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Magazine Archive Subscribe Events Store Advertise My Account Login Giving Giving ☰ Doomsday Clock Nuclear Risk Climate Change Disruptive Technologies Biosecurity Support Our Work Search Form search A clock reading 90 seconds to midnight A clock reading 90 seconds to midnight Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, with a clock reading 90 seconds to midnight Search Form searchDoomsday Clock Magazine Login Subscribe Featured Topics Doomsday Clock Nuclear Risk Climate Change Disruptive Technologies Biosecurity Other Topics Magazine Magazine Covers Login Subscribe Events Next Generation Multimedia Pathogens Project Arts Science Initiative Nuclear Notebook Virtual Tour Store Support Ways to Give Annual Fund Annual Event Planned Gifts Donor Recognitition Special Inititatives Give Now StoreOur Mission Leadership Staff Columnists Annual Report Permissions & copyright Media Inquiries Editorial Independence Advertise Open Positions Contact us Stay Connected Newsletter Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Topic Deep Dives Overview Current Time FAQ Timeline Playlist Virtual Tour Book Overview Current Time FAQ Timeline Playlist Virtual Tour Book A moment of historic danger: It is still 90 seconds to midnight 2024 Doomsday Clock Announcement January 23, 2024 This year, the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists leaves the hands of the Doomsday Clock unchanged due to ominous trends that continue to point the world toward global catastrophe. READ THE 2024 STATEMENT DOOMSDAY CLOCK CONVERSATIONS PRESS RELEASE USA TODAY OP-ED Doomsday Clock at 90 seconds to midnight amid nuclear and AI threats Read more » Doomsday Clock left at 90 seconds to midnight as climate heat bites Read more » Doomsday Clock Says Humanity Is As Close As Ever to Destruction Read more » Atomic scientists keep ‘Doomsday Clock’ as close to midnight as ever Read more » Doomsday Clock 2024 as close to midnight as ever: What scientists predict Read more » Doomsday Clock remains at 90 seconds to midnight Read more » Doomsday clock stays at 90 seconds to midnight: What we know Read more » Doomsday Clock stays at 90 seconds to midnight Read more » Wars and climate crisis keep Doomsday Clock at 90 seconds to midnight Read more » Doomsday Clock 2024 time update says humanity is as close as ever to global catastrophe Read more » Stay in the know on the topics that inform the Doomsday Clock. Sign up for email updates What You Can Do To Turn Back The Clock The latest issue of the Bulletin ’s magazine explains how you can help turn back the hands of the Doomsday Clock. Its emphasis is on actions that citizens can take, individually and together, to help reduce major global threats. With the Clock the closest it has ever been to striking midnight, the Bulletin has removed the paywall on this issue of its premium magazine. Read now FAQ The Bulletin has reset the minute hand on the Doomsday Clock 25 times since its debut in 1947, most recently in 2023 when we moved it from 100 seconds to midnight to 90 seconds to midnight. Every time it is reset, we’re flooded with questions about the internationally recognized symbol. Here are answers to some of the most frequent queries. What is the Doomsday Clock? Collapse 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. It is a metaphor, a reminder of the perils we must address if we are to survive on the planet. When the Doomsday Clock was created in 1947, the greatest danger to humanity came from nuclear weapons, in particular from the prospect that the United States and the Soviet Union were headed for a nuclear arms race. The Bulletin considered possible catastrophic disruptions from climate change in its hand-setting deliberations for the first time in 2007. Who created the Doomsday Clock? Expand Co-editor Hyman Goldsmith asked artist Martyl Langsdorf to come up with a design for the cover of the June 1947 edition of the Bulletin , the first issue published as a magazine rather than a newsletter. Martyl—as she was known professionally—was married to a physicist, Alexander Langsdorf, who worked on the Manhattan Project while at the University of Chicago. At first the artist considered using the symbol for uranium. But as she listened to the scientists who had worked on the Bomb, as they passionately debated the consequences of the new technology and their responsibility to inform the public, she felt their sense of urgency. So she sketched a clock to suggest that we didn’t have much time left to get atomic weapons under control. Graphic designer Michael Bierut reimagined the iconic image in 2007 . Who decides what time it is? Expand In the early days, Bulletin Editor Eugene Rabinowitch decided whether the hand should be moved. A scientist himself, fluent in Russian, and a leader in the international disarmament movement, he was in constant conversation with scientists and experts within and outside governments in many parts of the world. Based on these discussions, he decided where the clock hand should be set and explained his thinking in the Bulletin ’s pages . When Rabinowitch died in 1973, the Bulletin ’s Science and Security Board took over the responsibility and has since met twice a year to discuss world events and reset the clock as necessary. The board is made up of scientists and other experts with deep knowledge of nuclear technology and climate science, who often provide expert advice to governments and international agencies. They consult widely with their colleagues across a range of disciplines and also seek the views of the Bulletin ’s Board of Sponsors , which includes nine Nobel laureates. When were the hands set farthest from midnight? Expand In 1991, with the end of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, the first treaty to provide for deep cuts to the two countries’ strategic nuclear weapons arsenals, prompting the Bulletin to set the clock hand to 17 minutes to midnight. Read the full FAQ Recent Clock changes 2023 IT IS 90 SECONDS TO MIDNIGHT 2020 IT IS 100 SECONDS TO MIDNIGHT 2018 IT IS 2 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT 2017 IT IS TWO AND A HALF MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT 2015 IT IS 3 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT 2012 IT IS 5 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT See all past Clock times FAQ The Bulletin has reset the minute hand on the Doomsday Clock 25 times since its debut in 1947, most recently in 2023 when we moved it from 100 seconds to midnight to 90 seconds to midnight. Every time it is reset, we’re flooded with questions about the internationally recognized symbol. Here are answers to some of the most frequent queries. What is the Doomsday Clock? Expand 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. It is a metaphor, a reminder of the perils we must address if we are to survive on the planet. When the Doomsday Clock was created in 1947, the greatest danger to humanity came from nuclear weapons, in particular from the prospect that the United States and the Soviet Union were headed for a nuclear arms race. The Bulletin considered possible catastrophic disruptions from climate change in its hand-setting deliberations for the first time in 2007. Who created the Doomsday Clock? Expand Co-editor Hyman Goldsmith asked artist Martyl Langsdorf to come up with a design for the cover of the June 1947 edition of the Bulletin , the first issue published as a magazine rather than a newsletter. Martyl—as she was known professionally—was married to a physicist, Alexander Langsdorf, who worked on the Manhattan Project while at the University of Chicago. At first the artist considered using the symbol for uranium. But as she listened to the scientists who had worked on the Bomb, as they passionately debated the consequences of the new technology and their responsibility to inform the public, she felt their sense of urgency. So...