NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope continues to reveal the secrets of the universe, three and a half decades after its launch, as a new AI technique from the European Space Agency (ESA) identifies more than 800 previously unreported space objects.

Launched in 1990 and still in operation, the Hubble Space Telescope has amassed a vast archive of data over its decades spent scanning the universe. Now, a recent paper in Astronomy & Astrophysics reports the identification of 1,300 unusual objects by AI in just two and a half days, many of which have never appeared in the astronomical literature.

Hubble Image Analysis

The astronomers behind the new research fed their AI neural network 100 million image cutouts from the Hubble Legacy Archive. These cutouts are tiny—only dozens of pixels wide—yet the AI was able to meaningfully determine what they contained.

Galaxies accounted for most of the anomalous cutouts, typically undergoing mergers or other unusual interactions that distorted their morphologies or left them trailing long streams of stars and gas. Other cutouts were identified as spacetime distortions that bent light from distant galaxies into arcs or rings before it reached Hubble.

Small image cutouts from the Hubble Legacy Archive revealed strange anomalies when analyzed by AnomalyMatch.

Credit: NASA, ESA, David O’Ryan (ESA), Pablo Gómez (ESA), Mahdi Zamani (ESA/Hubble)

More unusual cosmic features were also identified, including galaxies resembling jellyfish with strange tentacle-like streams of gas, and edge-on planet-forming disks that appear like hamburgers in the images (several of which can be seen above).

Perhaps most notably, dozens of the objects were so bizarre that they did not fit any existing classification.

Developing AnomalyMatch

The sheer scale of data amassed in the continually expanding archives of Hubble and other telescopes has become so large that it defies traditional human-led analysis. These advanced space observatories generate data at a rate far exceeding that of earlier eras in astronomy. Prior attempts to open the data to citizen scientists have met with some success, but the backlog has grown too large for those initiatives to fully address. Until now, astronomers have relied on manual analysis and the occasional fortunate discovery made while examining specific targets.

While Hubble was constructed by NASA, ESA researchers David O’Ryan and Pablo Gómez developed the solution leveraged by the team for its analysis of this torrent of data. Specifically, the pair created a neural network called AnomalyMatch, which is designed to examine collections of imagery far more quickly than humans can. Still, AnomalyMatch was trained to perform pattern recognition similar to that of humans, allowing it to “learn” to identify rare and unusual objects hidden in the data.

“Archival observations from the Hubble Space Telescope now span 35 years, offering a rich dataset in which astrophysical anomalies may be hidden,” said lead author David O’Ryan.

Among the objects discovered was a collision ring galaxy, a type of disrupted or bent ring-shaped galaxy.

Credit: NASA, ESA, David O’Ryan (ESA), Pablo Gómez (ESA), Mahdi Zamani (ESA/Hubble)

Exploring Hubble and Other Telescopes

Although the team’s initial paper focuses on data retrieved using the Hubble Space Telescope, the technique can be applied more broadly as well. Other platforms, such as ESA’s Euclid mission, are generating vast amounts of data that AnomalyMatch could help process. Crucially, O’Ryan and Gómez’s neural network results have been manually reviewed by astronomers, who have so far confirmed 1,300 of the anomalies flagged by AnomalyMatch.

“This is a powerful demonstration of how AI can enhance the scientific return of archival datasets,” co-author Pablo Gómez said. “The discovery of so many previously undocumented anomalies in Hubble data underscores the tool’s potential for future surveys.”

Future advanced space observatories will also benefit from the implementation of AnomalyMatch. For instance, NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will provide a wider field of view than the James Webb Space Telescope, offering yet another enormous data set for astronomers to search through in the years ahead.

The paper, “Identifying Astrophysical Anomalies in 99.6 Million Source Cutouts from the Hubble Legacy Archive using AnomalyMatch,” appeared in Astronomy & Astrophysics on December 16, 2025.

• Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.

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EXCLUSIVE - I've seen possessed children scream like beasts and strung up like puppets... these chilling exorcism cases PROVE hell is real

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

There is a hidden battlefield within our world, where forces of light and darkness collide, believers say, in a conflict that sometimes spills into everyday life. 

In its most extreme form, the clash is described as possession: a person seemingly seized by demonic beings, their body overtaken, their voice and movements warped into something not quite human. 

For Anglican reverend Chris Lee, 43, this is not a theological abstraction but a reality he has lived with for nearly two decades. 

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Lee said he first began witnessing exorcisms after moving to rural Tanzania aged 24 for mission work while training to become a priest. 

