  Recent developments in the relativistic nuclear field theory (RNFT) are
reviewed. Based on the covariant meson-nucleon Lagrangian of quantum
hadrodynamics, RNFT connects consistently the high-energy scale of heavy
mesons, medium-energy range of pion and the low-energy domain of emergent
collective vibrations (phonons) in a parameter-free way. Mesons and phonons
build up the effective interaction in various channels, in particular, the
phonon-exchange part takes care of the retardation effects, which are of great
importance for the fragmentation of single-particle states, spreading of
collective giant resonances and soft modes, quenching and beta-decay rates with
significant consequences for astrophysics and for the theory of weak processes
in nuclei. As examples, the recently discovered impact of isospin dynamics on
the nuclear shell structure and the isospin-flip pairing vibrations are
discussed.
