The Doomsday Clock continues to inch closer to the apocalypse over climate change and fears of nuclear war. The year 2026 has brought yet another dire warning issued by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. But what is the Doomsday Clock, and how is it read?
The clock was developed by scientists in 1947 to track the likelihood of mankind doing something that brings about the end of the world. The development of nuclear weapons and the rapid progression of climate change are two things that have moved the clock's hand closer to midnight, which, in this case, marks Armageddon.
After the end of the Cold War, the clock was 17 minutes away from midnight, but in recent years we've gone from counting down the minutes to counting down the seconds. This January 27, the clock was moved to 85 second before midnight, the closest it has ever been.
Click through the following gallery to learn more about the Doomsday Clock and how we've come so close to the end of the world.