Doomsday Clock advances one minute closer to midnight

The Doomsday Clock advanced one minute today, symbolizing increased nuclear dangers in our world. It is now 11:55 p.m. on the symbolic clock that reflects threats to humanity and the planet, especially from nuclear weapons. Midnight represents the end of mankind from its own destruction. The clock has become a universally recognized indicator of the world's vulnerability to catastrophe from nuclear weapons, climate change and emerging technologies in the life sciences. This afternoon's announcement was made in Washington, D.C., by the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Reasons for the Doomsday Clock's advance included no dramatic evidence in the reduction of nuclear weapons, the talk of developing new nuclear weapons systems and damage to the Japanese nuclear reactors from the earthquake and tsunami. The last time the Doomsday Clock minute hand moved was in January 2010, when the clock's minute hand was pushed back one minute from five to six minutes before midnight. Editor's note: The following story ran earlier at jconline.com.  The Doomsday Clock -- that relic of the Cold War nuclear arms race -- is still ticking, and it will likely make news today. Will the minute-hand tick forward towards midnight -- symbolically moving mankind closer to its demise -- or backward, a step away from the brink of nuclear disaster? Alternatively, it might remain where it is today -- six minutes to midnight. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists will announce its decision this afternoon in Washington, D.C. In 1947, University of Chicago scientists started the Doomsday Clock to reflect how close humans were to nuclear destruction. The closest the clock has come to midnight was 11:58 in 1953 when the United States and the Soviet Union tested thermonuclear devices nine months apart. The furthest from midnight was 11:43 in 1991 when the United States and Soviets signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.