How long until the end of the world? A conversation with physicist Robert Rosner about the doomsday clock, nuclear weapons, and the risk of someone screwing up.
Interviewed by
Andrian Kreye and Georg Mascolo
Perhaps the most famous clock in the world rarely moves. The doomsday clock has made just 25 movements since it first took shape in 1947, painted by a graphic artist on the back of a sheet music for Beethoven’s piano sonatas. The watch is something like an attempt at redemption. Albert Einstein and University of Chicago scientists involved in the development of atomic weapons founded the in 1945 Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. They wanted to warn the world of the tremendous dangers of nuclear war. A quarter to twelve was the highly symbolic first setting of the clock in 1947. The proverbial moment when action should begin. In the meantime, two more threats have been added to the risk assessment – climate change and so-called “disruptive technologies”. Since 2020, the clock has also stood up for this reason 100 seconds to midnight. The US physicist Robert Rosner researches complex systems in astrophysics and nuclear fission at the University of Chicago. He has been a member of the committee that advises on the status of the clock for eleven years.