Physicists at the University of Colorado and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) said they created a device that could help researchers diagnose illnesses from human breath. On Friday, Qizhong Liang, lead author of the study and a doctoral student at JILA, the research institute in Boulder, spoke to 9NEWS about the device. The team named the new technology Modulated Ringdown Comb Interferometry, or MRCI (pronounced “mercy”). Liang said the laser is powerful enough to identify a variety of molecules in a breath sample. He said they are examining whether MRCI can distinguish samples taken from children with pneumonia from those taken from children with asthma. Read the full story: https://www.9news.com/article/news/health/new-technology-diagnose-illness-breath/73-ec1f2f89-4536-49db-ab5b-219928de4f4a More local videos here: https://youtube.com/@9news Subscribe to NEXT: https://youtube.com/@Nexton9NEWS Stay connected: 9NEWS Website: https://www.9news.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilike9news Twitter: https://twitter.com/9NEWS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/9newsdenver/ Download the 9NEWS App: https://www.9news.com/appredirect/ Sign up for the 9NEWSLETTER: https://www.9news.com/email 9NEWS (KUSA) is located in Denver, Colorado.