The Doomsday Clock and Global Health: A Medical Sociological Analysis of Existential Threats to Human Civilization From 1947 to 85 Seconds to Midnight Situating the Biosocial Crises of the Twenty-First Century

Year : 2026 | Volume : 03 | Issue : 02 | Page : 26 36
By

Shanti Nandana Wijesinghe,

  1. Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, , Srilanka

Abstract

Since its inception in 1947, the Doomsday Clock maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has functioned as a socially constructed barometer of civilisational risk, translating complex scientific, geopolitical, and technological threats into a universally legible symbolic chronometry. As of January 2026, the Clock stands at 85 seconds to midnight, its most alarming position in nearly eight decades of operation. This article adopts a medical sociological framework, drawing on concepts of structural risk, social determinants of health, medicalisation of catastrophe, and the sociology of knowledge, to situate the Doomsday Clock within contemporary global health discourse. It examines ten interconnected domains of existential threat — nuclear warfare, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cyberspace vulnerabilities, misinformation, climate change, geoclimatic risk, biodiversity loss, pandemic preparedness deficits, and the erosion of multilateral governance — and analyses each through the lens of their differential health burdens, social inequities, and population-level consequences. The article argues that the Clock is not merely a political metaphor but a legitimising scientific instrument whose sociological reading is indispensable to global public health policy, epidemiological preparedness, and the governance of emerging technologies. By integrating sociological theory with public health perspectives, the study highlights how these overlapping risks reinforce one another through interconnected political, economic, and environmental systems, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations and widening existing global health inequalities. It further emphasises the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, evidence-based policymaking, and resilient institutional frameworks in anticipating, mitigating, and responding to cascading global crises before irreversible societal and health consequences emerge. The article argues that the Clock is not merely a political metaphor but a legitimising scientific instrument whose sociological reading is indispensable to global public health policy, epidemiological preparedness, and the governance of emerging technologies.

Keywords: Doomsday clock, medical sociology, global health, nuclear threats, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cyberspace, misinformation, climate change, geoclimatic risk, existential risk, health equity, bulletin of the atomic scientists, pandemic preparedness.

[This article belongs to Recent Trends in Social Studies ]

How to cite this article: Shanti Nandana Wijesinghe. The Doomsday Clock and Global Health: A Medical Sociological Analysis of Existential Threats to Human Civilization From 1947 to 85 Seconds to Midnight Situating the Biosocial Crises of the Twenty-First Century. Recent Trends in Social Studies. 2026; 03(02):26-36.
How to cite this URL: Shanti Nandana Wijesinghe. The Doomsday Clock and Global Health: A Medical Sociological Analysis of Existential Threats to Human Civilization From 1947 to 85 Seconds to Midnight Situating the Biosocial Crises of the Twenty-First Century. Recent Trends in Social Studies. 2026; 03(02):26-36. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/rtss/article=2026/view=253749

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Regular Issue Subscription Review Article
Volume 03
Issue 02
Received 21/04/2026
Accepted 18/07/2026
Published 20/07/2026
Publication Time 90 Days

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