"The Doomsday Clock" has been reset again: find out how much time is left until the apocalypse.

Scientists have adjusted the "Doomsday Clock" for the first time in two years. Humanity now has "only 89 seconds left" to exist. The end result of this is a nuclear war, reports UNN.

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After a long hiatus, the Doomsday Clock has been reset again, according to "Time." The time has been moved forward by one second, now indicating 89 seconds to midnight. The clock had not been adjusted since 2023, when scientists moved the hands a full 10 seconds closer to "the abyss." The main reasons for this were the nuclear threats from Russia and the coronavirus pandemic.

This time, in 2025, the reason is singular but complex and equally dangerous: the heightened tensions in international relations. In theory, if the clock strikes "midnight," it would signify a nuclear war. Given such news, the editorial team at UNN decided to delve into the history of the creation and adjustments of the "death clock."

What is the Doomsday Clock?

The "terrifying" clock is now nearly 78 years old, and it is theoretical rather than physical. Since 1947, this project has been managed by the American magazine "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists." The decision to adjust the hands is made by a board of directors from this publication.

Throughout its history, the clock has been adjusted 26 times. Its initial setting was at 23:53:00, meaning humanity was given only 7 minutes to exist, a direct reference to the biblical seven days during which God created the entire World.

Key Adjustments of the Clock

The clock was first adjusted in 1949, moved a significant 4 minutes closer to midnight, nearly half the allotted time. The reason for this was the USSR's atomic bomb test.

Four years later, humanity was pushed one more minute closer to disaster. In 1953, the Soviet Union tested its hydrogen bomb, bringing the clock down to 2 minutes to "time X" by the mid-1950s.

However, the early 1960s saw the hands of the clock move backward by 12 minutes, indicating 23:48:00. This shift occurred because the USA and USSR avoided confrontation and signed the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963.

The next adjustment brought the time closer to midnight again. In 1968, the clock was set to 23:53:00 due to the emergence of nuclear weapons in France and China.

During the 1970s, the clock maintained a steady 23:51:00. A treaty was signed between the Soviet Union and the USA to reduce missile arsenals and anti-ballistic missile systems.

In the first half of the 1980s, time began to move once more toward "apocalypse." Initially, both the USSR and America continued the nuclear arms race, and then Soviet troops entered Afghanistan. Consequently, in 1984, negotiations between the Union and the USA ceased. The clock now indicated 23:57:00, just 3 minutes from disaster.

Everything changed in 1988. The two imperial powers signed another treaty banning intermediate-range nuclear missiles, moving the clock to 23:54:00.

The collapse of the USSR saved humanity another 4 minutes, setting the clock to 23:50:00 in 1990. A significant reduction in nuclear arms in 1991 pushed the hands to a "bright" 23:43:00, meaning there were a record 17 minutes until World War III.

However, it was not long before India and Pakistan disrupted the "peace." They conducted bomb tests, and the clock was moved to 23:51:00.

The 2001 terrorist attack in the USA led to another 2-minute reduction. The end of the first decade of the 21st century did not bring catastrophe, so the "time" remained at 23:54:00.

The mid-2020s marked the beginning of a real crisis. Global climate change and the proliferation of nuclear weapons left humanity with only 3 minutes to exist in 2015. The escalation of these issues added another minute to midnight in 2018, bringing the time to 23:58:00.

From then on, the clock began to move second by second. On January 23, 2020, it was adjusted 20 seconds forward (23:58:20) due to the suspension of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and increasing tensions between the USA and Iran.

Another 10 seconds, as previously noted, were added in 2023. And now in 2025, the clock stands at 23:58:31. These hands have never been this close to "Doomsday." However, whether Armageddon will occur depends solely on humanity, as the hands can quickly return to a safer distance, say to 23:50:00.