The most basic form of mass spectrometry design, electron impact, functions by shooting an electron beam at vaporized organic chemicals inside a vacuum. For one of his first projects, he used mass spectrometry to identify carcinogens in overcooked meat. Courtesy Blaise Douros / Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Brian Andresen and Armando Alcaraz inside the Forensic Science Center at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 2025. Back then, Alcaraz was using gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis in the lab’s high-explosives research facility. Mass spectrometry, which has become more precise and versatile in the years following the Angel of Death case, remains at the core of its work.