Physicists created a tiny universe where time emerged without a clock

Researchers at the University of Birmingham have crafted a groundbreaking experiment using 24,000 ultracold atoms to simulate a tiny "mini universe" where time emerges organically from internal changes, rather than being imposed by an external clock. This fascinating discovery suggests that time may only manifest when there's a change, offering profound implications for our understanding of physics and the nature of time itself. This breakthrough could reshape theories about the universe's fundamental workings and how we perceive time on both a quantum and cosmological scale.