Last month, the "Doomsday Clock" was moved up to 89 seconds, the closest the world has ever been to total annihilation. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, based at the University of Chicago, uses the clock as a metaphor to show how close the planet is to reaching human extinction.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists made the annual announcement — which rates how close humanity is from ending — citing threats that include climate change, proliferation of nuclear weapons, instability in the Middle East, the threat of pandemics and incorporation of artificial intelligence in military operations.