Is midnight upon us? Doomsday Clock sets risk of global catastrophe

'Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' to unveil its measure of how close human civilisation is to the edge of extinction

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists cite worsening nuclear threat, lack of climate action and the rise of "cyber-enabled disinformation campaign" in moving the doomsday clock to 100 seconds before midnight. Picture: Ken Cedeno/UPI

On 24 October, 1962, American nuclear chemist Harrison Brown started to pen a guest editorial for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists just as the Cuban missile crisis reached its climax.

“I am writing on a plane en route from Los Angeles to Washington and for all I know this editorial … may never be published,” Brown said.