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Infrared spectroscopy can detect E. coli faster than current testing methods and can cut days off investigations of outbreaks, according to a study at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.

Read more: IR spectroscopy finds E. coli in beef faster

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy can distinguish between neurological diseases in patients without clear symptoms.

Read more: Research Heralds Potential for Early Diagnosis of Degenerative Brain Disorders

Water molecules are continuously forming short-lived networks called clusters. These can in turn bind positively charged protons, and such clusters can provide active functional groups in proteins. Using infrared spectroscopy, it is possible to determine the bond strengths, geometrical structures and chemical properties of protonated water clusters. In order to measure the spectrum of molecular vibrations in clusters it is, however, necessary to use other molecules as messengers. A team of physicists and chemists including Dr Gerald Mathias of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich and Professor Dominik Marx of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum has, for the first time, described how these messengers influence the assignment of spectral bands by infrared spectroscopy.

Read more: Mapping the Structure of Protonated Water Clusters

Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology, GA, USA, have attained very promising results on their initial investigations of a new test for ovarian cancer. Using a new technique involving mass spectrometry of a single drop of blood serum, the test correctly identified women with ovarian cancer in 100% of the patients tested.

Read more: Initial Trials on New Ovarian Cancer Tests with Mass Spec Exhibit Extremely High Accuracy

Bruker Corporation has signed an agreement to acquire the Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) and Optical Industrial Metrology (OIM) instruments business from Veeco Instruments, Inc. for $229 million in cash. The transaction has been approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies and is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2010, pending regulatory review and subject to customary closing conditions.

Read more: Bruker to Acquire Veeco's Scanning Probe Microscopy and Optical Industrial Metrology Scientific Instruments Business

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Laser pulses lasting less than 150 attoseconds have been used to observe, in real time, the motion of electrons in the outermost (“valence”) shell of ionised krypton atoms. This technical achievement, reported in Nature 466(7307), 739–742, lays the groundwork for observations in more complex systems, which should allow a detailed examination of the fundamental processes underlying the making and breaking of chemical bonds.

Read more: Tracking valence electrons in real time with pump–probe spectroscopy

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Microscopy with atomic resolution could be useful in the determining the structure of some unknown organic compounds, such as medicinally important natural products, according to a study online in Nature Chemistry. This method could avoid the lengthy and expensive process of trying to synthesise the compound and then compare its structure with that of the natural one, which is necessary in some cases.

Read more: AFM and spectroscopic techniques determine unknown structure

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A new technique for following chemical reactions in real time makes a virtue of necessity, by using the radiation from non-reacting molecules as part of the detection method. As reported in Nature, this implementation of “high-harmonic interferometry” can be used to monitor both molecular structure and electron dynamics, the latter with attosecond time resolution.

Read more: Tracking a chemical reaction using molecular interference

The ABS Trust invites UK-based university students undertaking spectroscopy research or utilising spectroscopy as a major component of their research to apply for a bursary award to attend a recognised scientific meeting to present an oral or poster presentation or to visit a place of learning to advance their spectroscopy knowledge and understanding.

More details and an application form may be requested from John Chalmers at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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How did Leonardo Da Vinci manage to paint such perfect faces? XRF analysis has shown the composition and thickness of each layer of material laid down by the painter. The results reveal that, in the case of glazes, thin layers of 1–2 µm have been applied.

Read more: XRF unveils Leonardo Da Vinci’s faces