Scientists Move Doomsday Clock Closer Than Ever to Midnight: 'An Indication of Extreme Danger'

According to scientists, Doomsday is now closer than ever.

On Tuesday, Jan. 28, The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, a nonprofit organization focused on global security and science, officially moved the Doomsday Clock forward for 2025. The clock is now set to 89 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been to impending doom, per the nonprofit organization's press release.

The new time is one second ahead of last year’s clock — which was set at 90 seconds to midnight — and experts said that multiple world issues factored into the new Doomsday time.

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Some of the issues considered global threats to humanity include the use of nuclear weapons, artificial intelligence, the global climate crisis and multiple wars, such as the Israel-Hamas war and the Russia-Ukraine war, the scientists said.

Daniel Holz, chairman of The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, explained why the Doomsday Clock moved one full second this year.

Related: Scientists Move Doomsday Clock to 100 Seconds Before Midnight: 'We Now Face a True Emergency'

“Because the world is already perilously close to the precipice, a move of even a single second should be taken as an indication of extreme danger and an unmistakable warning that every second of delay in reversing course increases the probability of global disaster,” he said.

In a statement about the 2025 Doomsday Clock, the organization explained the dire circumstances that went into the decision.

“In 2024, humanity edged ever closer to catastrophe. Trends that have deeply concerned the Science and Security Board continued, and despite unmistakable signs of danger, national leaders and their societies have failed to do what is needed to change course," the organization said in a statement.

They continued, "Our fervent hope is that leaders will recognize the world’s existential predicament and take bold action to reduce the threats posed by nuclear weapons, climate change, and the potential misuse of biological science and a variety of emerging technologies."

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"The Doomsday Clock is moving at a moment of profound global instability and geopolitical tension," Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Juan Manuel Santos said in a statement.

"As the hands of the clock get ever closer to midnight, we make an impassioned plea to all leaders: now is the time to act together!" he added. "The existential threats we face can only be addressed through bold leadership and partnership on a global scale. Cada segundo cuenta. Every second counts.”

Founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer and scientists from the University of Chicago, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists created the Doomsday Clock in 1947 to convey man-made threats to human existence and the planet — it has since become a universally recognized indicator of the world’s vulnerability to global catastrophe, according to the organization’s website.

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