It was there, he said, that he encountered what he described as 'profound things, miracles and movements of darkness and light' that convinced him he was being called into ministry. 

Within just a month of arriving, Lee said he received an urgent call about a student who was violently ill, screaming, vomiting and convulsing in a way he believed went far beyond any normal sickness. 

Other encounters followed, as Lee recalled a teenage boy inside a church who suddenly 'leapt up into the sky,' screamed like a beast, and bolted into the woods, his body moving in a 'puppet-like' way, as if controlled by an unseen force. 

In another case, one that left a deep impression on him, Lee said a girl from a Muslim family began convulsing and speaking in a male voice, declaring, 'I'm one of nine here… this is my house,' as pastors struggled to drive out what they believed was an entity. 

Reverend Chris Lee shared chilling exorcism causes, detailing how the experiences gave him a purpose since giving his life to God at the age of 24

Despite the intensity of these encounters, Lee said he does not feel afraid. Instead, he described feeling purposeful, and at times angry, at what he sees as an invasion of something sacred. 

'It's like a burglar in a house,' he said. 'Get out. You don't have this right.' 

For Lee, prayer and faith are not symbolic gestures but sources of authority, and he believes he is standing on the side of Christ in a spiritual battle he says is as real as any physical one.

His early spiritual awakening began after he abandoned a conventional life at age 21 and moved to Tanzania. 

'I was 24 when I was ordained, so I was one of the youngest in the Church of England at the time,' Lee said, explaining how quickly his calling took root. 

He left a career in property development, sold his house and moved into a remote Maasai region without electricity or running water. 

While his new home was far from a lap of luxury, it was where he knew he wanted to dedicate his life to the ministry. 

'It was there that I was able to ask big, profound questions of life, and it was there that I discovered my love for God, and felt His presence so much more in my life,' said Lee. 

He moved from England to Tanzania for mission work and within only a month, he performed his first exorcism (stock) 

When he asked his bishop if he could begin theological training, he was told to start almost immediately. 'He said, yes, you can start on Thursday,' Lee recalled, noting this moment marked the beginning of a long ministry in which he repeatedly confronted spiritual forces he believes are very real.

His first encounter came when he was in charge of students in Tanzania, and was called to see a student who was very ill. 

'I came into the room of this person, and I was expecting them to be lying down and being sick, but the person was screaming around the room and vomiting at the same time,' he said. 

The sight caught Lee completely off guard, as he was not witnessing a normal sickness. 

'I didn't have a spectrum of understanding of what was going on,' the reverend admitted. 'So in that moment I just prayed, "Lord, give me what I need to help this girl."'

After praying in the room, Lee contacted a German missionary who was in the area, hoping to get assistance. 

'When he arrived, just before we went in, I said, "Be aware, it's very disturbing. She's screaming, moving around the room, and vomiting,"' said Lee. 

'He said, "Okay, fine." We walked in, and she was suddenly completely normal. She was sitting up and talking. I was actually quite embarrassed. I thought, "What is going on?"'

He believes possession come after some kind of trauma that opens a dark door into the person's life, allowing demonic beings to take over 

The German missionary asked other students about the girl, who said she was someone afflicted by the demonic. 

Lee believes this was his first encounter with evil, but by no means his last. 

He recalled another chilling case that occurred while he was traveling to another church in the area, a church made of sticks. 

The bishop at the time was performing baptisms for the children, laying his hands on their heads for a blessing. 

'He was going along the line, laying his hands to bless the children,' said Lee. 'It was a teenage boy who suddenly leapt up into the sky just before the bishop was about to lay his hands on him.

'He started screaming, like a beast, like a lion, and then he ran into the wall.'

The boy was taken out of the church and placed on the ground with a blanket pulled over his head. 

As Lee and others approached quietly across the sand to pray, he said the boy began to tremble. Lee said the shaking intensified the closer they came, which he interpreted as a sign that whatever was afflicting the child was aware of their presence and reacting to it. 

'He picked up and ran away from us, screaming, into the woods. As he was running, it was very strange, because the way he moved was not like a normal person,' Lee said.

'It was as if he were one of those puppets on strings, his limbs were being used, but not in the correct way. 

'It was a very surreal experience, watching him flee in this almost puppeteered way, as if something inside him was controlling him, but not the way a normal human being would be controlled.'

The boy was brought back to the church, where the crowd surrounded him in prayer.

'I remember his eyes burning, with a real blackness, a darkness in his eyes, and we were commanding the spirit in him to leave, and he was growling, and barking at us,' the reverend recalled. 

