In a 24 March 2025 article from the on-line Science Advisor (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Phie Jacobs summarizes the "great debate" of the yearly shift from standard time to daylight savings time.  In January 2025 the US Senate introduced the Sunshine Protection Act to permanently have daylight savings time year round. Certainly 54% of Americans do not like the annual migration from standard to savings time and back.  In the US, daylight savings time was instituted in 1918 during World War I.

"José María Martín-Olalla, a physicist at the University of Seville and lead author of the new position paper, argues that seasonal clock changes also represent a practical solution to a broader problem: reconciling the fixed, clock-driven schedule of modern life with sunrise times that vary throughout the year."

Jacobs points out that numerous studies have linked time-related sleep disruptions to increases in heart attacks, strokes, traffic accidents, and workplace injuries, and sleep researchers strongly oppose that idea on the basis that extra-dark mornings and extra-bright evenings would dangerously disrupt people’s sleep. Many medical and scientific organizations instead advocate for permanent standard time.

Jacobs sees a middle point, saying that according to Fong-Isariyawongse, human biology functions according to light exposure and people’s circadian rhythms already naturally adjust throughout the year. “Instead of manipulating clocks,” she says, “a better approach would be to allow workplaces and schools more flexibility in adapting schedules based on natural light conditions.”

There is no easy solution.  Maybe the middle ages had it right using unequal time.

Read the full article at: https://www.science.org/content/article/scientists-weigh-pros-and-cons-daylight-saving-time

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