Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, November 13, 2023
Posted: 13th November 2023
Illustration of a large asteroid colliding with Earth on the Yucatán Peninsula (in what is modern-day Mexico). This impact is believed to have led to the death of the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago.
MICHAEL E. MANN
Catastrophic climate change: Lessons from the dinosaurs
Do the dinosaurs, victims of a famous 66-million-year-old mass extinction event, have a message for us? Climate scientist Michael E. Mann explores this question in an excerpt from his book Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from Earth’s Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis. Read more.
DAN DROLLETTE JR.
Interview with Jeff Goodell, author of The Heat Will Kill You First
Extreme heat is an invisible threat that is easily overlooked. But what it does to living things is very real, explains author Jeff Goodell. “It’s like writing the biography of a ghost.” Read more.
HANS M. KRISTENSEN | MATT KORDA | ELIANA JOHNS | MACKENZIE KNIGHT
Nuclear Notebook: Nuclear weapons sharing in 2023
The latest entry in the Nuclear Notebook focuses on the current state of global nuclear sharing arrangements, wherein the nine nuclear-armed countries have arrangements on some aspect of their nuclear weapons management with more than two dozen additional countries. Read more.
Answers to frequently asked Doomsday Clock questions
The Bulletin has reset the Doomsday Clock 25 times since its debut in 1947, most recently in 2023 when it moved to 90 seconds to midnight—the closest it’s ever been. Every time it’s reset, the Bulletin is flooded with questions about the internationally recognized symbol. Here are some answers to them.
AVERY RESTREPO
Paul Tullis wins AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award for Bulletin piece
The Bulletin is proud to share that journalist Paul Tullis won an AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award for his article, “Is the next pandemic brewing on the Netherlands’ poultry farms?” The piece was published in September of 2022. Read more.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It’s wholly legitimate for police to use technology to keep the public safe. The question is about how lawful and necessary it is. At the moment, we’re in a situation where the legal basis isn’t clear. There’s no external oversight of how it’s used, how it’s authorized, who’s on the watchlist.”
— Pete Fussey, a professor at the University of Essex, “Police use of face recognition Is sweeping the UK,” Wired
Your ongoing support ensures we stay on mission and get the job done.
Thank you!