Tick, Tick, Boom

A lovely cheery announcement this morning at the top of Google news page: Doomsday Clock Closer To Civilization's End. I mean I'm pretty sure Dr. Stephen Hawking wouldn't lie to me, he seems like a trustworthy guy. But the committee that created the clock isn't just concerned about nuclear weapons, but has also added their concern over global warming to the equation. "Nuclear weapons still pose the most catastrophic and immediate threat to humanity," said Martin Rees, president of The Royal Society. "But climate change and emerging technologies in the life sciences also have the potential to end civilization as we know it." The time table for this literal "End of the World (As We Know It)"? Thirty to forty years.