Shape shift: adding just one neutron can transform a mercury nucleus from a sphere to a rugby ball. (Courtesy: Krystof Dockx) A 40-year-old mystery of why mercury nuclei change shape dramatically has ...

Alternating from spheres to rugby balls is no longer the sole preserve of mercury isotopes, an international team at CERN's ISOLDE facility reports in a paper published in Physical Review Letters.

Amazon's newest construction is turning heads in downtown Seattle. The futuristic spheres have taken shape and more details have emerged about a forest-like atmosphere planned for their interiors. The ...