Doomsday Clock - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
In January, they posted " On January 27, 2026, the Doomsday Clock was set at 85 seconds to midnight, the closest the Clock has ever been to midnight in its history. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists ’ Science and Security Board (SASB), which sets the Clock, called for urgent action to limit nuclear arsenals, create international guidelines on the use of AI, and form multilateral agreements to address global biological threats."
This is their latest update, but I wonder where it is now because of the current Iranian kerfluffle.
As I understand it, the clock is only formally “set” once a year. And, FWIW, it’s been under 2 minutes for the past six years (since 2020), and where they have it set for 2026 is the closest to midnight it has ever been.
IMO, the threat is, I suppose, a little higher now than it was a couple of weeks ago, but it all comes down to, “global tensions are really bad, and have been for years.” The last time that the clock was moved “backwards” was 16 years ago.
Why is the opinion of a group of atomic scientists relevant, anyway? I can think of lots of folks who would be better qualified at assessing the risks: Sociologists, historians, diplomats, politicians, generals, international traders..
…dopers…
Is there an alarm setting on that clock? If so, it should have gone off long ago.
Sometimes the wider the group the more muddied the opinion, I guess.
That’s the definition of midnight on the clock: global war.
The entire reason why that group maintains the clock, and releases annual press releases on it, is to raise the alarm on how close we may be to an apocalypse.
The same group has been maintaining the Clock since 1947, btw.