29.01.2025 01:20
The symbolic 'Doomsday Clock' created by scientists in the United States in 1947 has been updated. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' Science and Security Board has set the clock's hands to 89 seconds to midnight, marking the closest point in its history.
In 1947, scientists in the United States updated the symbolic "Doomsday Clock" to show how close humanity is to extinction.
SET TO THE FURTHEST POINT IN ITS HISTORY
At a press conference at the U.S. Institute of Peace in the capital, the board set the Doomsday Clock's hands to 89 seconds to midnight, marking the furthest point in its history.
"THE ONLY THING YOU DON'T WANT TO DO AT THE BRINK OF DISASTER IS TO TAKE A STEP FORWARD"
Daniel Holz, chair of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' Science and Security Board, listed threats affecting the adjustment of the Doomsday Clock, such as climate change, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, instability in the Middle East, the threat of pandemics, and the use of artificial intelligence in military operations. Holz stated regarding the Doomsday Clock, which has been stopped at 90 seconds to midnight for the past two years, "The only thing you don't want to do at the brink of disaster is to take a step forward."
NUCLEAR WEAPON THREAT
Holz expressed concerns about countries like North Korea, Russia, and China collaborating to develop nuclear programs, and described Russia's mention of using nuclear weapons in its war against Ukraine as "frightening."
ESTABLISHED IN 1947
Symbolically created in 1947 by atomic scientists at the University of Chicago, two years after the U.S. used atomic bombs against Japan for the first time in history, the Doomsday Clock aims to draw attention to the danger of extinction due to humanity's own creations, particularly nuclear technology.