Doomsday Clock 2026: Why the World Is Now 85 Seconds to Midnight

The Doomsday Clock Hits 85 Seconds to Midnight: Why Scientists Say Humanity Is at Its Most Perilous Point Yet

For nearly eighty years, the world has looked to a symbolic timepiece in Chicago to measure just how close we are to our own undoing. This week, the news wasn’t good. On Tuesday, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced that the hands of the Doomsday Clock have moved forward once again, now sitting at a chilling 85 seconds to midnight.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

This update marks the closest the clock has ever been to the hour of "apocalypse" since its inception in 1947. To put that in perspective, even during the height of the Cold War, we were never technically this "close" to the end. But what does this actually mean for us, and why are the experts so worried?

A World Under the Shadow of Nuclear Escalation

The primary driver behind this year’s move is the deteriorating state of global nuclear security. Scientists pointed to a "perfect storm" of geopolitical friction. With the New START Treaty set to expire in early February 2026, the world is facing a reality where, for the first time in decades, there may be no formal limits on the nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia.

Beyond the treaties, the Bulletin cited the ongoing "military operations taking place under the shadow of nuclear weapons" in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as the rising tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan. According to Daniel Holz, chair of the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board, we are seeing a shift toward a “winner-takes-all great power competition” that undermines the very international cooperation needed to keep the peace.

The New Frontier: AI and Biological Risks

While nuclear war remains the most immediate threat, it is no longer the only one. For the 2026 update, the committee placed a significant emphasis on the uncontrolled spread of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its role in modern warfare.

Scientists are particularly concerned about two things:

• Disinformation: The ability of AI to flood the world with deepfakes and false narratives, making it impossible for leaders to make informed decisions during a crisis.
• Biothreats: The potential for AI to assist in the creation of new biological weapons, lowering the barrier of entry for non-state actors to cause global harm.

“Every second counts, and we are running out of time,” warned Alexandra Bell, the Bulletin’s president and CEO. She noted that the integration of AI into military command-and-control systems without proper safeguards is a recipe for accidental catastrophe.

Climate Change and the Failure of Leadership

The clock doesn't just measure bombs; it measures our ability to sustain life on Earth. Despite record-breaking heatwaves, droughts, and floods over the past year, the Bulletin argued that national leaders have failed to take the "radical" steps necessary to move away from fossil fuels.

The group specifically called out the rise of nationalistic autocracies and the shift toward "neo-imperialism," which has caused many countries to prioritize short-term domestic power over long-term global survival. When the world splinters into an "us-versus-them" mentality, the scientists argue, the likelihood of a collective failure—and thus, Doomsday—increases exponentially.

How the Time Is Determined

It is important to remember that the Doomsday Clock is not a crystal ball. It is a metaphorical tool designed to spark conversation and policy change.

The time is set annually by the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board in consultation with their Board of Sponsors, which includes nearly a dozen Nobel Laureates. They analyze data on everything from carbon emissions and nuclear stockpile numbers to the stability of global internet infrastructure.

Can the Hands Be Turned Back?

The most important takeaway from this year’s announcement is that the clock is not a death sentence. In 1991, at the end of the Cold War, the clock was set at a comfortable 17 minutes to midnight. We have moved the hands back before, and we can do it again.

Turning the clock back will require a return to "hard-won global understandings," the restoration of nuclear diplomacy, and a unified global effort to regulate emerging technologies. The message from the scientists is clear: we are closer to the edge than ever before, but the power to change course remains in human hands.