Nature Podcast

Long-sought 'nuclear clocks' are one tick closer

Sep 4, 2024

Researchers are a step closer to creating a groundbreaking nuclear clock that measures time using nuclear transitions, potentially offering unprecedented accuracy. The discussion also includes the innovative use of engineered T-cells to improve spinal cord recovery in experimental models. Additionally, recent floods in Brazil unveiled remarkable fossils and showcased challenges in paleontology. Lastly, the podcast addresses the transformative role of AI in scientific research, balancing optimism about its potential with concerns over job displacement.

31:24

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Quick takeaways

The development of nuclear clocks marks a major advancement in timekeeping, shifting the focus from electron transitions to the more stable protons and neutrons.

Research into T-cells post-spinal injury reveals a complex role in inflammation, highlighting their potential for improving recovery outcomes through immune response manipulation.

Deep dives

Advancements in Nuclear Clock Technology

Recent research has achieved significant progress towards developing a nuclear clock, a concept theorized for fifty years. Unlike traditional atomic clocks that rely on electron transitions, this nuclear clock utilizes the motions of protons and neutrons within atomic nuclei, potentially offering greater precision and robustness. The study involved using laser technology to nudge a rare isotope of thorium into a higher energy state, allowing researchers to measure frequency shifts with unprecedented accuracy. This advancement not only enhances the precision of timekeeping but also opens avenues for exploring new physics and fundamental interactions beyond our current understanding.

Intro

2min

Nuclear Clocks: A New Era in Timekeeping

12min

T-Cells and Spinal Cord Recovery

9min

Fossils Amidst Floods

3min

Excavation Insights and AI Revolution in Research

2min

AI in Scientific Research: Promise and Challenges

4min

Reactions to AI's Role in Scientific Research

2min

In this episode:

00:45 Why a 'nuclear clock' is now within researchers’ reach

Researchers have made a big step towards the creation of the long theorized nuclear clock, by getting the most accurate measurement of the frequency of light required to push thorium nuclei into a higher energy state. Such a timekeeper would differ from the best current clocks as their ‘tick’ corresponds to the energy transitions of protons and neutrons, rather than electrons. Nuclear clocks have the potential to be more robust and accurate than current systems, and could offer researchers new insights into fundamental forces present within atomic nuclei.

Research Article: Zhang et al.

News and Views: Countdown to a nuclear clock

Nature News: ‘Nuclear clock’ breakthrough paves the way for super-precise timekeeping

Editorial: Progress on nuclear clocks shows the benefits of escaping from scientific silos

10:10 Research Highlights

The star that got partially shredded by a supermassive black hole, not just once, but twice, and how heatwaves could mangle bumblebees’ sense of smell.

Research Highlight: This unlucky star got mangled by a black hole — twice

Research Highlight: Bumblebees’ sense of smell can’t take the heat

12:11 How engineered immune cells could help limit damage after spinal injury

By harnessing T cells to fine-tune the inflammation response, researchers have limited the damage caused by spinal injury in mice, an approach they hope might one day translate into a human therapy. Following injury to the central nervous system, immune cells rush to the scene, resulting in a complex array of effects, both good and bad. In this work researchers have identified the specific kind of T cells that amass at the site, and used them to create an immunotherapy that helps the mice recover more quickly from injuries by slowing damage to neurons.

Research article: Gao et al.

20:36 Briefing Chat

How unprecedented floods in Brazil have helped and hindered paleontologists, and the ‘AI scientist’ that does everything from literature review through to manuscript writing, to an extent.

Nature News: The race to save fossils exposed by Brazil’s record-setting floods

Nature News: Researchers built an ‘AI Scientist’ — what can it do?

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