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According to scientists, the Earth has been rotating on its axis slightly faster in recent decades, making each day several milliseconds shorter.
Most of us have barely noticed, but apparently it all adds up as the Internet and GPS map tools all rely on super-precise atomic clocks to function properly.
Now the Earth is suddenly slowing down again, with days getting a little bit longer since 2020.
Experts have called for a new 'negative leap second' to correct the problem, as the shift could break Google Maps and other GPS tools, leaving everyone lost and confused.
Two Australian scientists, Matt King and Christopher Watson, wrote in a blog post: "Precisely understanding Earth's rotation rate is crucial for a host of applications—navigation systems such as GPS wouldn't work without it.
"Also every few years timekeepers insert leap seconds into our official timescales to make sure they don't drift out of sync with our planet.
"If Earth were to shift to even longer days, we may need to incorporate a 'negative leap second'—this would be unprecedented, and may break the Internet."
There are a variety of theories about why days have been getting milliseconds longer since 2020.
Some believe it could be something to do with climate change, as melting ice in Antarctica and the Arctic could be causing the Earth to 'wobble'.
Alternatively, it could be something to do with a gigantic volcanic explosion in Tonga or even the La Niña phenomenon which sees the ocean become cooler by the equator.
There are no clear answers, but one thing is clear: we all rely far too much on GPS to get around these days, and if we lose GPS because of a change in Earth's spin, it could be a nightmare.
Most of us have barely noticed, but apparently it all adds up as the Internet and GPS map tools all rely on super-precise atomic clocks to function properly.
Now the Earth is suddenly slowing down again, with days getting a little bit longer since 2020.
Experts have called for a new 'negative leap second' to correct the problem, as the shift could break Google Maps and other GPS tools, leaving everyone lost and confused.
Two Australian scientists, Matt King and Christopher Watson, wrote in a blog post: "Precisely understanding Earth's rotation rate is crucial for a host of applications—navigation systems such as GPS wouldn't work without it.
"Also every few years timekeepers insert leap seconds into our official timescales to make sure they don't drift out of sync with our planet.
"If Earth were to shift to even longer days, we may need to incorporate a 'negative leap second'—this would be unprecedented, and may break the Internet."
There are a variety of theories about why days have been getting milliseconds longer since 2020.
Some believe it could be something to do with climate change, as melting ice in Antarctica and the Arctic could be causing the Earth to 'wobble'.
Alternatively, it could be something to do with a gigantic volcanic explosion in Tonga or even the La Niña phenomenon which sees the ocean become cooler by the equator.
There are no clear answers, but one thing is clear: we all rely far too much on GPS to get around these days, and if we lose GPS because of a change in Earth's spin, it could be a nightmare.
