This Week’s Spectroscopy News
A cure for jet lag, Martian mysteries unraveled, life found on two-billion year-old rocks – and more spectroscopy research stories
James Strachan | | 2 min read | News
Essential Reading
Hypersimple Hyperspectral Imaging. A new deep learning method allows researchers to reconstruct hyperspectral images from standard RGB photos, making it possible to conduct low-cost, non-invasive quality assessments for agricultural products. This approach, developed by a team at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, offers potential for simplifying and reducing the costs of product analysis in the agricultural industry.
How siRNA Mixing Shapes Gene Therapy Success. A nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-guided approach has revealed how different methods of mixing small interfering RNA (siRNA) with lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) can significantly impact their molecular structure and gene-silencing efficiency.
Life Found in Two-Billion-Year-Old Rocks. Living microbial communities have been discovered inside two-billion-year-old rock from the Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC) in South Africa – the oldest finding of microbes in ancient rock to date. The research team employed a combination of infrared spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and fluorescent microscopy to confirm microbial cells densely packed into fractures, sealed off from the external environment by clay minerals.
The Impact of Melanin on NIRS Signal Quality. According to research from Carnegie Mellon University, USA, skin melanin concentration significantly impacts the signal quality of frequency-domain near-infrared spectroscopy (FD-NIRS) – highlighting the need for adjustments in the technology to improve its accuracy across diverse populations.
A Cure for Jet Lag? NMR and HDX-MS allow researchers to answer a 25-year-old puzzle about the molecular basis of circadian rhythm regulation – which could lead to treatments for sleep quality, metabolism, and even jet lag.
How Mars Became Uninhabitable. New isotopic data from Mars has revealed that ancient carbonates found in Gale Crater formed under extreme environmental conditions, providing insight into how the planet's once water-rich climate became the inhospitable desert it is today. The findings, made using NASA’s Curiosity rover, suggest a shift between wet-dry cycles and frigid, cryogenic environments.
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Also in the news…
Researchers use machine learning to eliminate underlying substrate interference for the identification of semen traces at a crime scene through Raman spectroscopy. Link
Researchers from China develop an artificial photosynthetic system for diluted CO2 reduction in gas-solid phase, which they tune and test using a combination of spectroscopic, microscopic, and mass spectrometric techniques. Link
Raman spectroscopy has the potential as an adjunct tool that can assist in the early diagnosis of oral cancer and the detection of disease progression in OPMDs, review finds. Link
Review underscores the continuous development in sample preparation and data integration, enhancing the accuracy and applicability of NMR and FTIR, positioning these techniques as “essential tools in modern metabolomic research.” Link
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