But the clock actually emerged from the concerns of the physics community immediately after the Second World War, when two University of Chicago physicists – Eugene Rabinowitch and Hyman Goldsmith – started to think about the consequences of their work. The annual resetting of the Doomsday Clock is these days a major media event, providing grist for politicians, policy-makers and commentators around the world. In setting the clock to 100 seconds to midnight, they cited risks such as worsening nuclear threats, a lack of climate action, and the rise of “cyber-enabled disinformation campaigns that undermine society’s ability to act”. This year’s historic decision was announced to “leaders and citizens of the world” at the National Press Club in Washington, DC by members of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. But on 23 January 2020 the clock was moved closer to midnight than at any other time in its near 75-year lifetime. and over the years has shifted backwards and forwards as the global situation has worsened or improved. That’s according to the Doomsday Clock – a device created by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in 1947 as a metaphor to indicate how near we are to a humanity-ending catastrophe. Webinars Tune into online presentations that allow expert speakers to explain novel tools and applications.Video Watch our specially filmed videos to get a different slant on the latest science.Podcasts Our regular conversations with inspiring figures from the scientific community.Audio and video Explore the sights and sounds of the scientific world.Supercool physics Experiments that probe the exotic behaviour of matter at ultralow temperatures depend on the latest cryogenics technology.The science and business of space Explore the latest trends and opportunities associated with designing, building, launching and exploiting space-based technologies.Revolutions in computing Find out how scientists are exploiting digital technologies to understand online behaviour and drive research progress.Nanotechnology in action The challenges and opportunities of turning advances in nanotechnology into commercial products.#BlackInPhysics Celebrating Black physicists and revealing a more complete picture of what a physicist looks like.Artificial intelligence Explore the ways in which today’s world relies on AI, and ponder how this technology might shape the world of tomorrow.Collections Explore special collections that bring together our best content on trending topics.Innovation showcases A round-up of the latest innovation from our corporate partners.Projects and facilities Follow the latest progress at the world’s top scientific experiments.Policy and funding Understand how emerging policy changes could affect your work and career.Education and outreach Learn about novel approaches to educating and inspiring the scientists of the future.Business and innovation Find out how recent scientific breakthroughs are driving business innovation and commercial growth.Impact Explore the value of scientific research for industry, the economy and society.Personalities Find out who’s doing what in industry and academia.Interviews Discover the views of leading figures in the scientific community.Opinion and reviews Find out whether you agree with our expert commentators.Careers Consider your career options with valuable advice and insightful case studies.People Meet the people behind the science.Events Plan the meetings and conferences you want to attend with our comprehensive events calendar.

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3 minutes to midnight doomsday clock