As of January 27, 2026, the world is officially the closest it has ever been to the brink. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has set the Doomsday Clock at 85 seconds to midnight, citing a global landscape where major powers are becoming ‘increasingly aggressive, adversarial, and nationalistic.’
What is the Doomsday Clock? We will explore its origins.
The Metaphor of Midnight
The Doomsday Clock is one of the most recognizable symbols of the modern era, representing the likelihood of a man-made global catastrophe. Maintained since 1947 by the members of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the clock is a metaphor, not a prediction. On this clock, ‘midnight’ represents total destruction, hypothetically caused by unchecked scientific and technological advances. The closer the minute hand moves to the hour, the greater the perceived danger to humanity. It serves as a stark wake-up call, urging leaders and citizens alike to address existential threats before time runs out.
1947: The Beginning
The clock was born in the aftermath of World War II, created by scientists who had participated in the Manhattan Project. They had helped build the atomic bomb and subsequently became deeply concerned about the consequences of their creation. Artist Martyl Langsdorf, the wife of physicist Alexander Langsdorf, designed the clock for the June 1947 cover of the Bulletin. She chose to set the hand at 7 minutes to midnight simply because it looked good to her eye, but that initial setting sparked a legacy of analyzing global safety. Since then, the time has been adjusted more than 20 times based on the geopolitical climate.
Beyond Nuclear War
For decades, the Doomsday Clock was primarily a gauge of nuclear tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. However, in the 21st century, the criteria for moving the clock have expanded. Today, the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board considers a wider array of existential threats. Chief among these is climate change, which was officially added as a factor in 2007. Furthermore, the board now evaluates disruptive technologies, including artificial intelligence, biological threats (such as engineered pandemics), and cyber warfare, all of which have the potential to destabilize civilization.
90 Seconds to Catastrophe
In recent years, the clock has moved closer to midnight than ever before. In 2023, and reaffirmed in 2024, the time was set to 90 seconds to midnight. This historic proximity to destruction reflects a volatile mix of the ongoing war in Ukraine, heightened nuclear rhetoric, the climate crisis continuing largely unabated, and the breakdown of global norms and institutions needed to mitigate risks. This setting indicates that the Bulletin believes we are living in a time of unprecedented danger, surpassing even the most tense moments of the Cold War.
Turning Back Time
Despite the dire warnings, the Doomsday Clock is ultimately a message of hope and agency. The clock has moved backward in the past, most notably in 1991 following the end of the Cold War, when it reached 17 minutes to midnight. The purpose of the clock is to stimulate conversation and spark action. By engaging in international treaties, reducing carbon emissions, and establishing safeguards for emerging technologies, humanity has the power to turn back the clock. It reminds us that the future is not written in stone, but determined by the choices we make today.
