(koto_feja/Getty Images) A breakthrough in chronometry decades in the making could redefine the limits of how we keep time.

A clock built from thorium-229 has crossed an important line, from a long-discussed concept to a working device. The shift ...

Most clocks, from wristwatches to the systems that run GPS and the internet, work by tracking regular, repeating motions. To build a clock, you need something that ticks in a perfectly repeatable way.

Time feels familiar. It marks every moment of daily life, from the ticking of a wall clock to the changing numbers on a ...

Modern timekeeping relies on the accuracy of atomic clocks, which revolutionized timekeeping by using the quantum behavior of atoms to measure time. Discover how these incredibly precise clocks work, ...

But physicists have long dreamt of even better clocks that run on atomic nuclei, which are less sensitive to environmental ...

Atomic clocks are established as the most precise timekeepers created. Atomic clocks work by deploying lasers to measure the vibrations of atoms (electromagnetic signals). By atoms oscillating at a ...

Imagine you're trying to keep time by listening to a room full of people clapping. If everyone claps randomly, it’s hard to tell the rhythm. But if they clap in sync, the beat becomes clear and steady ...

How does a clock become precise enough to guide a spacecraft across interstellar distance without drifting a single second ...

(THE CONVERSATION) Most clocks, from wristwatches to the systems that run GPS and the internet, work by tracking regular, repeating motions. To build a clock, you need something that ticks in a ...