nucleus of an atom

More than 10 years after Russian scientists first claimed to create atoms of Ununquadium, the unstable element in position 114 on the periodic table, scientists at Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory have confirmed their own element 114 sample. Unfortunately, the 114 atoms quickly decayed, dashing years of hope that element 114 occupied the long sought "island of stability" where super-heavy elements could exist in large quantities for long periods of time.

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The average wristwatch gains or loses about one second every few days, and undoubtedly, few of us notice the difference. But marking time accurately is crucial to some modern technologies. Atomic clocks—which base their ticks on the oscillations between the nucleus of an atom and its surrounding electrons—enable GPS navigation and ensure the proper timing of space probe launches and landings.

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