Is the world close to its end? Doomsday Clock says 90 seconds to midnight

It is 90 seconds to
midnight, says
Doomsday Clock

Atomic scientists have re-set the Doomsday clock closest to midnight (signalling the end of the world) than ever before at 90 seconds 

Is the world coming
to its end? 

The ‘Judgement Day’ represented by the Doomsday Clock might be closer than anticipated in the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war, COVID 19 and the climate crisis. The Pakistan floods have further added to the crisis

What is Doomsday
Clock?

Footage: Reuters

The Doomsday Clock created by members of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists represents the likelihood of a man-made catastrophe such as a nuclear war. In short, it reflects how close is the mankind to its end 

Founders of
Doomsday clock

The Bulletin was founded by Albert Einstein, J Robert Oppenheimer (Father of atomic bomb) and others. Ironically, the same set of scientists was also involved in the creation of the nuclear bomb

100 seconds to midnight

Doomsday clock was set at 100 seconds to midnight on Jan 20, 2020 marking the annual change in the hands of the clocks depending on international situations like war. At that time, COVID-19 pandemic had caused this change. Since then, the clock’s position has remained the same

Footage: Reuters

DoomsDay clock history

Two years after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1947, an artist and member of ‘The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ named Martyl Langsdorf created the iconic Doomsday Clock to signal how close humanity was to self-destruction

From minutes to
midnight to seconds
to midnight

The Doomsday clock was set the farthest in 1991 at 17 minutes from midnight when the Cold War ended and the US and Soviet Union signed a treaty to contain the use of nuclear weapons

What happens when Doomsday Clock
hits midnight?

As per the scientists, if the Doomsday Clock ever touched midnight, it would mean that there's been some sort of nuclear exchange or catastrophic climate change that has wiped out humanity

Does the Doomsday
Clock actually reflect
the end?

The Doomsday Clock is more of a symbolic measure to warn humans to mend their ways and opt for peaceful and environmental-friendly activities

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