A comprehensive review is presented of the recent contributions Mo ¨ssbauer spectroscopy has made in materials science and engineering. After a brief introduction to the basic methodology, examples of the application of 57 Fe and 119 Sn Mo ¨ssbauer spectroscopy in both transmission and back-scattering mode are presented and discussed. Recent technological and software developments of this technique are also included. Coverage is further extended to recent, pertinent developments in space research and also in biological science and technology where Mo ¨ssbauer techniques are very widely used. Efforts have also been made to cover applications to archaeological samples where Mo ¨ssbauer spectroscopy is an important analytical tool.