'Doomsday Clock' Shows Nuclear Threat Level Highest Ever

“Doomsday Clock” shows the highest level of nuclear threat than ever Irina Chebotnikova

Since the Cold War, namely since 1947, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has determined the degree of nuclear threat in the world using the “Doomsday Clock”. In 2025, their hands moved closer to nuclear midnight than ever before.

Channel 24 reports this with reference to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. It is important that the factors that influenced the scientists' decision were not new. But the world is doing little to prevent the threat of nuclear catastrophe.

What time is it on the “Doomsday Clock” now

On January 28, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists held a press conference at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. Scientists determined that in 2025, the world is closer to a nuclear war than ever before.

The clock stopped 89 seconds before midnight. That means humanity has just over a minute before the irreversible processes of destruction.

The scientists explained their decision. First, Russia's war against Ukraine is a major source of nuclear risk. The Kremlin could use “nuclear weapons at any time due to a rash decision or due to an accident and miscalculation.”Secondly, there is tension in the Middle East, Taiwan, and North Korea. Thirdly, the climate is changing rapidly and humanity has not yet been able to stop these changes. Fourthly, artificial intelligence can be used for military purposes. Finally, fifthly, there is the potential abuse of achievements in biological science.

Interesting! The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer. You can check the time on the Doomsday Clock online in 2025 here.

What is the Doomsday Clock and how does it work

The shape of the clock was chosen as the most accessible for understanding by ordinary people. With the help of the hands, scientists annually show how much the world is under threat. The forward movement of the hands symbolizes international tension, and the backward movement symbolizes the settlement of processes. The scientists' decision is always widely covered in the press, it should warn world leaders against dangerous decisions.

The Doomsday Clock warns the public about how close we are to destroying our world with the help of dangerous technologies created by ourselves. This is a metaphor, a reminder of the dangers we must fight if we want to survive on the planet, the scientists said.

In the almost 80 years of the clock's existence, the current 89 seconds is the highest mark. In 2023, due to the war in Ukraine and global climate change, the hands were moved forward by 10 seconds – to 90 seconds. The 90-second mark remained in 2024.

In total, scientists moved the hands of the mechanism more than 20 times. For example, when the US and the USSR tested nuclear weapons, when the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred, when America was developing the Star Wars program, the clock was closer to midnight. But when the Cold War ended in 1991, the hands showed 23:40. It was the best mark in the history of the “Doomsday Clock”.