Scientists baffled as Earth spins faster than usual

Published Monday 1 August 2022

Scientists have been left baffled after discovering the Earth is spinning faster than normal – making days shorter than usual. New measurements by the UK’s National Physical Laboratory show that the Earth is currently spinning faster than it was half a century ago. On June 29, the Earth’s full rotation took 1.59 milliseconds less than 24 hours – the shortest day ever recorded. Scientists have warned that, if the rotation rate continues to speed up, we may need to remove a second from our atomic clocks. “If Earth’s fast rotation continues, it could lead to the introduction of the first-ever negative leap second,” Astrophysicist...