Science

Andi's Writeup

Physicists at Washington University in St. Louis created the first-ever "time quasicrystal" - a new phase of matter that breaks conventional time symmetry patterns[^1][^2]. The breakthrough, published in Physical Review X in March 2025, demonstrates how a quantum system can spontaneously organize its motion into complex patterns that repeat in time but lack standard periodicity[^2].

The research team, led by Chong Zu, created their time quasicrystal inside a diamond by:

• Using nitrogen beams to create spaces for electrons in the diamond structure
• Applying microwave pulses to initiate rhythmic patterns
• Achieving hundreds of stable oscillation cycles before breakdown[^3]

Unlike regular time crystals which tick with one rhythm, time quasicrystals produce multiple incommensurate frequencies - similar to playing multiple musical notes simultaneously rather than a single note[^2]. The system demonstrated robust "subharmonic" responses at these multiple frequencies, proving it was a true new phase of matter rather than just an engineered pattern[^1].

The discovery has potential applications in:

• Quantum computing memory storage
• High-precision timekeeping
• Advanced quantum sensors
• Signal processing[^3]

[^1]: Physical Review X - Experimental Realization of Discrete Time Quasi-Crystals

[^2]: Physics Magazine - A New Type of Time Crystal

[^3]: Tech Explorist - WashU physicists created a new phase of matter in the center of a diamond

Preparing national sciences systems for AI: Perspectives from Muscat

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https://council.science/blog/preparing-national-sciences-systems-for-ai-perspectives-from-muscat/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=preparing-national-sciences-systems-for-ai-perspectives-from-muscat

Water: The key to unlocking synergies between the Rio Conventions

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https://council.science/blog/water-synergies-rio-conventions/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=water-synergies-rio-conventions

Recognizing World Day for Glaciers & the launch of the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences

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https://council.science/news/world-day-for-glaciers-and-decade-of-action-cryospheric-sciences/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=world-day-for-glaciers-and-decade-of-action-cryospheric-sciences

Call for case studies of science in action for sustainable development

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https://council.science/news/call-for-case-studies-hlpf-2025/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=call-for-case-studies-hlpf-2025

https://archive.ph/MoFmJ

https://archive.ph/ueh8z

Funding actionable science: Advancing mission-oriented research for sustainability

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https://council.science/news/funding-actionable-science-2025/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=funding-actionable-science-2025

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/9216258

This article reports new scientific research into a Neanderthal-Human hybrid child.

Key excepts from the short article:

A recent study has used advanced radiocarbon dating to present a more precise age for the Lapedo Child, a significant archaeological find that reshaped our perception of the interaction between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals.

MAIN CONCLUSIONS The remains show both Neanderthal and modern human traits, and they have been dated to about 28,000 years ago, upending the earlier date range.

The dating of the Lapedo Child thus expands the debate on the extent and duration of human-Neanderthal interactions.

Another striking conclusion from the study is the idea that the site was abandoned following the child’s burial. The child’s death might have led to the site being marked as taboo.

GENETIC DETAILS Genetic evidence suggests interbreeding began at least 49,000 years ago and continued for roughly 7,000 years. However, if the Lapedo Child, a hybrid individual, lived around 28,000 years ago, then questions arise as to whether genetic exchanges lasted longer than previously thought or whether hybrid traits appeared in later generations.

NEANDERTHAL BURIAL DETAILS They studied bones from a young rabbit, found atop the child’s remains, red deer bones located near the child’s shoulder, and charcoal beneath the legs, thought to be remnants of a ritual fire.

The results revealed that while the rabbit bones were contemporaneous with the child, the red deer bones and charcoal were significantly older, indicating that they were not placed intentionally as part of a burial offering.

Instead, the rabbit skeleton is believed to have been part of a symbolic offering before the grave was sealed, as it bears a red ocher pigment similar to that of the burial shroud.

Building a database for ISC Member focal points to foster Member-Member engagement

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https://council.science/news/database-isc-member-focal-points/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=database-isc-member-focal-points

A call to ISC Members to propose working groups

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https://council.science/news/call-to-isc-members-propose-working-groups/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=call-to-isc-members-propose-working-groups

Call for experts for IPCC Task Group on Data Support for Climate Change Assessments | deadline: 17 April

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https://council.science/news/call-ipcc-task-group-data-support-for-climate-change/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=call-ipcc-task-group-data-support-for-climate-change

Call for nominations: Coordinating lead authors, lead authors, review editors for the IPCC Seventh Assessment Report | deadline: 10 April

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https://council.science/news/call-authors-review-editors-ipcc-ar7/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=call-authors-review-editors-ipcc-ar7

Call for experts for IPCC Task Group on Data Support for Climate Change Assessments | deadline: 10 April

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https://council.science/news/call-for-experts-for-ipcc-task-group-on-data-support-for-climate-change-assessments-deadline-10-april/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=call-for-experts-for-ipcc-task-group-on-data-support-for-climate-change-assessments-deadline-10-april

ISC Science Missions for Sustainability endorsed as an official programme of the UN International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development

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https://council.science/news/isc-science-missions-un-decade-sustainability/?utm%5C_source=rss&utm%5C_medium=rss&utm%5C_campaign=isc-science-missions-un-decade-sustainability

Abstract: Evolution in profound darkness often leads to predictable, convergent traits, such as the loss of vision. Yet, the consequences of such repeated evolutionary experiments remain obscure, especially regarding fundamental regulatory behaviors like circadian rhythms. We studied circadian clocks of blind cave spiders and their sighted relatives. In the field, cave spiders exhibit low per expression and maintain constant activity levels. Curiously, their clocks are not permanently lost; exposure to monochromatic blue light restores both circadian gene expression and behavioral rhythms. Conversely, blocking blue light in sighted relatives induces an arrhythmic “cave phenotype.” Our RNA interference experiments suggest that clock genes regulate the rhythmicity of the huddle response, establishing a link between circadian gene networks and this behavioral rhythm. We demonstrate that circadian regulation is readily toggled and may play a latent role, even in constant darkness. Overall, our study expands understanding of circadian clock variations and paves the way for future research on the maintenance of silent phenotypes.

How bad can a solar storm be? Just ask a tree. Unlike human records, which go back hundreds of years, trees can remember solar storms for millennia.

Nagoya University doctoral student Fusa Miyake made the discovery in 2012 while studying rings in the stump of a 1900-year-old Japanese cedar. One ring, in particular, drew her attention. Grown in the year 774–75 AD, it contained a 12% jump in radioactive carbon-14 (14C), about 20 times greater than ordinary fluctuations from cosmic radiation. Other teams confirmed the spike in wood from Germany, Russia, the United States, Finland, and New Zealand. Whatever happened, trees all over the world experienced it.