Doomsday Clock remains at closest point ever to midnight

Maintaining last year’s grim record means the clock’s keepers perceived threat of global apocalypse has not cooled off in the past 12 months

The first unveiling of the Doomsday Clock since the coronavirus pandemic by Dr Robert Rosner (left) and Dr Suzet McKinney. Picture: Thomas Gaulkin/Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists/PA Wire

The Doomsday Clock has remained at 100 seconds, staying the closest to midnight it has ever been for the second year running.

The countdown acts as a metaphor for global apocalypse, taking into account the likelihood of emerging threats such as climate change and advances in biotechnology and artificial intelligence.