Science News Digest
Today's science news brings breakthroughs across timekeeping, medicine, and energy research.
Nuclear Clock Breakthrough
Researchers in Vienna have built the world's first self-stabilizing nuclear clock using thorium atoms, demonstrating a technology that could eventually outperform today's most precise atomic clocks by relying on atomic nuclei rather than electrons.
Read more: Scientists build a nuclear clock that could make atomic clocks obsolete
Hidden Eye Cleanup System Discovered
Researchers have identified a previously unknown pathway that clears fluid and waste from the back of the eye, a discovery demonstrated in mice that could open new avenues for treating glaucoma, macular degeneration, and other vision-threatening conditions.
Read more: The eye has a hidden cleanup system scientists never knew existed
Lunar Nuclear Reactor Race
The United States is intensifying efforts to develop and deploy a nuclear fission reactor on the Moon, positioning itself in a global race alongside Russia and China for lunar nuclear infrastructure.
Read more: US races Russia and China to build a nuclear reactor on the moon - Ynetnews
Microplastics and Liver Disease
Texas A&M University researchers have found that polyethylene microplastics, one of the world's most prevalent plastics and previously considered relatively harmless, may contribute to fatty liver disease—particularly when combined with an unhealthy diet.
Read more: A plastic once thought harmless may be fueling fatty liver disease
Immunotherapy Success in Bowel Cancer
A phase 2 trial found that a short course of pembrolizumab immunotherapy before surgery prevented cancer recurrence in 32 patients with a specific genetic form of stage 2-3 bowel cancer, with no recurrences observed after nearly three years of follow-up.
Read more: Bowel cancer "melted away" after immunotherapy, then stayed away
Fusion Energy Breakthrough
Researchers at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory have proposed reversing the traditional approach to fusion energy—heating plasma before increasing density—which could enable self-sustaining fusion reactions with significantly less energy input.
Read more: Scientists may have found a shortcut to fusion energy