The election of Donald Trump and wider geopolitical turbulence are so dangerous that the scientists behind the Doomsday Clock have pushed it forward to 2 minutes and 30 seconds before midnight. The new “time” means experts at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists believe the earth is closer to imminent peril than at any point in the last 64 years. The clock, an indicator of the world’s vulnerability to nuclear, environmental and political threats, was set at 3 minutes to midnight – with midnight being the apocalypse – in 2016. Bulletin scientists noted on multiple occasions throughout the Thursday morning press conference that “words matter, words count”. In 2015, the clock was brought two minutes forward, taking it to three minutes to midnight.

Source: The Guardian January 26, 2017 16:39 UTC