Who Keeps Winding the Doomsday Clock?
Summary
Host Ben Bradford interviews Alex Bell, head of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, to discuss the Doomsday Clock’s record-low setting of 85 seconds to midnight. They explore the clock’s history, the expiration of US-Russia arms control treaties, and emerging threats like climate change and "mirror life." Bell argues that the primary risk is the erosion of diplomatic structures and shared facts, emphasizing that public pressure and diplomacy remain the only viable paths to averting catastrophe.
Topics discussed
Intro: Zombie apocalypse banter and guest introduction
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and the Doomsday Clock
History: Founding by Einstein and Oppenheimer
Early issues: Deterrence and lack of a clock
Origin of the clock: Artist Martel Langsdorff
The Cold War: Ticking the clock back and forth
Expanding scope: Climate, AI, and bio threats
Inside the board: How the clock time is decided
Current status: 85 seconds to midnight
Sponsor breaks and podcast promotions
Top worries: Smallpox in permafrost and nuclear war
Nuclear arms race: Expiration of New START treaty
Diplomacy vs. more nukes: Alex Bell's view
Past success: Negotiating New START in 2010
Why now? Structural failure vs. Cuban Missile Crisis
The meta-threat: Disinformation and lack of shared truth
Fun questions: Red Dawn and apocalypse movies
Obscure threat: Mirror life and bioethics
Least worried threat: North Korea vs. Russia
Hope: JFK's speech and post-crisis diplomacy
Public pressure and the meaning of midnight
Outro: Next episode teaser and credits
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