Lee and the bishop laid their hands on the boy, commanding the demonic entity leave his small body, and in a moment, the child fell to the ground and began hyperventilating.

Then there was his experience with the young Muslim girl who would stay at his church.

 One day, the girl mysteriously fell to the floor and began shaking and screaming. 'What was interesting was that voices were speaking out of her,' Lee said. 

'The main voice was a male voice speaking in Swahili to the pastor who was leading the deliverance at that moment. 

'It said, "I'm one of nine here, and she's let us in." The language the demon used was, "This is my house. You have no claim over her. She's ours." 'We were saying, "No, in the name of Jesus, you need to get out."'

Another pastor came, telling Lee and the others to stop the exorcism. 

'He said she hadn't yet accepted Christ in her heart, and if we delivered her now, it could be made worse,' said Lee. 

'Biblically, he explained, if you clear the house, seven more can come back in unless the person has received Christ. His concern was that we might clear space for more to enter her. 

'So it was stopped in that moment. Her parents were informed, and they collected her. 

'My understanding is that she returned to school a few weeks later, which suggests her parents took her to a deliverance expert in Dar es Salaam or Morogoro, where I believe she was delivered. 

'She was an interesting case because she would come off the ground in violent surges, then stand up and contort, speaking in a male voice. That was one of the more severe cases.'

Lee suggested that these children may have suffered some kind of trauma in their lives, which opened a dark door for the demonic entities. 

'These experiences have made the realities of what I read in the Bible more real to me, the realities of the spiritual realm and the fact that we aren't just physical beings,' he explained. 

'We are spiritual beings, and our spirit is wrapped up in the physical. We are both of these things held as one.'

'The realities of darkness and light became more pronounced. In a world where we're struggling to seek and find truth, and where people say 'my truth' and 'your truth,' this cuts through that. It's quite clear: there is evil, there is good, there is truth, and there are lies.'

'I think it wakes you up to that reality, and it makes my faith more pronounced in myself. In a way, it strengthened my faith rather than wounded it.'

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Lost tomb of the mysterious 'cloud people' unearthed after 1,400 years in 'discovery of the decade'

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

It has been hailed as 'the most significant archaeological discovery in a decade.'

Archaeologists in Mexico have uncovered a 1,400-year-old tomb in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca that had been lost to history.

The stone structure, built by the Zapotec culture, known as Be'ena'a, or 'The Cloud People', is adorned with sculptures, murals and carved symbols that suggest ritual significance.

The Zapotec believed their ancestors descended from the clouds and that, in death, their souls returned to the heavens as spirits.

At the entrance sits a massive carved owl, its open beak revealing the face of a Zapotec lord, a symbol the National Institute of Anthropology and History said represented death and power.

The doorway is framed by a stone threshold and lintel, above which a frieze of engraved slabs displays ancient calendrical names.

Flanking the entrance are carved figures of a man and woman wearing headdresses and holding ritual objects, likely guardians of the tomb.

Inside the burial chamber, preserved sections of a vibrant mural remain intact, showing a procession of figures carrying bundles of copal as they move toward the tomb's entrance.

Archaeologists in Mexicohave uncovered a 1,400-year-old tomb in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca that had been lost to history

At the entrance sits a massive carved owl, its open beak revealing the face of a Zapotec lord

Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, said: 'It is the most important archaeological discovery of the last decade in Mexico due to its level of preservation and the information it provides.'

The Zapotecs have a history spanning over 2,500 years. 

They established a major pre-Columbian civilization centered at Monte Albán, which featured advanced agriculture and writing.

The Zapotec civilization mysteriously declined in the area around 900 AD.

However, the people did not completely disappear, as there are at least 400,000 living today.

Mexico's Secretary of Culture, Claudia Curiel de Icaza, said the 'exceptional discovery' of the tomb was due to its preservation. 

She added that it reveals how the Zapotec culture was a social organization with funerary rituals.

'It is a compelling example of Mexico's ancient grandeur, which is now being researched, protected, and shared with society,' she continued.  

The stone structure, built by the Zapotec culture, known as Be'ena'a, or 'The Cloud People', is adorned with sculptures, murals and carved symbols that suggest ritual significance

Pictured is the giant owl above the tomb's entrance

An interdisciplinary team from the INAH Oaxaca Center is currently working to conserve and protect the tomb, focusing on stabilizing the fragile mural painting. Experts say the mural’s condition is delicate due to root growth, insect activity, and sudden shifts in temperature and humidity.

