What Day Is It, Really?

The Rest Is Science

Goalhanger

Science, Physics, Mathematics

4.5 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 30 December 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What day is it, really? And who decided? What happens to time when we leave the Earth? And when might future humans be counting down to the dawn of a New Year in the middle of the day? From missing days and meddling popes to atomic clocks and vanishing centuries, Professor Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens dive headfirst into one of the slipperiest questions in science and society: what IS the time and date? On the way they trace a tiny error by Julius Caesar, a correction by Pope Gregory XIII, and how time itself has bent to human will. In the process, faiths have quarrelled, centuries have blurred or been deleted altogether and yet, we crave precision in a universe that drifts, producing clocks so exact they must pause to let the Earth turn. ------------------- For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research, breakthroughs and how you can support them, visit ⁠⁠⁠https://cancerresearchuk.org/restisscience⁠⁠⁠ Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ. ------------------- Find The Rest Is Science all over the internet by ⁠clicking ⁠here⁠.⁠ ------------------- Video Producer: Adam Thornton Video & Social: Bex Tyrrell Assistant Producer: Imee Marriott Producer: Becki Hills Senior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-Carter Head Of Digital: Samuel Oakley Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Cancer Research UK.
0:02.9	Dinosaurs walked the earth 180 million years ago.
0:07.1	But you know, cancer was part of their story too.
0:10.2	Scientists have found tumors in ancient fossils.
0:13.2	Well, that is part of the reason why cancer is a big part of our story, right?
0:18.2	It's the other side of evolution.
0:19.9	It's the most complex disease
0:21.6	that we face. There are more than 200 types of cancer in total, each with distinct
0:25.9	characteristics, challenges, and mysteries. And that complexity demands scale. Cancer Research,
0:32.0	UK, is the world's largest charitable funder of cancer research, with more than 4,000 scientists,
0:38.8	doctors, and nurses working across more than 20 countries in the search for answers. And then sharing their
0:44.1	discoveries beyond borders. And the impact of this collaboration is clear, because over the last
0:48.2	50 years, the charity's pioneering work has helped to double cancer survival in the UK. That is more people who are living
0:55.9	longer, better lives. Fossils can show us the past, but research is shaping the future. And for more
1:03.3	information about Cancer Research UK, their research, breakthroughs and how you can support them,
1:08.7	visit cancerresearchuk.org forward slash rest is science.
1:20.4	Welcome to the rest is science. I'm Professor Hannah Fry. And I am Michael Stevens,
1:24.6	creator of Vsauce on YouTube. Hey, happy new year, Michael.
1:28.5	Okay.
1:29.2	Are you teasing me?
1:30.8	Why?
1:31.8	Is it really a new year?
	...

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