Tick tick boom? The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved its Doomsday Clock forward for 2026, announcing that it is now set to 85 seconds to midnight –— the closest it’s ever been to catastrophe in its 79-year history.

The ‘Doomsday Clock’ representing how near humanity is to catastrophe has moved closer to midnight than ever before as concerns mount over nuclear weapons, climate change, and an “information Armageddon”.

The Doomsday Clock has moved towards midnight as humanity is closer than ever to the end of the world, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Watch: Doomsday Clock puts Trump and Putin in spotlight as world moves closer to Armageddon -

The world slipped further toward the abyss over the past year, with the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists on Tuesday moving the hands of the famed Doomsday Clock four seconds closer to midnight, at 85 seconds.

On 27 January 2026, the hands of the Doomsday Clock – repositioned each year by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to reflect existential threats facing mankind and our planet – were set to 85 seconds to midnight, the closest the clock has ever come to forewarning armageddon.