NEWS ADVISORY–-The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists will host a live virtual news conference at 10:00 a.m. EST/1500 GMT on Wednesday, January 27th, 2021 to announce if the time on the iconic “Doomsday Clock” will change. The decision is made by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Science and Security Board in consultation with the Bulletin’s Board of Sponsors, which includes 13 Nobel Laureates.

The factors contributing to the decision about the Doomsday Clock time will be outlined on January 27th.

In 2020, the Doomsday Clock moved to 100 seconds to midnight, closer to midnight than ever in its history. In December 2020, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists marked its 75th anniversary.

News event speakers for the Doomsday Clock announcement on January 27th, 2021 will include:

  • Former California Governor Jerry Brown, executive chair, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists;
  • President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, co-chair, WHO Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, Nobel Peace Prize recipient, former President of Liberia, and member, The Elders;
  • Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki, Japan;
  • Dr. Rachel Bronson, president and CEO, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists;
  • Dr. Asha George, executive director, Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, and Science and Security Board member, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists;
  • Dr. Susan Solomon, Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), founding director, MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, and Science and Security Board member, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists; and
  • Dr. Steve Fetter, associate provost, dean of the graduate school and professor of public policy, University of Maryland, and Science and Security Board member, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

TO PARTICIPATE: Members of the media can attend the Doomsday Clock virtual news event on January 27, 2021, 10 a.m. EST/1500 GMT by registering at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_KIy2jKhaQL2_N6x2ZskIfw. Journalists will be provided a link to participate directly in the event, including the Q&A period. Those who elect to participate by a traditional dial-up phone call will be in a listen-only mode for the Q&A period.

CAN’T PARTICIPATE?: Journalists unable to attend the virtual news conference can view the event at http://www.thebulletin.org/.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Additional members of the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board will be available for interviews on the day of and after the announcement. https://thebulletin.org/about-us/science-and-security-board/