Here\u2019s a closer look at how the clock was created and how the time is determined.<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udd5b What is the ‘Doomsday Clock’?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a symbolic way to show the public how close the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists believes the world is to a human-made apocalypse.<\/p>\n
Midnight represents Earth\u2019s total annihilation. If the clock moves closer to midnight, it suggests that humanity is nearing self-destruction. It is possible for the clock to move away from midnight, indicating that humanity has taken steps in the past year to reduce the risk of the end of the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Doomsday Clock is a design that warns the public about how close we are to destroying our world with dangerous technologies of our own making,\u201d the website states<\/a>. \u201cIt is a metaphor, a reminder of the perils we must address if we are to survive on the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n \ud83d\udd66 What steps can be taken to set the clock further from midnight?<\/p>\n The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists<\/a> says there are actionable steps that can pull humanity away from the brink of destruction, including the following:<\/p>\n Cooling the nuclear arms race:<\/strong> \u201cThe United States and Russia can resume dialogue about limiting their nuclear arsenals. All nuclear-armed states can avoid destabilizing investments in missile defense and observe the existing moratorium on explosive nuclear testing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Addressing biosecurity threats:<\/strong> \u201cThrough both multilateral agreements and national regulations, the international community can take all feasible steps to prevent the creation of mirror life and cooperate on meaningful measures to reduce the prospect that AI will be used to create biological threats.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Push for renewable energy: <\/strong>\u201cThe United States Congress can repudiate President Trump\u2019s war on renewable energy, instead providing incentives and investments that will enable rapid reduction in fossil fuel use.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Regulating AI:<\/strong> \u201cThe United States, Russia, and China can engage in bilateral and multilateral dialogue on meaningful guidelines regarding the incorporation of artificial intelligence in their militaries, particularly in nuclear command and control systems.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \u21a9\ufe0f How did the Doomsday Clock come about?<\/p>\n The metaphorical timepiece concept dates back to 1947, when nuclear weapons were the greatest danger to humanity, as the United States and Russia were headed toward an arms race.<\/p>\n Artist Martyl Langsdorf was commissioned to design a new cover for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists journal. She was married to Alexander Langsdorf, a nuclear physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project, which built the world\u2019s first atomic bombs.<\/p>\n She listened to the scientists who worked on the nuclear bomb, and they stressed the importance of conveying a sense of urgency to the public about the consequences of the new technology. It was then that Langsdorf switched her design from the uranium symbol to a clock to convey that there\u2019s not much time to get it under control.<\/p>\n The artist first set the Doomsday Clock to seven minutes until midnight because \u201cit looked good to my eye,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u2622\ufe0f How is the time determined?<\/p>\n After the clock concept was established, Bulletin editor Eugene Rabinowitch decided whether or not the clock\u2019s time should be adjusted. As a scientist and a leading voice in the international effort to reduce and eliminate nuclear weapons, he based his decisions on the clock\u2019s time after consulting with other scientists and experts from all over the world.<\/p>\n After Rabinowitch died, in 1973, the Bulletin\u2019s governing board took over the responsibility. In 2008, a separate Science and Security Board (SASB) was established and is now entrusted with the task. The SASB is composed of a select group of globally recognized leaders who consult with additional experts across a wide range of disciplines. The board weighs the risk of nuclear disaster and, in recent decades, has considered threats from climate change and AI.<\/p>\n The members weigh the following two questions every year in deciding where the clock should be: Is humanity safer or at greater risk this year than last year? Is humanity safer or at greater risk than it was 78 years ago, when the clock was set?<\/p>\n \u26a0\ufe0f What was the time set to in recent years?<\/p>\n In January 2023, the Doomsday Clock was set at 90 seconds to midnight, the closest to midnight it has ever been, in large part because of the nuclear threat posed by Russia\u2019s war on Ukraine.<\/p>\n It remained at 90 seconds to midnight in 2024, citing the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel <\/a>and the war in Gaza, disasters exacerbated by climate change and the danger of artificial intelligence<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
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