Early Tuesday morning, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists — a nonprofit media organization — announced just how close it considers the world to be to “Doomsday” from man-made catastrophes such as nuclear war, “climate change,” or a deadly pandemic. For the past 75 years, the Bulletin has used a depiction of an analog clock to indicate how much time remains until midnight — the theoretical Doomsday.
According to its website, the Bulletin “equips the public, policymakers, and scientists with the information needed to reduce man-made threats to our existence,” but the Doomsday Clock itself has become so much more than just a clock.
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.
Since 2020, the Doomsday Clock has been set at 100 seconds before midnight — the closest to midnight it had ever been since 1947. Tuesday’s announcement changed that record.
It is now 90 seconds before midnight — the closest the world has ever been to disaster, according to the Bulletin scientists.
Read more at: pjmedia.com