An old jeweler’s trick could unlock next-generation nuclear clocks
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 11-Dec-2025 07:11 ET (11-Dec-2025 12:11 GMT/UTC)
In 2008, a team of UCLA-led scientists proposed a scheme to use a laser to excite the nucleus of thorium atoms to realize extremely accurate, portable clocks. Last year, they realized this longstanding goal by bombarding thorium atoms embedded in specialized fluoride crystals with a laser. Now, they have found a way to dramatically simplify and strengthen the process by replacing the specialized crystals with thorium electroplated onto steel. They observe, for the first time, that laser excitation of the thorium nucleus in this system leads to a measurable electric current, which can be used to miniaturize the nuclear clock. The advance is needed for smaller, more efficient atomic clocks, which have long been sought to improve navigation, GPS, power grids, and communications. It will also allow for some of the tightest tests ever of fundamental physics.
Researchers from Konstanz and Jülich realize tunable “swarmalators” – particles that both move in space and synchronize in time like living organisms
First observation of carbon-neutrino interactions opens new frontiers in nuclear and particle physics.
Targeting Casitas B-lineage lymphoma-b (CBLB), Insilico Medicine announced the nomination of ISM3830, its 23rd AI-empowered preclinical candidate (PCC) since 2021, in late November 2025, which demonstrated low toxicity risks, favorable ADME/PK profiles, as well as induction of long-term tumor immunity, cracking the bottleneck in metabolism and absorption of previously reported CBLB inhibitors.
Shortly beforehand, the discovery process and evaluation of CBLB inhibitors with a different scaffold were published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. The paper highlights Compound 10, a potent, orally available lead compound with novel scaffold promising druggability, providing an AI-driven optimization roadmap for CBLB inhibition strategies.
A team of researchers from the University of Zurich and the NCCR PlanetS is challenging our understanding of the Solar System planets interior. The composition of Uranus and Neptune, the two outer most planets, might be more rocky and less icy than previously thought.
The Jahn–Teller effect is a well-explored phenomenon in solid-state physics. In a new development, researchers from Waseda University, Japan, focused on spinel-type compounds with the formula AV₂O₄, discovering a phenomenon in which a structural phase transition occurs simultaneously with magnetic ordering in Co₁₋ₓFeₓV₂O₄. This innovation holds fundamental scientific interest and is expected to open new avenues for applications in quantum information.
Adhesives are essential in various industries and have widespread use. However, conventional petroleum-based adhesives rely heavily on the petrochemical industry and pose environmental risks due to harmful emissions and limited reusability. In a new study, researchers developed a novel photo-switchable smart adhesive based on materials derived from rose oil. It is both eco-friendly and highly reusable, while exhibiting great adhesion to a variety of surfaces. This innovative adhesive paves the way for more sustainable and smart material technologies.