Topic: National Institute of Standards and Technology

Will Earth no longer define time? Leap second could be abolished.

The rotation of the Earth has defined time for as long as time has been kept, but keeping up with all of Earth's little quirks by adding and subtracting an occasional leap second is getting tiring. Timekeepers could vote Thursday to rely solely on atomic clocks. 

Cyber security: Power grid grows more vulnerable to attack, report finds

'Smart grid' features and Internet-based connections to the US power grid are proliferating, increasing pathways for would-be cyber attackers, says a study from MIT. What to do?

Remembering the audacity of the twin towers

The soaring twin towers of the World Trade Center became an affirmation of the American value of dreaming big. To the engineer who designed them, their loss on 9/11 remains heartbreaking, but he's found the resilience to keep dreaming.

How do we know it was really Osama bin Laden? The DNA test explained.

A forensic DNA test has provided '99.9 percent certainty' that Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan on Sunday. How does that work, exactly?

Scientists use 'trinitite' from 1945 to help decode nuclear blasts

Samples taken from the US site of the Trinity atomic bomb test allow scientists to better understand how to track the source of a detonated nuclear weapon.

The closer you are to the ground, the slower time moves

As Einstein's theories of relativity predict, the earth's gravity warps time, making the seconds pass more slowly for those closer to the ground.

Government employees feel the danger of anti-government anger

Anti-government infused threats against the IRS and gun violations on federal property are going up. Many government employees see the over-heated political debate these days as a personal danger.

Daylight Saving Time: Remind me again why we 'spring forward'?

Daylight Saving Time is upon us. Turns out, not every place in the world goes for this one-hour loss in a good night's sleep. Hint: Pasty northerners like it.

Obama's teleprompter commits mutiny during major science speech

Holding on to 2008 for just one second more

It will be the 24th leap second since 1972, keeping clocks in sync with Earth’s rotation.

Language Weaver: fast in translation

How one firm quickly translates reams of data.

Sonar enters the third dimension

New style of 3-D sensors lets ships avoid hidden obstacles.

How size affects particles in the nanoworld

Researchers discover that brittle substances to the naked eye are surprisingly ductile at the nanoscale.

How size affects particles in the nanoworld

Researchers discover that brittle substances to the naked eye are surprisingly ductile at the nanoscale.