The 'Doomsday Clock' is now 85 seconds to midnight — the closest it's ever been
"Humanity is closer to destroying itself, according to atomic scientists who revealed on Tuesday that the famous “Doomsday Clock” was set at 85 seconds to midnight — the closest it has been in the nearly 80-year history of the clock."
Jan 27 2026
"The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a science-oriented advocacy group, made the announcement on Tuesday, metaphorically rating how close humankind is to annihilating itself with human-made advancements. Midnight represents the point at which humans will have made Earth unlivable.
“It is the determination of the bulletin’s science and security board that humanity has not made sufficient progress on the existential risks that endanger us all. We thus move the clock forward,” said Alexandra Bell, president and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. “The risks we face from nuclear weapons, climate change and disruptive technologies are all growing. Every second counts and we are running out of time. It is a hard truth, but this is our reality.”
The Bulletin cited the “failure of leadership” worldwide as one of the main reasons the clock ticked forward by 4 seconds toward midnight. “A year ago, we warned that the world was perilously close to global disaster and that any delay in reversing course increased the probability of catastrophe,” the Bulletin said in a statement. “Rather than heed this warning, Russia, China, the United States, and other major countries have instead become increasingly aggressive, adversarial, and nationalistic.” The group of scientists pointed to the risks of nuclear war, climate change, the misuse of biotechnology and the potential threat of AI.
What is the 'Doomsday Clock'?
It’s a symbolic way to show the public how close the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists believes the world is to a human-made apocalypse.Midnight represents Earth’s 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.
“The 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,” the website states. “It is a metaphor, a reminder of the perils we must address if we are to survive on the planet.”
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’s war on Ukraine.
It remained at 90 seconds to midnight in 2024, citing the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and the war in Gaza, disasters exacerbated by climate change and the danger of artificial intelligence.
In 2025, the clock was set at 89 seconds to midnight. At that point, it was the closest it has ever been to midnight in its 78-year history. Scientists said it was because of the war in Ukraine as well as "nuclear risk, climate change, biological threats and advances in disruptive technologies.”
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