At the same time, researchers are conducting ceramic, iconographic and epigraphic studies, along with physical anthropology analyses, to better understand the rituals, symbols and funerary practices connected to the tomb.

In 2024, archaeologists announced the discovery of tunnels that the ancient Zapotec civilization believed to be the 'entrance to the underworld' had been found beneath a centuries-old church.

Mitla, meaning place of the dead, was a city in southern Mexico known for its association with Pitao Bezelao, the Zapotec god of death.

But the Spanish arrived in the 16th Century and razed the city, building a church on the ruins of its most important temple.

A priest later wrote that 'the back door of hell' lay under the city – huge caverns believed to be the entrance to the Zapotec underworld.

But they were walled up, he said, and later excavations failed to find anything matching the scale of his description – until now.

Using non-invasive techniques, archaeologists recently revealed a series of chambers and tunnels beneath the city.

Five different sets of ruins were probed: the church group, the arroyo group, the adobe group, the south group, and the group of the columns.

Pictured is the face of the Zapotec god inside the owl's mouth

In 2024, archaeologists announced the discovery of tunnels that the ancient Zapotec civilization believed to be the 'entrance to the underworld' had been found beneath a centuries-old church 

Using non-invasive techniques, archaeologists recently revealed a series of chambers and tunnels beneath the city

Marco Vigato, founder of the ARX Project, which is leading the search, said: 'Some of the tunnels and chambers extend to a considerable depth, in excess of 50 feet.

The underground tunnels were revealed using a combination of ground penetrating radar, electric resistivity tomography, and seismic noise tomography. 

The first method uses radar waves to model the subsurface, while the second detects buried structures by measuring the flow of electricity through the earth.

Instead of electricity, the final method measures the speed at which seismic waves move through the ground.

Just how old the tunnels are is yet to be established.

'Natural caves in the area of Mitla have been occupied and partially modified by humans for thousands of years,' Vigato said:

'The earliest evidence of crop domestication in the area of Mitla dates back almost 10,000 years.

'There is no indication at the moment as to the possible age of the tunnels under the church or the other groups of structures at Mitla.

'They may have been created by the Zapotecs, or they could be much older.'

He added: 'The findings from the geophysical scans will have to be confirmed with archaeological methods.

'This could determine the nature of the cavities identified under the site and whether they contain any artifacts of archaeological significance.'

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A military‑grade device capable of projecting a deafening, focused sound was deployed during a tense anti‑ICE protest in Minnesota Monday night.

State patrol troopers faced off with activists outside the SpringHill Suites in Maple Grove, where demonstrators believed federal immigration agents were staying.

Officers threatened to engage a long‑range acoustic device (LRAD), giving the crowd a countdown before deployment. 

The system, a highly directional loudspeaker, can emit piercing deterrent tones or amplified voice commands over long distances and was originally developed for military and crowd‑control use.

Experts warn that exposure to the device at close range can cause permanent hearing loss, ruptured eardrums, constant ringing in the ears, migraines, nausea, balance problems and even panic responses.

Marine Colonel Mark Cancian, a senior adviser for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said, 'We used it in Iraq … if you're in the cone, it sounds like the voice of God is speaking to you.'

State patrol officials said they checked the device's volume, issued dispersal notices and did not actually use tones or sirens, despite reports circulating on social media.

The night ended with 26 arrests, whom the police said were allegedly taking part in 'unlawful assembly and riotous conduct.'

Minnesota police threatened protesters on Monday with a long‑range acoustic device (LRAD), giving the crowd a countdown before deployment

Monday's demonstration came on the heels of a shooting on Saturday.

Alex Pretti, 37, was killed shortly after 9am local time after an altercation involving multiple federal officers. 

The protest in the Minneapolis suburb came as federal law enforcement leadership in the state was in flux, with Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino and some agents expected to soon leave Minnesota after intense public scrutiny of recent actions by immigration authorities.

It was not immediately clear whether Bovino or other federal agents were staying at the hotel where demonstrators gathered. 

The department issued a statement saying: 'While we respect First Amendment rights, we will not tolerate property damage or violence in our community.'

The protest was declared unlawful after demonstrators caused property damage and engaged in violent behavior, which is not protected under the First Amendment. Officers deployed the LRAD after the crowd failed to comply with a dispersal order.

The military-grade loudspeaker can project spoken commands at intense volumes or emit piercing tones designed to get attention and deter movement. 

