Gene family impact factor of white-coated chemistry Ph.D.s with a secret language all their own. Terms like ion trap and post-source decay, mass-to-charge, and MALDI made the field inaccessible to others. Today, the technique has pushed beyond those narrow confines and entered the biology lab, where it underlies proteomics and biomarker research. But you can also find mass specs in airports and warehouses, and even at the bottom of the ocean.