50 years ago, timekeepers deployed the newly invented leap second
Excerpt from the January 12, 1974 issue of Science News
![A hand holds a stop watch](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/112823_cm_50YA-leap-second_feat.jpg?fit=1030%2C580&ssl=1)
The leap second’s time is nearly up. Scientists will retire the tool used to reset atomic clocks by 2035.
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