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Abstract
The atomic nucleus is a superdense many-body system yet with a small enough number of constituents to show individual quantum states. At lower energies of excitation, many nuclei have analogies to superfluids, whilst at higher energies they behave as a unique quantum liquid with supercritical viscosity. A recent powerful method to study this complex system is to subject the nuclei to extreme stress by rapid rotation. Gamma-ray spectroscopy tells us how the superfluidity is broken down by rotation, and how the angular momentum is built up in spinning nuclei; it also shows that superdeformed nuclei do exist. Finally the largest spinning nuclei of them all, the pulsars or neutron stars are mentioned.