Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Cover of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists with the famous Doomsday Clock set at seven minutes to midnight . The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is a nontechnical magazine that covers global security and public policy issues , especially related to the dangers posed by nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction . It has been published continuously since 1945 , when it was founded by former Manhattan Project physicists after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists of Chicago . The Bulletin ' s primary aim is to inform the public about nuclear policy debates while advocating for the international control of nuclear energy . In 1949 , the Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science incorporated as a not-for-profit 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) organization to serve as the parent organization and fundraising mechanism of the Bulletin . In 2003 , the Board of Directors voted to officially change the foundation 's name to Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists . To convey the particular peril posed by nuclear weapons , the Bulletin devised the Doomsday Clock in 1947 . The original setting was seven minutes to midnight . The minute hand of the Clock first moved closer to midnight in response to changing world events in 1949 , following the first Soviet nuclear test . The Clock is now recognized as a universal symbol of the nuclear age . In the 1950s , the Bulletin was involved in the formation of Pugwash , an annual conference of scientists concerned about nuclear proliferation , and , more broadly , the role of science in modern society . Contributors to the journal have included Dean Acheson , Herbert Aptheker , Raymond Aron , Isaac Asimov , Clement Attlee , Hans Bethe , Zbigniew Brzezinski , Vannevar Bush , Arthur C. Clarke , Freeman J. Dyson , Albert Einstein , Daniel Ellsberg , Albert Furtwangler , Clifford Geertz , Al Gore , Aldous Huxley , J. Robert Oppenheimer , Linus Pauling , Bertrand Russell , Carl Sagan , Joseph D. Schleimer , Leó Szilárd , Edward Teller , and Werner von Braun , among many others . Recent contributors have included Lorna Arnold , David Brin , Roberta Cohen , Alan Cranston , Bruce Cumings , Pervez Hoodbhoy , William D. Hartung , Chalmers Johnson , Michael T. Klare , Richard Lugar , Chris C. Mooney , Joseph Rotblat , and Jessica Stern . The Bulletin sponsors the Leonard M. Rieser Fellowship in Science , Technology , and Global Security , which provides one-time awards of $ 2 , 500- $ 5 , 000 to undergraduate students seeking to explore the connections between science , technology , global security , and public policy . The current Executive Director and Editor of The Bulletin are Kennette Benedict and Mark Strauss respectively . The records of the Bulletin are kept at the Special Collections Research Center of the University of Chicago Library . See also University of Chicago Franck Report Eugene Rabinowitch Kennette Benedict External links Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists ( online edition ) Doomsday Clock University of Chicago Library Special Collections - Exhibit commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the world 's first controlled , self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction . Categories : Political magazines | Physics journals | Intelligence websites | Nuclear weapons policy 