Timepiece: Humans further away from total destruction

First published: 15-01-2010

Humans are officially further away from total destruction, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS).

The Doomsday Clock, a concept timepiece so far removed from watches in its purpose that it may worry some, now says the world is six minutes away from wanton annihilation, moving back a minute from the five-minute gap it said previously.

Speaking at a news conference in New York, the BAS board explained the reasoning behind it.

It said: "By shifting the hand back from midnight by only one additional minute, we emphasise how much needs to be accomplished, while at the same time recognising signs of collaboration among the United States, Russia, the European Union, India, China, Brazil and others on nuclear security and on climate stabilisation."

There are no plans to create a watch version of the famous yet disheartening timepiece.

The closest the clock has been is two minutes to midnight during 1953, when the Cold War was at its inaugural peak.