On Tuesday, the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists announced that the Doomsday Clock is now set at five minutes to midnight.

The Doomsday Clock serves as a visual representation of impending "civilization-threatening technological catastrophe." The clock's time changes every year after the board analyzes threats such as climate change and nuclear arsenals.

"I can't tell you what happens in the room, but I can tell you it's a spirited and extremely deep discussion," John Mecklin, editor in chief of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, told the Los Angeles Times.

Midnight represents doom, so the closer to midnight the clock is, the closer doom is reported to be.

"Technological changes are outpacing humanity's ability to manage them in ways that ensure our safety and security," the board wrote in a letter to the United Nations. "... we also know that new technologies can be used to diminish humanity and destroy societies. We can manage our technology, or become victims of it. The choice is ours, and the Clock is ticking."

According to the letter, the biggest threat is in the United States' and Russia's nuclear weapons stock as well as China, India and Pakistan's growing arsenals.

"People don't actually understand," Mecklin said. "The nuclear weapons situation is remarkably dangerous."

So how accurate is this clock in predicting our doom? According to some, the Doomsday Clock, which was invented in 1947 during the Cold War, is now out of date.

"The threat of global nuclear annihilation, the reason for the creation of the Doomsday Clock, isn't what it used to be on the public consciousness," Discovery News' Talal Al-Khatib wrote. "When the clock debuted in 1947, it resonated with audiences who believed a spark that would lead to nuclear apocalypse could be right around the corner."

The Doomsday Clock did not advance from last year's matching time of 11:55. The clock approached its closest to midnight in 1953 with a time of 11:58.

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