The Quantum Zeno Effect

Zeno's name lives on in real physics. The quantum Zeno effect is a genuine, measurable phenomenon: under the right conditions, very frequent measurements can inhibit an unstable quantum system from changing state as quickly as it otherwise would.

The nickname fits because repeated measurement makes change harder to see in the expected way, echoing Zeno's frozen arrow. But it is not ordinary watching, and it does not freeze every system in place. It is a precise quantum effect about how measurement can alter the evolution being measured.