By Olivia Harper • January 26, 2026 • Share
We find out how close we are to the ‘end of civilization’ tomorrow when the Doomsday Clock updates. Since 1947, this symbolic timepiece has been alerting us to how near a man-made catastrophic global disaster might be. Created by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the clock serves as a visual representation of the urgency of worldwide risks.
Each January, the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board, comprising experts in nuclear risk, climate science, biology, and technology, decides whether to move the clock closer to or further from midnight. Midnight represents a global catastrophe such as nuclear war, runaway climate change, or other existential threats.
Last year, the clock moved forward from 90 seconds to midnight to 89 seconds — the closest it has ever been. This alarming shift was influenced by factors including nuclear weapons threats, climate crisis, artificial intelligence, bio-threats, and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
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