Is the end of the world really near? What is the Doomsday Clock and how does it work?
29 january 2025 в 20:13
Is this the end of the world as we know it? The Doomsday Clock now shows that we are metaphorically one second closer to it than we were last year — closer than ever before. But we have all heard about apocalyptic events throughout our lives, and Hollywood fuels the fire with movies about the end of the world, such as «2012», - «Don't Look Up», - and «Seeking a Friend for the End of the World». So, what are the Doomsday Clocks, and do they really predict the end of humanity?
Learn more about the metaphorical clocks and their purpose below.
The Doomsday Clock symbolizes how close we theoretically are to a man-made apocalyptic event. However, the clock is a metaphor based on potential threats to humanity from certain scientific and technological changes; the clock does not predict.
Midnight on the clock represents the end of the world.
Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Eugene Rabinowitch, and scientists from the University of Chicago founded the Doomsday Clock in 1945. It has been maintained since 1947 by the publication «Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists».
The «Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists» is a non-profit organization that publishes materials in its academic journal. The Science and Security Board (SASB) provides the «Bulletin» with objective views on scientific and technological trends. The SASB is an elite group of leaders focused on risks related to nuclear threats, climate change, and disruptive technological advancements.
Every January, the Doomsday Clock is updated. In 2024, it showed that humanity was 90 seconds to midnight. Now, in January 2025, the clock indicates that we are 89 seconds to midnight — closer to the moment when humanity has made Earth uninhabitable.
According to the «Bulletin» website, «As the world is dangerously close to the brink, even moving by just one second should be seen as a sign of extreme danger and an unequivocal warning that every second of delay in changing course increases the likelihood of a global catastrophe».
The «Bulletin» described global changes that pushed the clock’s hand to midnight, including the ongoing war in Ukraine, climate change, pandemics, and destructive artificial intelligence tools.
«Blindly continuing on the current path is a form of madness», - the «Bulletin» website points out. «The US, China, and Russia have the collective power to destroy civilization»
Learn more about the metaphorical clocks and their purpose below.
The Doomsday Clock symbolizes how close we theoretically are to a man-made apocalyptic event. However, the clock is a metaphor based on potential threats to humanity from certain scientific and technological changes; the clock does not predict.
Midnight on the clock represents the end of the world.
Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Eugene Rabinowitch, and scientists from the University of Chicago founded the Doomsday Clock in 1945. It has been maintained since 1947 by the publication «Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists».
The «Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists» is a non-profit organization that publishes materials in its academic journal. The Science and Security Board (SASB) provides the «Bulletin» with objective views on scientific and technological trends. The SASB is an elite group of leaders focused on risks related to nuclear threats, climate change, and disruptive technological advancements.
Every January, the Doomsday Clock is updated. In 2024, it showed that humanity was 90 seconds to midnight. Now, in January 2025, the clock indicates that we are 89 seconds to midnight — closer to the moment when humanity has made Earth uninhabitable.
According to the «Bulletin» website, «As the world is dangerously close to the brink, even moving by just one second should be seen as a sign of extreme danger and an unequivocal warning that every second of delay in changing course increases the likelihood of a global catastrophe».
The «Bulletin» described global changes that pushed the clock’s hand to midnight, including the ongoing war in Ukraine, climate change, pandemics, and destructive artificial intelligence tools.
«Blindly continuing on the current path is a form of madness», - the «Bulletin» website points out. «The US, China, and Russia have the collective power to destroy civilization»
© Zhinobaeva Margarita