Even when only issuing voice commands, the device can be overwhelming.

State patrol troopers faced off with protesters outside the SpringHill Suites in Maple Grove, where demonstrators believed federal immigration agents were staying

'I think we saw that in the video there of the system, because it's so loud, I mean, it pushes you back,' Cancian told CBS News.

The system was developed as a non-lethal alternative to traditional crowd-control methods such as pepper spray, tear gas, and rubber bullets. 

'In some situations where you might end up using force, kinetic force, or even lethal force, you know this can avoid that and avoid permanent damage to people,' said Cancian. 

LRAD uses an array of high-frequency speakers to produce highly directional sound, concentrating audio into a narrow beam rather than dispersing it broadly.

This technology allows sound to travel long distances while maintaining clarity, so spoken messages or warning tones can be heard over ambient noise.

The LRAD system can switch between voice communication and a high-decibel deterrent tone, with volume and frequency precisely controlled by the operator.

The device is portable and can be mounted on vehicles, tripods or handheld platforms, and operators can adjust range, angle, and intensity depending on the situation.

It has been suggested that this is the same 'secret sonic' weapon President Donald Trump said US special forces used during the daring capture of the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month.

Police did not active the system but used voice commands to deter the crowd

The night ended with 26 arrests, whom the police said were allegedly taking part in 'unlawful assembly and riotous conduct'

Trump bragged last week that 'nobody else' has it, while glorifying the capabilities of the US military.

The exact nature of the weapon and how it was used is unknown. Trump was coy when giving details during an interview with NewsNation anchor Katie Pavlich.

Pavlich asked Trump whether Americans should be 'afraid' of these sonic devices.

'Well, yeah,' Trump responded.

He then added that only the US military has access to the sonic weapons by noting, 'It's something I don't wanna… nobody else has it.'

'But we have weapons nobody else knows about.' Trump continued. 'And, I say it's probably good not to talk about it, but we have some amazing weapons.'

Following the capture of Maduro, reports surfaced that special forces used unknown sonic weapons to disable the Cuban bodyguards assigned to protect the Venezuelan dictator.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took to X to share an interview with an unnamed security guard who claimed to be working the night the US struck Venezuela and took Maduro on drug trafficking charges.

'Stop what you are doing and read this,' she wrote, alongside five American flag emojis.

The interview saw the security guard reveal the terrifying capabilities of the mysterious new US military weapon, which he described as a 'very intense sound wave' that disabled Venezuelan forces. 

'Suddenly I felt like my head was exploding from the inside,' the security guard reportedly said. 'We all started bleeding from the nose. Some were vomiting blood. We fell to the ground, unable to move. 

'We couldn't even stand up after that sonic weapon or whatever it was.' 

The security guard claimed moments before the raid that snatched Maduro, 'all our radar systems shut down without any explanation.' Then eight helicopters arrived and around 20 soldiers descended.

'They didn't look like anything we've fought against before,' the guard claimed.

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Researchers Use AI To Find Astronomical Anomalies Buried In Archives

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

Asteroid 2024 YR4 Has a 4% Chance of Hitting the Moon. Here’s Why That’s a Scientific Goldmine.

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The Doomsday Clock, which has been ticking down to the end of the world for decades, is now officially closer to annihilation than ever before. 

On Tuesday, scientists with the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved the symbolic clock four seconds forward to 85 seconds to midnight.

It's also the closest the clock has ever been to midnight in its 79-year history, meaning experts believe humanity has never faced a more dire threat of a world-ending catastrophe than it does in 2026.

The group, which decides where the hands are set annually, cited multiple threats to global stability, including nuclear weapons, climate change, disruptive technologies like AI, and the creation of synthetic biological substances called 'mirror life.'

Alexandra Bell, president and CEO of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, said: 'Every second counts and we are running out of time. It is a hard truth that this is our reality. This is the closest our world has ever been to midnight.'

The Chicago-based nonprofit created the Doomsday Clock in 1947 during the Cold War as tensions between the US and the Soviet Union brought the constant fear of a nuclear apocalypse.

This is the second year in a row that the Doomsday Clock has moved closer to midnight - the hypothetical point where the world will end. Until 2020, the clock had never been closer than two minutes to midnight.

Daniel Holz, chair of the Bulletin's Science and Security Board, said: 'Last year, we warned that the world was perilously close to catastrophe and that countries needed to change course towards international cooperation and action on the most critical and existential risks. Unfortunately, the opposite has happened.' 

