US EditionBulletin Sets Doomsday Clock at 85 Seconds Amid Rising Global Risks
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists cites rising nuclear threats, climate change, biotechnology misuse, and AI risks as reasons for setting the clock to 85 seconds to midnight, the closest ever.
- The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists revealed on Jan. 27, 2026, in Washington, D.C., that the Doomsday Clock advanced to 85 seconds to midnight, its closest reading ever.
- Experts cited escalating technological and geopolitical threats as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists highlighted nuclear war, climate change, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence risks amid collapsing international cooperation.
- Last year the clock sat at 89 seconds, and the Bulletin sets the Doomsday Clock annually via its science and security board in consultation with its board of sponsors formed by Albert Einstein.
- The Bulletin intends the clock to catalyse policy and public engagement, aiming to spur actionable ideas as Alexandra Bell said `Humanity has not made sufficient progress on the existential risks that endanger us all` this year.
- The trend shows the clock edging closer in three of the last four years, as the Bulletin cited risks involving Russia-Ukraine, India-Pakistan, and Iran, urging bold, sustained action.
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173 Articles
PBS NewsHour
BizToc'Doomsday Clock' ticks closer to midnight amid threats from AI, climate change and nuclear war
Earth is closer than it's ever been to destruction as Russia, China, the U.S. and other countries become "increasingly aggressive, adversarial, and nationalistic," a science-oriented advocacy group said Tuesday and advanced its "Doomsday Clock" to 85 seconds till midnight.
This clock, which has been symbolizing the imminence of a planetary cataclysm since 1947, has come closer Tuesday more than ever by midnight. It now has four seconds less than a year ago. Cause: the growing concerns about nuclear weapons, climate change and misinformation. - "In short of time": why does the clock of the apocalypse display 85 seconds before midnight? (International).
The Last Judgment Clock, a symbolic tool to visualize the probability of humanity disappearing, is located this year at 85 seconds from midnight, the closest point that has ever been to mark the final hour.
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