CERN 'Little Big Bang' Reveals Bowling-Pin Nuclei from Universe's First Microsecond

Bowling-pin-shaped neon nuclei recreate universe's first microsecond in CERN collisions University of Copenhagen-led ALICE researchers smashed oxygen-16 and neon-20 nuclei at near-light speed, producing quark-gluon plasma from smaller nuclei than thought possible. The neon collisions revealed bowling-pin nuclear shapes, published as an Editors' Suggestion in Physical Review Letters. 1

Splitting a photon can spawn zero to thousands of new photons University of Oslo theorists show that cutting a photon's wave by removing a mirror mid-passage yields a quantum mixture of many photon-number states, not just zero or one. The result, published in Physical Review Letters, could surprise physicists and matter for quantum technology. 2

Heat-driven solid-state cooling works without electricity, compressor, or refrigerant KIT and University of Tsukuba researchers demonstrated a world-first elastocaloric system that turns waste heat or solar energy directly into cold, using shape-memory alloys. Published in Nature Energy, it could slash the huge climate footprint of cooling and heating. 3

DoPE prime editing inserts 12.5-kilobase DNA sequences in a single precise step A Nature Biotechnology study describes donor-complementary prime editing, which installs kilobase-scale DNA without double-strand breaks or recombinases. The system can also saturate genes with mutation libraries and correct multiple disease alleles in PRKCSH. 4

Dysfunctional mitochondria switch on inflammatory genes in zombie cells, study finds Mayo Clinic researchers report in Nature that a mitochondrial pathway involving SLC25A1 helps senescent 'zombie' cells activate inflammatory genes. Blocking it reduced inflammation, offering a way to quiet age-related disease without killing the cells. 5

Cloud 9 may be the first starless galaxy ever found Astronomers led by Ignacio Trujillo report on arXiv that deep optical imaging shows no stellar light at Cloud 9, a massive neutral-hydrogen concentration. If confirmed, it would be a rare dark galaxy challenging assumptions about galaxy formation. 6

Yonsei team says Nobel laureates' rebuttal contains errors defending cosmic acceleration Professor Lee Young-Wook's group reanalyzed the University of Southampton defense of dark-energy-driven acceleration and identified two analytical errors, publishing in MNRAS. The exchange keeps alive the debate over whether the universe is still accelerating. 7

Tiny chemical difference lets RNA form droplets that could predate first cells University at Buffalo-led research in Nature Communications shows RNA's 2' hydroxyl group helps it assemble into liquid droplets and gel-like networks under hot, acidic conditions. Such condensates may have concentrated primordial RNA before cells existed. 8

Nanowrinkles in graphene act as quantum flexoelectric speed bumps for electricity Rice University and UK researchers found that wrinkles smaller than a billionth of a meter significantly alter graphene's electrical properties through quantum flexoelectricity. The Advanced Materials study suggests geometry alone could control electronics in atomically thin materials. 9

Ultra-low-dose THC locks breast cancer cells into less aggressive state via CB2R In Communications Biology, researchers show a four-day THC pulse reduced invasiveness, self-renewal, and tumor initiation in breast cancer organoids, with effects mediated mainly by the CB2 cannabinoid receptor. The finding points to a non-psychoactive strategy against cancer plasticity. 10

Antibody gel converts brain support cells into neurons, easing Alzheimer's in mice University of South Carolina researchers used a Nano-Eraser polymer gel to deliver anti-PTBP1 antibodies across the blood-brain barrier, turning astrocytes into functional neurons. Treated Alzheimer's-model mice showed improved memory and higher neuron density. 11