Bulltin of the Atomic Scientists, October 20, 2025
Posted: 21st October 2025
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October 20, 2025
Former Daegu Mayor and presidential candidate Hong Joon-pyo has described the recent arrests and detentions of Korean workers in Georgia as an “intentional provocation” by the United States, calling for South Korea to consider its own nuclear weapons program. (Photo source: Trainholic via Wikimedia Commons, modified)
Washington’s neglect of South Korea’s security concerns is a proliferation problem
By Jack Kennedy
To deflate Seoul’s nuclear ambitions, Washington needs to make its commitment to South Korean security credible and demonstrate that it sees its ally as an equal partner, writes the Bulletin’s nuclear risk editorial fellow. Read more.
Will the Trump administration attempt to annex Greenland, Canada, or somewhere else? A prominent historian’s take
By Dan Drollette Jr
How seriously should the world take the Trump administration’s threats to annex the lands of other countries? Daniel Immerwahr, the author of How to Hide an Empire, says that while a land grab may seem an arbitrary and fanciful notion, it reflects a deeper and darker desire: the dismantling of the post-war international order and its norms. This Bulletin magazine article is available to all readers for a limited time.
How AI is fueling surveillance capitalism and undermining democracy
Video by Erik English
“It sounds Kafkaesque because it is Kafkaesque.” In case you missed it: Brown University professor Suresh Venkatasubramanian explains why once you start collecting data, “you’re almost never going to stop.” Watch the video here.
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President Trump’s radical attack on radiation safety
By Daniel Hirsch, Haakon Williams, Cameron Kuta
In May, President Trump issued a series of executive orders that require the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to consider dramatically weakening its radiation protection standard. If federal radiation limits are gutted, the new standard could allow four out of five people exposed over a 70-year lifetime to develop a cancer they would not otherwise get. Read more.
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Your Data and Your Truth in the AI Era
Viral content from unknown sources and weaponized narratives raise a troubling question: are you seeing what you want to see, or what others want you to see?
Join the Bulletin for a virtual discussion on the future of truth and AI with security and technology experts on Wednesday, October 22, 2025 at 12:45 ET / 11:45 CT. Register to attend here.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Pakistanis last year used 35% less diesel than they did the year before. Now the same thing is happening in the last six months across large parts of Africa. Pretty much any place where there’s really deep established trade relations with China [...] You’ve heard of petro states, the Chinese are the first electro state in the world.”
— Bill McKibben, environmentalist and author, “How a Climate Doomsayer Became an Unexpected Optimist,” Mother Jones
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