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The article offers information on the improvements in instrument sensitivity, limits of detection, and accessibility in analytical spectroscopy. It discusses developments in several spectroscopy such as X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. It mentions emergence of nanomechanical infrared spectroscopy.

An interview with engineer K. Eric Drexler about nanoscale machinery and manufacturing is presented. Topics discussed include the meaning of nanomachinery, the status of the development of nanomachines as of August 2014, and the need for focused research in order to advance the state of nanomechanical system. Also explained is the way in which nanoscale production machinery works.

The article discusses the study "Nanomechanics of refractory transition-metal carbides: A path to discovering plasticity in hard ceramics" published in the "Journal of the American Ceramic Society" that reveals the potential of developing ultra-high-temperature ceramics that overcome the materials' brittleness. The behavior of transition-metal carbides zirconium carbide and tantalum carbide under compression within a transmission electron microscope is observed.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the broken heart syndrome also known as stress cardiomyopathy, the Living Heart project, and nanomechanics.