18 Jan 2007

Doomsday Clock Moves Closer to Midnight

The world is nudging closer to nuclear or environmental apocalypse, a group of prominent scientists warned Wednesday as it pushed the hand of its symbolic Doomsday Clock closer to midnight.



The clock, which was set two minutes forward to 11:55, represents the likelihood of a global cataclysm. Its ticks have given the clock's keepers a chance to speak out on the dangers they see threatening Earth.


It was the fourth time since the Soviet collapse in 1991 that the clock ticked forward amid fears over what the scientists describe as ``a second nuclear age'' prompted largely by standoffs with Iran and North Korea. But urgent warnings of climate change also played a role. More at the Guardian.