A time of unprecedented danger: It is 90 seconds to midnight

2023 Doomsday Clock Announcement
January 24, 2023

This year, the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moves the hands of the Doomsday Clock forward, largely (though not exclusively) because of the mounting dangers of the war in Ukraine. The Clock now stands at 90 seconds to midnight—the closest to global catastrophe it has ever been.

Stay in the know on the topics that inform the Doomsday Clock.

The Doomsday Clock at 75

The Doomsday Clock is many things all at once: It’s a metaphor, it’s a logo, it’s a brand, and it’s one of the most recognizable symbols in the past 100 years. It has permeated not only the media landscape but also culture itself. The Doomsday Clock appears in novels by Stephen King and Piers Anthony, songs by The Who and the Clash, and comics like Watchmen and Stormwatch.

This 75th anniversary coffee table book explores the powerful symbol of the Clock, and how it has impacted culture, politics, and global policy—and helped shape discussions and strategies around nuclear risk, climate change, and disruptive technologies.

See all past Doomsday Clock settings

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The Doomsday Clock reveals how close we are to total annihilation

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The Doomsday Clock moves to 90 seconds to midnight, signaling more peril than ever

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Doomsday Clock—Measuring Humanity’s Threat Of Self-Annihilation—Updates Tuesday. Here’s What To Know.

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Doomsday Clock hits 90 seconds to midnight, its most dire prediction ever

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Will the Doomsday Clock Move Closer to Midnight? Watch Live Online

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How close to midnight is humanity? 2023 Doomsday Clock announcement could warn of nuclear disaster

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What is the Doomsday Clock and Why Should You Care?

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FAQ

Doomsday Clock 100 seconds to midnight

The Bulletin has reset the minute hand on the Doomsday Clock 25 times since its debut in 1947, most recently in 2023 when we moved it from 100 seconds to midnight to 90 seconds to midnight. Every time it is reset, we’re flooded with questions about the internationally recognized symbol. Here are answers to some of the most frequent queries.

The Doomsday Clock is a design that warns the public about how close we are to destroying our world with dangerous technologies of our own making. It is a metaphor, a reminder of the perils we must address if we are to survive on the planet.

When the Doomsday Clock was created in 1947, the greatest danger to humanity came from nuclear weapons, in particular from the prospect that the United States and the Soviet Union were headed for a nuclear arms race. The Bulletin considered possible catastrophic disruptions from climate change in its hand-setting deliberations for the first time in 2007.

Recent Clock Changes

bulletin of atomic scientists 2020 doomsday clock 100 seconds to midnight

2023

IT IS 90 SECONDS TO MIDNIGHT

bulletin of atomic scientists 2020 doomsday clock 100 seconds to midnight

2020

IT IS 100 SECONDS TO MIDNIGHT

DoomsdayClock_black_2mins_regmark.png

2018

IT IS 2 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

DoomsdayClock_black_2.5mins_regmark-1

2017

IT IS TWO AND A HALF MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

DoomsdayClock_black_3mins_regmark.jpg

2015

IT IS 3 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

DoomsdayClock_black_5mins_regmark

2012

IT IS 5 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

FAQ

Doomsday Clock 100 seconds to midnight

The Bulletin has reset the minute hand on the Doomsday Clock 25 times since its debut in 1947, most recently in 2023 when we moved it from 100 seconds to midnight to 90 seconds to midnight. Every time it is reset, we’re flooded with questions about the internationally recognized symbol. Here are answers to some of the most frequent queries.

History of the Clock

bulletin of atomic scientists 2020 doomsday clock 100 seconds to midnight

2023

IT IS 90 SECONDS TO MIDNIGHT

bulletin of atomic scientists 2020 doomsday clock 100 seconds to midnight

2020

IT IS 100 SECONDS TO MIDNIGHT

DoomsdayClock_black_2mins_regmark.png

2018

IT IS 2 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

DoomsdayClock_black_2.5mins_regmark-1

2017

IT IS TWO AND A HALF MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

DoomsdayClock_black_3mins_regmark.jpg

2015

IT IS 3 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

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Cover by Thomas Gaulkin. (Photograph of gold prospector Shorty Harris by Dane Coolidge, ca. 1920, via Arizona Historical Society.)
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