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The National Research Council (NRC) functions under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and the Institute of Medicine (IOM). The NAS, NAE, IOM, and NRC are part of a private, nonprofit institution that provides science, technology and health policy advice under a congressional charter signed by President Abraham Lincoln that was originally granted to the NAS in 1863. Under this charter, the NRC was established in 1916, the NAE in 1964, and the IOM in 1970. The four organizations are collectively referred to as the National Academies. The mission of the NRC is to improve government decision making and public policy, increase public education and understanding, and promote the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge in matters involving science, engineering, technology, and health. The institution takes this charge seriously and works to inform policies and actions that have the power to improve the lives of people in the U.S. and around the world.
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists -- The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists informs the public about threats
to the survival and development of humanity from nuclear weapons,
climate change, and emerging technologies in the life sciences. Through
an award-winning magazine, our online presence, and the Doomsday Clock,
we reach policy leaders and audiences around the world with information
and analysis about efforts to address the dangers and prevent
catastrophe. With fellowships for students and awards to young
journalists, we help educate the next generation.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was established in 1945 by
scientists, engineers, and other experts who had created the atomic
bomb as part of the Manhattan Project. They knew about the horrible
effects of these new weapons and devoted themselves to warning the
public about the consequences of using them. Those early scientists
also worried about military secrecy, fearing that leaders might draw
their countries into increasingly dangerous nuclear confrontations
without the full consent of their citizens.
n 1947, the Bulletin first displayed the Clock on its magazine cover to
convey, through a simple design, the perils posed by nuclear weapons.
The Clock evokes both the imagery of apocalypse (midnight) and the
contemporary idiom of nuclear explosion (countdown to zero). In 1949,
the Clock hand first moved to signal our assessment of world events and
trends. The decision to move the minute hand is made by the Bulletin's
Board of Directors in consultation with its Board of Sponsors, which
includes 18 Nobel Laureates. The Clock has become a universally
recognized indicator of the world's vulnerability to catastrophe from
nuclear weapons, climate change, and emerging technologies in the life
sciences.