Researchers reported an optical frequency reference using trapped lutetium ions (Lu+) whose accuracy was experimentally verified to the 19th digit. The system uses paired ion interrogation with Doppler cooling, a Ramsey-based HA–HR sequence, and active magnetic-field feedback via shim coils to suppress Zeeman shift drift, alongside auxiliary spectroscopy checks to keep the clock laser and field measurements calibrated.
nature.com
· 2026-09-23
Researchers testing an AI-designed anti-aging drug reported that it lowered participants' biological age, as measured by aging clocks, in every case in the trial. The drug's development leaned on artificial intelligence tools to identify compounds likely to slow or reverse aging markers in the body.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-09
Insilico Medicine's AI-designed drug rentosertib, originally developed to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, produced unexpected reductions in biological age markers during a phase 2a trial. Researchers reanalyzed blood samples from 42 of 71 Chinese trial participants using six computational aging clocks, finding treated patients showed younger predicted ages after 12 weeks compared to placebo recipients.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-08
Scientists linked ultra-precise optical atomic clocks located in four different nations and successfully compared their timekeeping with extremely high accuracy. The experiment demonstrated that these clocks, which are far more precise than the cesium clocks defining current international time standards, can be reliably synced across long distances.
nature.com
· 2026-09-04
A photo of juvenile lobsters being reared at the UK National Lobster Hatchery before release into the wild was named a finalist for Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026. The image is part of a broader roundup of standout science photography from the past month, curated by Nature's photo team.
nature.com
· 2026-09-01
Standards body CGPM will vote in mid-October on ending the leap second, the periodic one-second adjustment used since 1972 to keep atomic clock time aligned with Earth's rotation. The move is being accelerated because the next adjustment could, for the first time, require subtracting rather than adding a second—a scenario computer systems have never had to handle. In its place, officials are proposing a leap hour that would only realign timescales once they drift a full 3,600 seconds apart.
nature.com
· 2026-08-31