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Scientists push "Doomsday Clock" back a minute

Quote:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Scientists pushed back the hands on the symbolic Doomsday Clock by one minute citing hopeful developments in nuclear weapons and climate change.

The symbolic clock that shows how close mankind is to self-annihilation was moved back to six minutes before midnight from five minutes on Thursday.

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, which maintains the clock and puts an illustration of it on its cover, attributed the move to efforts by world leaders to reduce their countries' nuclear arsenals and collaborate on climate stabilization.

The group, which includes 19 Nobel laureates, said a key to the "new era of cooperation is a change in the U.S. government's orientation toward international affairs brought about in part by the election of (U.S. President Barack) Obama."

Nuclear physicist Pervez Hoodbhoy at news conference held at the New York Academy of Sciences overlooking the World Trade Center site, said there had been "a shift in world opinion" recognizing that nuclear weapons are "no longer useful to fight wars and are not effective as deterrence."

BAS board member Lowell Sachnoff added, "Global warming is more of a threat than nuclear war."

When the clock was created in 1947, it was set at 7 minutes to midnight. It has been adjusted only 18 times before Thursday' move. The last was in 2007, when the BAS moved it forward by two minutes citing North Korea's test of a nuclear weapon, Iran's nuclear ambitions and a renewed U.S. emphasis the military utility of nuclear weapons.

(Reporting by Basil Katz; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

doomsday is like a stock market, i love the fluctuation

so scientists...
are adjusting a clock...
that doesn't really work...

isn't that...
really unscientific?

Quote:

Originally Posted by dna82 (Post 6777279)

so scientists...
are adjusting a clock...
that doesn't really work...

isn't that...
really unscientific?

well its not a really scientifically proven theory that mankind will wipe ourselves out at that specific time. it's symbolic and derived from various calculations from the destructive powers we have on our hands.

that, and some global warming lol

"BAS board member Lowell Sachnoff added, "Global warming is more of a threat than nuclear war."

Quote:

Originally Posted by J____ (Post 6777345)

derived from various calculations?
uh
again, i'd like to see what these calculations are...

for scientists, this isn't very scientific.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dna82 (Post 6777351)

derived from various calculations?
uh
again, i'd like to see what these calculations are...

for scientists, this isn't very scientific.

astrologists everywhere, are crunching numbers

Quote:

Originally Posted by dna82 (Post 6777351)

derived from various calculations?
uh
again, i'd like to see what these calculations are...

for scientists, this isn't very scientific.

It's based on various factors that vary from political stability around the world right up to climate change. It's not a calculation like 2a+8=9.

The clock itself is purely a symbolic view on how far or close we are to that final push over the edge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0SObj7rUV8

Quote:

Originally Posted by dna82 (Post 6777279)

so scientists...
are adjusting a clock...
that doesn't really work...

isn't that...
really unscientific?

Scientists = Do w/e the fuck they want
Hell Einstein had a "Fudge Factor" for his calculations - not error, but a fudge factor