measurements

February 19, 2016

When it comes to tallying emissions of greenhouse gases, there is no better substitute than directly measuring the atmosphere. But this important accounting can

New Shellfish Reference Material Will Help Monitor Oceans' Radioactive Contamination

August 4, 2015

A new reference material that will help laboratories accurately measure radioactive contamination in seawater is now available from the National Institute of

'Measuring Stick' Standard for Gene Sequencing Now Available from NIST

May 21, 2015

The world's first reference material to help ensure laboratories accurately "map" DNA for genetic testing, medical diagnoses and future customized drug

New NIST Reference Material Provides a Silver Lining for NanoEHS Research

March 3, 2015

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a new silver nanoparticle reference material to support researchers studying potential

New NIST Standard Reference Material to Help Calibrate Hospital CAT Scanners

July 23, 2013

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new standard reference material (SRM), the first such measurement tool

This cartridge case shows the three distinct marks, or 'signatures,' impressed on its surface when it was fired by a gun

Shelling Out Evidence: NIST Ballistic Standard Helps Tie Guns to Criminals

August 8, 2012

Thanks to a new reference standard developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), law enforcement agencies will have an easier time

NIST Releases Gulf of Mexico Crude Oil Reference Material

March 6, 2012

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a new certified reference material to support the federal government's Natural Resources

Photomicrograph showing human lung cells infected with cytomegalovirus.

NIST Standard Available for Better Diagnosis, Treatment of Cytomegalovirus

January 10, 2012

A new clinical Standard Reference Material (SRM) from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will help health care professionals more

New NIST Nano-Ruler Sets Some Very Small Marks

September 22, 2009

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a new ruler, and even for an organization that routinely deals in superlatives, it sets

New Reference Material Supports Improved Quality Control for Polymers Industry

March 10, 2009

In a tour de force of measurement science, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed and issued for sale a new

New SRM Allows Accurate Accounting of Forensic DNA

October 25, 2007

Thanks to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a method for making multiple copies of DNA fragments, even tiny bits of biological evidence (in the form of hair

SRMs Track Fire Retardants in Humans and Environment

August 16, 2007

If only the flame retardant chemicals routinely added to consumer products from carpets to cell phones just did their job and nothing more. Health officials

Improved NIST SRM Aids Lead Poisoning Detection

August 3, 2007

Lead in goat blood might not be on the top of your shopping list, but for U.S. medical personnel who each year perform more than 2 million human blood

Fluorescent Glass SRMs Are New Tool for Spectroscopy

June 8, 2007

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed two new calibration tools to help correct and validate the performance

New Quartz References For Workplace Safety

January 19, 2007

Chemists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new set of reference materials that could contribute to significant

NIST ‘Standard Bullet’ Fights Gang Violence

January 19, 2007

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a copper bullet designed to help end criminal sprees without once being

Rust Never Sleeps: New SRM Aids Coated Steel Industry

July 6, 2006

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a new reference material to aid quality control in the steel coatings industry. The new

NIST Cast Iron Standard Is Gold To Steel Industry For 90 Years

January 14, 1997

As scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology well know, standards come and go. Since its start in 1901, NIST (then known as the National

New DNA Quality Assurance Standard Helps Ensure Accuracy Of DNA Profiling

June 14, 1995

A new federal DNA quality assurance standard will help forensic and medical laboratories ensure that DNA profiles made by the fastest and most popular profiling

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