Book excerpt: This installment in the Techniques in Life Science and Biomedicine for the Non-Expert series aims to describe ESR spectroscopy as a tool for different applications, such as Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Science, Paleontology & Geochronology and Food Science. In keeping with the series theme, this text is presented in such a manner that the amateur researcher or graduate student can absorb it, while highlighting recent advances and applications of the field. Chapters include solved examples and questions to reinforce themes and encourage readers to apply what they've learnt. ​