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New Atomic Clock Pushes Boundaries of Accuracy

Posted by timothy on from the pushes-them-the-right-way-even dept.

Neophytus writes "An interesting story on the BBC reports on how a new type of atomic clock is near completion that would only loose about a second in every 100 million years. Within ten years they hope to have a clock with billion year accuracy which would potentially bring advances in disease research by watching timing genes. More reports from this year's AAAS Annual meeting can be found on the BBC, and information about the event on the AAAS Annual Meeting website."

8 of 43 comments (clear)

  1. First "lose" not "loose" post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "...that would only loose about a second in every 100 million years"

    How can people continue to do this? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGG GGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

  2. Disease research by dmanny · · Score: 4, Insightful
    First, I did RTFA. Second, I should say that I admire such work on time precision and think it should be supported.

    However I must say that I am puzzled how any new higher precision timing source will directly help biological research in the area of genes. I did follow the recent reports of a genetic timing mechanisms being discovered but how does adding another step of resolution to the best available time source have anything to do with this research? Likely this the new clock will be far removed from any lab doing work with the genetic material in many ways -- geographic, propagation and subject matter. The currently available clocks are certainly no slouches. Are they not sufficient for biological work? How is an improved one going to help?

    In part, I ask about this particular point because, while somewhat weakly addressed in the article, it was repeated on /. I am seriously hoping a little light could be shed -- preferably based on knowledge not speculation.

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    All my previous sigs now look like this one, I wish they were permanetly recorded when used. :-(
    1. Re:Disease research by baz00f · · Score: 3, Informative

      I am a biochemist/molecular biologist and I can't imagine what the author has in mind. I'm sure it was just a giddy deadline thing. He probably wrote something earlier on gene transcription timing or chronobiology and made an goofy link to this new "cutting edge research pushing back the foreskin of science..."

      Accuracy on the order of 1 second in 1 billion years is about 1 part in 3x10^16. I see no way that is important to have for measurements of any observable biological process.

  3. In other news ... by one9nine · · Score: 4, Funny

    Scientists have now discoverd that it's more accurate to count "1 Alabama, 2 Alabama" instead of "1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi". Scientists predict quartback sacks during backyard football games will increase 27% over the next four years.

  4. Speed of light by Oriumpor · · Score: 3, Interesting

    am I mistaken, or will this clock (or the technology therin) help nasa and the relativity theorists? The already have "precise" clocks according to this

    It was my understanding that the more precise the clock the easier it would be to test the speed of light.

    1. Re:Speed of light by PaddyM · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Actually, I was going to say, that I bet it only loses 1 second every 100 million years, except if you take the clock around real fast. Then it will seem to lose all kinds of seconds.

      But everyone will just say, "proves special relativity again" instead of "proves that moving fast messes up the timing of atomic clocks".

  5. Re:Who Cares? by C21 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    quantum physics, when you're "looking" at particles that are so small you cannot even see them but have to examine how theyre interacting with larger particles, that .001 +% accuracy with timing helps, a lot.

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  6. Additional info by bardencj · · Score: 3, Informative

    You can read a little more about the background of this new clock at NIST's archive of a paper in IEEE T. Instrum. Meas., for those of us who foolishly let our subscription lapse...

    It would appear the chief technological development that made this clock possible was the femtosecond laser. The paper also suggests that the average error could be reduced even further than the article suggests (down to attoseconds, perhaps) if higher-order Stark and Zeeman shifts are properly treated. As for practical uses, I personally can't think of any, except to finally answer the question "Does anybody really know what time it is?" But elimination of uncertainties is laudable anyway.