A recent breakthrough has paved the way for timekeeping even more precise than the measurements performed by atomic clocks.

Atomic clocks are the most accurate timekeepers we have, losing only seconds across billions of years. But apparently that’s not accurate enough – nuclear clocks could steal their thunder, speeding up GPS and the internet,

It might not sound like there is much difference between the two clocks at first glance, but it’s all about scale. Atomic clocks base their timekeeping on measuring the exact vibrations of individual atoms to designate a single second.

An international team at JILA is pioneering a nuclear clock that surpasses current atomic clocks in precision, potentially enabling advancements in GPS, internet synchronization, and secure communications.

Harnessing quantum principles, atomic clocks achieve extraordinary timekeeping accuracy, transforming navigation, telecommunications, and scientific discovery.

Pretty much everything in the digital world relies on ultra-precise clocks running behind the scenes. Scientific research now paves the way for new improvements on how they "tick", which could bolster the precision of navigation equipment and improve how many businesses work.