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Kerwin Charles joins the Governing Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is delighted to announce that Kerwin Charles has joined the Governing Board. Charles is the Edwin A. and Betty L. Bergman Distinguished Service Professor and former interim Dean at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. He holds a master’s degree and a doctorate from Cornell University, … Continued

The revolutionary increase in the lethality of US nuclear forces

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has published a revelatory new article that describes how the United States nuclear forces modernization program has been mischaracterized to the general public as a reasonable effort to update the safety of US nuclear warheads. The authors, Hans M. Kristensen, Matthew G. McKinzie, and Theodore A. Postol, write that … Continued

It is now two and a half minutes to midnight

DOOMSDAY CLOCK MOVES AHEAD: “Words Matter”: Board Marks 70th Anniversary of Iconic Clock By Expressing Concern About “Unsettling” and “Ill-Considered” Statements of President Trump on Nuclear Weapons and Climate Change; Developments in North Korea, Russia, India and Pakistan Also Highlighted. WASHINGTON, D.C. – January 26, 2017 – It is now two and a half minutes to … Continued

Looking for answers

Tens of thousands of people came to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ website over the last week, looking for answers on what a new Trump administration means for the health and safety of our planet. As Bulletin editor John Mecklin writes, Donald Trump’s positions on serious questions have often ricocheted from side to side: … Continued

Vote for America

It's 3 minutes to midnight, and in America it’s time to vote. Here's what you need to know about the challenges the next president will confront. The stakes couldn't be higher. The Experts Comment: What Should Journalists (And Other Citizens) Ask The US Presidential Candidates About Nuclear Weapons The September/October subscription journal: A mix of … Continued

How the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources will affect world security

An extraordinary global energy transformation will be required for the world to successfully slow and then halt climate change, and that transformation will change the power dynamics among nations. The security arrangements necessary to keep the peace among the powers that vie for an energy advantage in the coming renewables era demand attention now. Here's … Continued

The deteriorating US-Russia relationship

On Monday, October 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin withdrew his country from the US-Russia Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement (PMDA). The PDMA, first signed in 2000 and renewed in 2009, affirmed the intention of each country to dispose of stockpiles of plutonium that could be used to build nuclear warheads. President Putin’s decision to pull … Continued

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announces John Balkcom and Marjorie Craig Benton rejoin Governing Board; Lew Watts named vice chair

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has announced that Lew Watts has been named vice chair; and that John Balkcom and Marjorie Benton have been elected to the Governing Board. Lew Watts has served on the Bulletin’s Governing Board since 2013, and chairs its Development Committee. He is joining Bill Revelle as one of the … Continued

Practical nuclear questions for the presidential candidates, and the psychology of doom

The 2016 presidential race is unusual in many ways, but a silver lining of sorts has emerged: For the first time since Lyndon Johnson’s famous “Daisy” political ad during the 1964 presidential campaign, the control that the president of the United States wields over the US nuclear arsenal is under serious discussion. In his introduction … Continued

Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn joins Bulletin Board of Sponsors

Bulletin Media Contact: Janice Sinclaire, [email protected] CHICAGO– June 7, 2016 – The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced today that Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn has been appointed to its Board of Sponsors. Chaired by theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss, the Board of Sponsors provides scientific and technological insights to the organization on a variety of matters, including … Continued

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Announces Leadership Changes to Governing Board, Board of Sponsors, and Science and Security Board

For immediate release: March 9, 2016 Bulletin Media Contact: Janice Sinclaire, [email protected] CHICAGO– March 9, 2016 – The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has announced that Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering is being honored with a place on the organization’s Board of Sponsors, where he joins 16 Nobel Laureates and other eminent leaders who act as … Continued

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Special Issue: Nuclear Energy in the Middle East

For immediate release: January 15, 2016 Bulletin Media Contact: Janice Sinclaire, [email protected] CHICAGO– January 15, 2016 – The nuclear agreement that Iran and six major world powers signed in 2015 has focused attention on Middle Eastern nuclear politics. But as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Executive Editor and Publisher, Rachel Bronson, observes, that deal … Continued

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Names Rieser Award Recipient

For Immediate Release: December 9, 2015 Bulletin Media Contact: Janice Sinclaire, [email protected] CHICAGO – December 9, 2015  –  The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has named Moritz Kütt its first annual Leonard M. Rieser Award recipient. The Rieser Award was established in order to recognize outstanding emerging science and security experts who are passionate about connecting scientific … Continued

Thomas Pickering Joins Science and Security Board; Sonny Garg, Gloria Scoby and Lowell Sachnoff Join Governing Board

For immediate release Bulletin Media Contact: Janice Sinclaire, [email protected] CHICAGO– September 15, 2015 – The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has announced that Thomas Pickering will join its Science and Security Board. Attorney Lowell Sachnoff will rejoin the organization’s Governing Board after a year-long absence, and Sonny Garg and Gloria Scoby will join the Governing … Continued

Lawrence Krauss New Board of Sponsors Chair, Nobel Laureate Leon Lederman Chair Emeritus

Bulletin Media Contact: Janice Sinclaire, [email protected] CHICAGO– July, 21, 2015 – The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has announced that Lawrence Krauss has been elected Chair of the organization’s Board of Sponsors; Nobel Laureate Leon Lederman has been elected Chair Emeritus, marking the first time the Bulletin has bestowed such an honor. Lederman is an experimental … Continued

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Receives MacArthur Award

Bulletin Media Contact: Janice Sinclaire: 707.481.9372; [email protected] CHICAGO– June 24, 2015 –The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists announced today that it is receiving a two-year, $450,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to support two new Bulletin initiatives: a museum display about the past and future of nuclear energy, and a second project about communicating science to the public. … Continued
atomic bomb dome army military hiroshima nuclear bomb

Counting the dead at Hiroshima and Nagasaki

How many people really died because of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings? It’s complicated. There are at least two credible answers.

The harrowing story of the Nagasaki bombing mission

A typhoon was coming, the fuel pump failed, they had to switch planes, things were wired incorrectly, they missed their rendezvous, they couldn't see the primary target... Then the atomic bomb that was designed to end a war started to arm itself mid-flight.
nuclear weapons and pop culture

TV and the Bomb

What portrayals of nuclear fear on mid-century television can tell us about ourselves today.
US President Donald Trump with his first Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, in 2017

Poll: What the American public likes and hates about Trump’s nuclear policies

A new study highlights weak public support not only for many of Donald Trump’s nuclear policies, but also for some longstanding pillars of US nuclear posture. The results also point to some low-hanging fruit for policies that would receive broad public support.