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved the 'Doomsday Clock' four seconds closer to midnight - the theoretical point of world annihilation

The US, Israel, Iran, and Russia all warned in 2025 that a catastrophic global war could be nearing as the crisis in the Middle East and Ukraine reached a breaking point 

Holz added that nuclear-armed nations became even more adversarial and nationalistic in 2025 and influenced the four-second jump, the largest move forward since 2023 when scientists cut it from 100 to 90 seconds to midnight.

'The latest remaining treaty governing nuclear weapon stockpiles between the US and Russia expires next week. For the first time in over half a century, there will be nothing preventing a runaway nuclear arms race,' Holz revealed. 

Any time the Doomsday Clock has moved forward has been said to signify humanity's failures to make progress in solving the global threats of the past 12 months.

Every year, the Doomsday Clock has been updated based on how close humanity theoretically is to total annihilation.

If the clock goes forward and gets a few minutes or seconds closer to midnight (compared with where it was set the previous year), it suggests humanity has moved closer to self-destruction.

If it moves further away from midnight, it suggests humanity has lowered the risks of global catastrophe since the same point last year.

In some years, the hands of the clock don't move at all, suggesting global tensions and threats worldwide haven't changed for better or worse.

It has been moving steadily closer to the predicted end of the world since 2011, when it was still six minutes from midnight. 

In 2025, the US, Iran, and Israel were involved in a deadly conflict in the Middle East, with the US sending a precision bombing mission to attack Iran's nuclear facilities

Rhe Bulletin's Science and Security Board added that climate change has also escalated over the last year, with global sea levels reaching record highs.

'Droughts, floods, fires, and storms continue to intensify and become more erratic, and this will only get worse,' Holz predicted.

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Additionally, the expert warned of 'mirror life,' which are synthetic organisms built completely backwards compared to normal DNA, which scientists believe could help develop advanced medicines.

However, many scientists fear the threat posed by these lab-made substances, as they are totally incompatible with normal DNA, raising the threat of an unstoppable pandemic.

'Despite repeated warnings from scientists worldwide, the international community has no coordinated plan and the world remains unprepared for potentially devastating biological threats,' Holz said. 

As for so-called 'disruptive technologies,' the security board's chair singled out artificial intelligence (AI) for 'supercharging mis- and disinformation.' 

Dr Leonard Rieser, Chairman of the Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, moves the hand of the Doomsday Clock back to 17 minutes before midnight at offices near the University of Chicago on November 26, 1991

Last year, the Bulletin moved the clock to 89 seconds to midnight, citing the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, conflicts in the Middle East, the threat of nuclear war, climate change, a potential bird flu pandemic, and the so-called 'arms race' to develop AI.

Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine has led to Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War II, with unconfirmed estimates estimating the death toll reaching one million people in 2026.

Meanwhile, multiple conflicts involving the US broke out in the last year, as the Trump Administration launched a bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities and arrested Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife during a covert raid in Caracas.

Tensions have even flared between the US and its allies in NATO, as President Trump vies to take control of Greenland, a current territory of Denmark, citing its importance to national security against Russia and China.

'If the world splinters into an "us versus them" zero-sum approach, it increases the likelihood that we all lose,' Holz warned. 

Although symbolic and not an actual clock, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists unveiled a physical 'quarter clock' model at an event on Tuesday when they delivered the news of their estimate for 2026.

After the unveiling, the model can be found located at the Bulletin offices in the Keller Center, home to the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. 

The Doomsday Clock goes back to June 1947, when US artist Martyl Langsdorf was hired to design a new cover for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists journal 

Every January, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists reveals its annual update to the Doomsday Clock – even if the hands are not moved.

The Doomsday Clock officially came into existence in June 1947, when US artist Martyl Langsdorf was hired to design a new cover for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists journal.

With a striking image on the cover, the organization hoped to 'frighten men into rationality' as the Cold War seemed destined to go nuclear, according to Eugene Rabinowitch, the first editor of the journal.

The clock was initially set at seven minutes to midnight because 'it looked good to my eye,' Langsdorf later said.

On the cover of later issues, the hands of the clock were adjusted based on how close civilization was estimated to be to catastrophe.

After the Soviet Union successfully tested its first atomic bomb in 1949, Rabinowitch reset the clock from seven minutes to midnight to three minutes to midnight.

Since then, it has continued to move forward and backwards, now moving within a minute and a half of total destruction.

In 2009, the Bulletin ceased its print edition, but the clock has still been updated once a year on its website and is now a much-anticipated highlight of the scientific community.

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