Air defenses are alarmed by a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that drifted over the mainland US and was eventually shot down off the coast of South Carolina. Although claimed to be a weather balloon questions are raised over the possibility of future incursions. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists set a new record for the Doomsday Clock at 90 seconds to midnight. Factors leading to this decision include the escalating Russo-Ukrainian war, worsening climate crises, and biothreats such as Covid-19 and the avian flu infecting multiple mammal species.