The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology called this Friday a “turning point for humanity,” even though the difference between this day and the day before weighs, theoretically, nothing ...

The kilogram is getting an update. No, your bathroom scales won’t suddenly become kinder and a kilo of fruit will still weigh a kilo. But the way scientists define the exact mass of a kilogram is ...

The official US kilogram — the physical prototype against which all weights in the United States are calibrated — cannot be touched by human hands except in rare circumstances. Sealed beneath a bell ...

The international prototype was forged in the 1880s. Enlarge Image In a heavily-guarded, subterranean vault on the outskirts of Paris is a lump of metal about the size of a plum. To the eye it's an ...

Since 1889, human civilization has depended upon a magic rock. Known as Le Grand K, it sits under protective glass in St. Cloud, France. Humanity's magic rock is actually a chunk of metallic alloy ...

The original prototype kilogram mass resides in a vault in France, seemingly losing weight "It's scandalous!" Assent murmurs its way through the crowd as Nobel laureate Bill Phillips continues. "The ...

is a senior reporter who has covered AI, robotics, and more for eight years at The Verge. Update, May 20th, 2019, 10AM ET: This article was originally published in November 2018. As of May 20th, 2019, ...