The Earth begins to accelerate - a "time hole" and technological chaos is approaching

 In recent years, the Earth has begun to rotate faster and faster, raising serious concerns among scientists. So far, the planet has been gradually slowing down its rotation, making the days longer and longer. To adjust Universal Time (UTC) to the actual movement of the Earth, leap seconds were regularly added. However, in 2020 the situation changed dramatically - for the first time in history there was a record number of days shorter than 24 hours.

The Earth's fastest rotation in 2020 occurred on July 19, when it took 1.4602 milliseconds less than the standard 86,400 seconds to complete a revolution around its axis. If this trend continues, it means that in just a few years it will be necessary to introduce "negative seconds" to adjust universal time to the actual movement of the planet. According to Professor Duncan Agnew from the University of California, San Diego, the first such "negative second" should be added in 2029.

The scientist warns that such a "time hole" may cause serious problems in the operation of computers and smartphones whose software is designed to add, but not subtract, leap seconds. According to the expert, it will be necessary to take immediate actions to prepare IT systems for this unprecedented situation.

The acceleration of the Earth's rotation is an extremely rare phenomenon on a geological scale. Studies of prehistoric clam shells and cyanobacterial fossils have shown that the planet rotated much faster in the distant past. About 70 million years ago, the days were only 23 hours and 30 minutes long, and 530 million years ago, the days were only 21 hours long. Such rapid changes in the Earth's rotation rate must certainly have had serious consequences for life on the planet.

While scientists are unable to explain what exactly is causing these mysterious fluctuations in the Earth's rotation speed, the fact that the phenomenon has been increasing in recent years is a legitimate concern. Urgent action will be needed to adapt our technology systems to the changes ahead.