doomsday clock : NPR

From left: Travis Kelce, football person; Mona Lisa, smirker; RFK Jr., falconer. Jamie Squire/Getty Images; Bertrand Guay/AFP via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images hide caption

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Jamie Squire/Getty Images; Bertrand Guay/AFP via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The NPR news quiz

What is RFK Jr.'s favorite bird? Why is this woman smiling? Find out in the quiz!

January 31, 2025 • This week was hard on the conflict-averse. But if you're up on nursery rhymes, prehistoric bodily fluids and Renaissance art, you'll get at least three right this week.

The 2025 Doomsday Clock shows 89 seconds to midnight.

The 2025 Doomsday Clock — displayed at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday — is the closest it's ever been to midnight. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images hide caption

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Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

World

The Doomsday Clock has never been closer to metaphorical midnight. What does it mean?

January 29, 2025 • The Doomsday Clock now stands at 89 seconds to midnight, the closest to catastrophe in its nearly eight-decade history. Here's a look at how — and why — it's moved.

'Doomsday Clock' signals existential threats of nuclear war, climate disasters and AI

Science educator Bill Nye looks at the "Doomsday Clock," shortly before the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announces the latest decision on the "Doomsday Clock" minute hand, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, at the National Press Club Broadcast Center, in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/AP hide caption

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Jacquelyn Martin/AP

World

'Doomsday Clock' signals existential threats of nuclear war, climate disasters and AI

January 24, 2024 • Earth, for the second year running, is nearing apocalypse, a science-oriented advocacy group said, pointing to its famous "Doomsday Clock" that shows 90 seconds till midnight.

The End May Be Nearer: Doomsday Clock Moves Within 100 Seconds Of Midnight

The Doomsday Clock reads 100 seconds to midnight, a decision made by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists that was announced Thursday. The clock is intended to represent the danger of global catastrophe. Eva Hambach/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Eva Hambach/AFP via Getty Images

National Security

The End May Be Nearer: Doomsday Clock Moves Within 100 Seconds Of Midnight

January 23, 2020 • The two-minute warning that had held over the past two years has now shrunk to 100 seconds before midnight on the Doomsday Clock set by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Doomsday Clock Moves Closer To Midnight, We're 2 Minutes From World Annihilation

This is the mushroom cloud of the first atomic explosion at Trinity Test Site, N.M., on July 16, 1945. AP hide caption

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AP

The Two-Way

Doomsday Clock Moves Closer To Midnight, We're 2 Minutes From World Annihilation

January 25, 2018 • Scientists who assess threats each year and express their concerns using the clock are worried about President Trump's unpredictability and governments' failure to trust each other.

The Doomsday Clock Is Reset: Closest To Midnight Since The 1950s

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced during a news conference Thursday that its advisory group is moving the Doomsday Clock 30 seconds closer to midnight. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists hide caption

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Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

The Two-Way

The Doomsday Clock Is Reset: Closest To Midnight Since The 1950s

January 26, 2017 • Criticizing President Trump, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists sees increased risk in dangers to humanity, from the proliferation of nuclear weapons to climate change.

Doomsday Clock Stays At 3 Minutes To Midnight

The Doomsday Clock stayed fixed at three minutes to midnight — the closest it has been to midnight since 1984. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Doomsday Clock Stays At 3 Minutes To Midnight

January 26, 2016 • Despite the progress represented by the Iran nuclear deal, rising tensions between the U.S. and Russia, North Korea's nuclear tests and other conflicts mean the world is still close to catastrophe.