The Doomsday Clock has been ticking for exactly 75 years. But it's no ordinary clock.
It attempts to gauge how close humanity is to destroying the world.
On Thursday, the clock was set at 100 seconds until midnight -- the same time it has been since 2020.
"One hundred seconds to midnight reflects the Board's judgment that we are stuck in a perilous moment -- one that brings neither stability nor security. Positive developments in 2021 failed to counteract negative, long-term trends," said Sharon Squassoni, co-chair of the Bulletin's Science and Security Board, which sets the clock. Squasson is also a research professor at the Institute for International Science and Technology Policy at The George Washington University.
The experts cited a lack of progress and coordination in the fight against climate change, the ongoing pandemic and evolution of troubling new variants, and North Korea's continued efforts to develop nuclear weapons. They also blamed use of technology in misinformation and disinformation campaigns; the development of hypersonic weapons by the United States, Russia, and China; recent space junk-generating ASAT tests; and deteriorating talks between the world's superpowers.
