doomsday clock

Thursday January 23, 2020

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.

Thursday January 25, 2018

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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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.

Thursday January 26, 2017

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.

Tuesday January 26, 2016

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.