# Scientists Vote to Abolish Leap Seconds Within a Decade

An international body of scientists voted to stop adding leap seconds to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) by 2035, ending a decades-old practice used to keep atomic clocks aligned with Earth's rotation. The change matters because leap seconds have long caused complications for computing, navigation, and telecommunications systems, and abandoning them reflects a shift toward relying purely on atomic time.

**Importance:** 4/5

## Sources

### Science
- [New Scientist](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2594285-scientists-have-just-voted-to-abolish-leap-seconds/?utm_campaign=RSS|NSNS&utm_content=home&utm_medium=RSS&utm_source=NSNS) — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 13:59:18 +0000