Xingyi Wang

Hidden inside a zinc oxide crystal is a quantum duo: a tin atom and a lithium atom sitting side by side. Their bond is so tight that the electron captured by this pair seems to live on the tin, while the lithium merely plays along. This complex was long sought after, but only now has it been deliberately created and identified by its characteristic glow.

Globular clusters, dense swarms of hundreds of thousands of stars, hide millisecond pulsars. These are dead stars spinning at breakneck speed: one rotation every few milliseconds, like a kitchen blender on max.