Since its inception following World War II, the Doomsday Clock has measured our time until apocalypse in minutes. This year, for the first time, the clock set our time to midnight in just seconds. Rachel Bronson is the CEO and president of the Bulletin of The Atomic Scientists, the organization that sets the clock. Even though the Clock is a metaphor, she says understanding the meaning behind it is a matter of life and death.

This year, the Bulletin cited two major factors in their decision: the threat of nuclear destruction and the ever worsening problem of climate change. But are we really closer to nuclear destruction than during the Cold War? And is there any hope that we could turn the hands of doom back on climate change?

Subscribe to Big Brains on...

Web: https://news.uchicago.edu/big-brains-podcast-why-doomsday-clock-closer-apocalypse-ever-rachel-bronson

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/big-brains/id1368737097

Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/uchicago-podcast-network/big-brains

Google Play: https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Im74xinlwfv5mww5mzxozaxkal4

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2uYYyD1m5o67GROWc9f8id?si=ZIOd4u2cRk6Ds7sKqYJgaw

Have a great idea for a Big Brains podcast episode? Pitch it to us: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe9N5tiBCZzfuI4s8npM-1gMXPiBowdzcvG38EesMb-yourQw/viewform

➡ Subscribe to UChicago on YouTube: http://bit.ly/UCHICAGOytSubscribe

About #UChicago:
Since its founding in 1890, the University of Chicago has been a destination for rigorous inquiry and field-defining research. This transformative academic experience empowers students and scholars to challenge conventional thinking in pursuit of original ideas.

#UChicago on the Web:
Home: http://bit.ly/UCHICAGO-homepagepage
News: http://bit.ly/UCHICAGO-news
Facebook: http://bit.ly/UCHICAGO-FB
Twitter: http://bit.ly/UCHICAGO-TW
Instagram: http://bit.ly/UCHICAGO-IG

University of Chicago on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/uchicago ***

ACCESSIBILITY: If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please email digicomm@uchicago.edu.