University of Birmingham's Giovanni Barontini measures time in mini universe
Scientist Giovanni Barontini at the University of Birmingham have built a mini universe using 24,000 supercooled rubidium atoms.
Instead of using clocks, they tracked time by watching how the atoms changed when split into bright and dark sides with a laser, basically letting the system itself tell time through changes in entropy.
Possible relativity and quantum mechanics link
This experiment digs into some big questions about how we experience time, especially in weird quantum worlds.
It even hints at what might have happened right after the Big Bang or what could happen if the universe collapses in a Big Crunch.
Barontini's work could help connect two major physics theories, general relativity and quantum mechanics, by showing that time can be measured by change itself, not just by ticking clocks.