Because the inelastic neutron scattering (INS) reaction can be used to populate both collective and non‐collective nuclear states in a statistical manner, it is often possible to probe excited states that cannot be examined with other reactions. Recent advances in Doppler‐shift attenuation method (DSAM) measurements following INS have permitted the determination of lifetimes in the femtosecond regime in heavy nuclei. The measured lifetimes can be used to identify low‐spin collective excitations. Fast E1 transitions have been observed in two different mass regions and, while these transitions can be offered as evidence for octupole‐octupole and quadrupole‐octupole excitations, the occurrence of fast E1 transitions is found to be more common than previously thought. The INS reaction has also been employed to examine the well‐known M1 scissors mode excitations in the rare earth region and 2+mixed‐symmetry states in134Ba.