2012 is here, which means, at least for some, that every tick of the clock will mean a tick closer to Doomsday. Now, at 1pm EST, what could be called the official Doomsday Clock may just move, but in what direction, only a few deep initiates know. No, this has nothing to do with the Maya calendar, but the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists (BAS) and their iconic timekeeping device.
First published in 1947, the BAS Doomsday Clock was designed to reflect how close the world could be to ending. The clock was directly inspired by the nuclear arms race that was quickly starting to take shape at the time. Over the years, the clock has gone forwards and backwards numerous times. The closest to midnight (Doomsday): 1984, when U.S./Soviet tensions seemed to reach critical mass and the clock was positioned at 11:57. The farthest we've been from Doomsday? 1991, when the clock was 17minutes from midnight after the fall of the Soviet Union. Currently, the clock is sitting at 11:54, 6 minutes to midnight.
In deciding where the clock should be positioned, the BAS takes several factors into account, most notably geopolitical events of the day and what they could mean for the future of humanity on this pale blue dot.
The thing to take away from this: chances are, Doomsday will come from man's own making, not some speculative thing from outer space nor the fact that some human-created calendar is going to run out on December 21.
For more info:
The complete history, religion, and astronomy behind 2012
Close by ways the world could end
Doomsday from afar
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