Annual 'Doomsday Clock' reveal this week

Bulletin for Atomic Scientists, as it has every January since 1947, will reveal its 2023 "Doomsday Clock" prediction at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24.

The purpose, say organizers, is to warn the public about how close — or how far — humanity is to the brink of worldwide destruction.

It is the first update since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Nearly two dozen members of the Science and Security Board vote annually on how close the world is to global catastrophe, represented by midnight on the clock.

For each of the past two years, the "clock" has stood at 100 minutes to midnight, closer to destruction than at any point since it was created 76 years ago.

At the inception of the clock, in the days immediately following World War II, the fear was about nuclear war. Today, say organizers, anxiety also centers around climate change, bioterrorism, the potential threat posed by artificial intelligence and damage occasioned by misinformation or disinformation.

Do you want more business news? Check out B Magazine, and the B Magazine email newsletter. Go to www.semissourian.com/newsletters to find out more.