By using a rare thorium nucleus as a timekeeper, physicists have demonstrated the first working nuclear clock, a device that ...

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

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.

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

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

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Picture a clock ...

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 ...

A clock based on radioactive thorium atoms realises a long-held ambition, demonstrating a technology that could eventually ...

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.