Technology used by optical atomic clocks may jump from lab to consumer - EurekAlert!

This handout image supplied by the IIPA (Iran International Photo Agency) shows a view of the reactor building at the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant as the first fuel is loaded, on August 21, 2010 in Bushehr, southern Iran. (Photo by IIPA) Iran’s nuclear technology cannot be eliminated through threats, sanctions, or military attacks, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran chief Mohammad Eslami said, arguing that the country’s nuclear advances are rooted in domestic scientific capabilities and will continue despite U. S. pressure. Speaking at an international conference on “Ecocide: The Silent War Crime,” Eslami said Iran’s nuclear technology was developed through years of work by Iranian scientists and researchers and had become an important part of the country’s scientific and technological progress. “Overt threats by U. S. officials to use tactical weapons against Iran’s nuclear facilities—delivered right from the United Nations podium—and talk of destroying Iran’s ancient civilization reveal helplessness in the face of a pioneering nation,” Eslami said, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency. He said Iran and its people “will never surrender.”

The head of Iran's atomic energy agency said on Sunday that the country's nuclear technology is safe from external disruption and cannot be halted by threats, pressure or attacks. Mohammad Eslami, the chief of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI), said Iran's nuclear advances are a national achievement and were a testament to the dedication of Iranian scientists.

Scientists have reached a major milestone in the quest to build an entirely new kind of clock. After decades of research, a team in Vienna has developed the world's first self-stabilizing nuclear clock, a device that could eventually measure time with far greater precision than today's most advanced atomic clocks. Unlike earlier prototypes, the new nuclear clock can maintain its own stability without depending on a conventional atomic clock. Researchers have demonstrated that it can operate steadily for more than 24 hours without intervention.

Here’s your NYT Strands hint for today, plus the spangram and all of today’s Strands answers for puzzle No. 959 on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. Today’s Strands theme was tricky. It helps to be a runner. Read on for all the answers.