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Nuclear clock technology enables unprecedented investigation of fine-structure constant stability

In 2024, TU Wien presented the world’s first nuclear clock. Now it has been demonstrated that the technology can also be used to investigate unresolved questions in fundamental physics.

Thorium atomic nuclei can be used for very specific precision measurements. This had been suspected for decades, and the search for suitable atomic nucleus states has been ongoing worldwide. In 2024, a team from TU Wien, with the support of international partners, achieved the decisive breakthrough: the long-discussed nuclear transition was found. Shortly afterward, it was demonstrated that thorium can indeed be used to build high-precision nuclear clocks.

Now, the next major success in high-precision research on thorium nuclei has been achieved: When the thorium nucleus changes between different states, it slightly alters its elliptical shape.

Distributed quantum sensor network achieves ultra-high resolution near Heisenberg limit

Precise metrology forms a fundamental basis for advanced science and technology, including bioimaging, semiconductor defects diagnostics, and space telescope observations. However, the sensor technologies used in metrology have so far faced a physical barrier known as the standard quantum limit.

A promising alternative to surpass this limit is the distributed quantum sensor—a technology that links multiple spatially separated sensors into a single, large-scale quantum system, thereby enabling highly . To date, efforts have primarily focused on enhancing precision, while the potential for extending this approach to has not yet been fully demonstrated.

Dr. Hyang-Tag Lim’s research team at the Center for Quantum Technology, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), has demonstrated the world’s first ultra-high-resolution distributed quantum sensor network. The study is published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Mathematical proof unites two puzzling phenomena in spin glass physics

A fundamental link between two counterintuitive phenomena in spin glasses—reentrance and temperature chaos—has been mathematically proven for the first time. By extending the Edwards–Anderson model to include correlated disorder, researchers at Science Tokyo and Tohoku University provided the first rigorous proof that reentrance implies temperature chaos.

Spin glasses are in which atomic “spins,” or tiny magnetic moments, point in random directions rather than aligning neatly as in a regular magnet. These disordered spins can remain stable for extremely long periods of time, possibly even indefinitely. This frozen randomness gives rise to unusual physical properties not seen in any other physical system.

To describe the spin glass behavior, physicists use models such as the Edwards–Anderson (EA) model, which simulates how spins interact in two or three dimensions—conditions that more closely reflect real-world systems than the well-studied mean-field model. Numerical studies of the EA model have uncovered two strange and counterintuitive phenomena: reentrant transitions and temperature .

Scientists Find “Time Travel” Trick to Unlock Lost Childhood Memories

Research shows that adopting a childlike facial expression can make adults feel more connected to their childhood experiences. New research suggests that temporarily changing how people perceive their own bodies can help them recall personal memories, potentially even those from their earliest ye

Scientists Discover a Key Biological Difference Between Psychopaths and Normal People

Psychopaths have a 10% larger striatum than non-psychopaths, suggesting biological differences in brain structure. This enlargement is tied to impulsivity and a higher craving for stimulation.

The discovery, seen in both men and women, points to psychopathy’s roots in neurodevelopment. It could lead to better understanding and interventions for antisocial behavior.

Brain scans reveal key difference in psychopaths.

Qilin Ransomware Combines Linux Payload With BYOVD Exploit in Hybrid Attack

To sidestep detection, the attack chain involves the execution of PowerShell commands to disable AMSI, turn off TLS certificate validation, and enable Restricted Admin, in addition to running tools such as dark-kill and HRSword to terminate security software. Also deployed on the host are Cobalt Strike and SystemBC for persistent remote access.

The infection culminates with the launch of the Qilin ransomware, which encrypts files and drops a ransom note in each encrypted folder, but not before wiping event logs and deleting all shadow copies maintained by the Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS).

The findings coincide with the discovery of a sophisticated Qilin attack that deployed their Linux ransomware variant on Windows systems and combined it with legitimate IT tools and the bring your own vulnerable driver (BYOVD) technique to bypass security barriers.

Why does ALS take away body movement? The hidden burden that seals the fate of motor neurons

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is among the most challenging neurological disorders: relentlessly progressive, universally fatal, and without a cure even after more than a century and a half of research. Despite many advances, a key unanswered question remains—why do motor neurons, the cells that control body movement, degenerate while others are spared?

In a study appearing in Nature Communications, Kazuhide Asakawa and colleagues used single-cell–resolution imaging in transparent zebrafish to show that large spinal —which generate strong body movements and are most vulnerable in ALS—operate under a constant, intrinsic burden of protein and organelle degradation.

These neurons maintain high baseline levels of autophagy, proteasome activity, and the , suggesting a continuous struggle to maintain protein quality control.

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