# Time's Up for Leap Second

> Scientists replace leap seconds with leap hours to fix tech glitches.
- Title: Time's Up for Leap Second · the Guardian | Shortify
- Summary: Scientists replace leap seconds with leap hours to fix tech glitches. The world’s timekeepers voted to replace leap seconds with leap hours to prevent…
- Keywords: leap hour, leap second, international bureau of weights and meas, coordinated universal time, atomic clock, earth rotation, timekeeping, news, world, Time's, Leap, Second
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/science/2026/oct/15/times-up-for-the-leap-second-as-scientists-swap-it-for-the-leap-hour
- Published: 2026-10-15T16:16:10+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: leap hour, leap second, international bureau of weights and meas, coordinated universal time, atomic clock, earth rotation, timekeeping, news, world
## Scientists vote to replace leap seconds
Delegates from 69 countries approved switching to leap hours after decades of debate.
## Leap hour aims to fix tech issues
The change reduces risks of computer systems tripping over as software handles minutes with 61 or 59 seconds.
## Dr Setnam Shemar explains benefits
The leap hour preserves Earth’s rotation link while cutting tech risks for infrastructure.
## Leap seconds have caused tech failures
Computer systems froze after leap seconds in 2012, including Reddit and LinkedIn.
## Earth’s rotation changes over time
Earth’s rotation has slowed since dinosaurs, with 27 leap seconds added since 1972.
## Negative leap seconds pose new risks
Software may not handle negative leap seconds, which could cause system failures.
## Leap hour change may take millennia
The leap hour switch won’t happen for thousands of years due to Earth’s slow rotation changes.
## Key takeaway

The world’s timekeepers voted to replace leap seconds with leap hours to prevent computer system failures.