Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moves Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds to midnight

Key facts

• The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds to midnight on 27 January 2026, marking its closest point to catastrophe in nearly 80 years.
• Alexandra Bell, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, cited nuclear weapons, climate change, and disruptive technologies as primary existential risks.
• Daniel Holz, chair of the science and security board, noted that a 2010 strategic arms treaty between the United States (U.S.) and Russia is set to expire.
• Environmental data indicates that atmospheric carbon dioxide and global sea levels have reached record highs, leading to intensified and erratic droughts, fires, and floods.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) is identified as an accelerating disruptive technology that supercharges mis- and disinformation, complicating responses to global threats.
• The Doomsday Clock was first unveiled in 1947 following the use of atomic bombs by the U.S. against Japan in World War II (WWII).
• The farthest the clock has been from midnight was 17 minutes in 1991, following the end of the Cold War and the signing of a strategic arms reduction treaty.
• In recent years, the clock moved to 100 seconds in 2020, 90 seconds in 2023, and 89 seconds in 2025 before reaching the current 85-second setting.