Daily News Analysis ‘Doomsday Clock’ : 29 January

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has reset the Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been to global catastrophe, citing rising nuclear risks and unregulated technologies.

About the Clock and Current Setting

Current Time: Set at 85 seconds to midnight (moved 4 seconds closer than the previous setting of 89 seconds in 2025).
What it is: A symbolic clock serving as a metaphor for how close humanity is to self-annihilation (represented by “Midnight”).
Maintainer: Managed by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a non-profit founded in 1945 by Manhattan Project scientists (including Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer).
Key Drivers for 2026:
- Nuclear Risk: The looming expiration of the New START Treaty (Feb 2026) between the US and Russia, leaving no check on strategic nuclear arsenals.
- Disruptive Technology: The rapid, unregulated advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and biological technologies.
- Information Ecology: The spread of AI-enabled disinformation, termed as “Information Armageddon,” which undermines rational discourse.
- Climate Change: Continued failure to significantly reduce global carbon emissions.
Historical Context:
- Creation: Established in 1947 (originally set at 7 minutes to midnight).
- Safest Point: 17 minutes to midnight in 1991, following the end of the Cold War.

Significance: The clock is not a predictor of the future but a “call to action” for global leaders to reverse dangerous trends.