We’ve been lengthening Earth’s days for decades without realizing it, and that’s not a good thing

Researchers at the University of Vienna and ETH Zurich reconstructed Earth’s rotation over 3.6 million years using fossil foraminifera and computer models.

From 2000 to 2020, Earth slowed more than at any other point in the record, lengthening days by about 1.33 milliseconds per century.

Melting polar ice redistributes mass into the oceans, slightly braking Earth’s spin.

The effect is too small to affect daily life, but it is a measurable sign that climate change is altering the planet’s dynamics.