INTERVIEW: How humanity could be destroyed in an afternoon

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Tilman Ruff has spent decades campaigning for nuclear disarmament, and right now he's worried. With Donald Trump announcing the US will re-start nuclear testing and Russia saying it’ll follow suit, a lot of experts are seeing signs that humanity is dangerously close to a nuclear Armageddon. So does Professor Ruff agree? And what would all-out nuclear war actually look like? In this longer interview cut for the hack podcast, Tilman Ruff answers these and more questions, sketching out how a nuclear war could start, how fast things might spiral out of control, and whether there’s still time for us to step back from the brink. Guests: Dr Tilman Ruff, Nobel laureate and Co-President, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War Get the whole story from hack: Follow us on Instagram and TikTok Subscribe to the hack podcast Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live every weeknight at 5:30pm Credits Dave Marchese, Presenter

An episode of the Hack podcast, hosted by Australian Broadcasting Corporation, titled "INTERVIEW: How humanity could be destroyed in an afternoon" was published on November 12, 2025 and runs 25 minutes.

November 12, 2025 ·25m · Hack

Summary

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Tilman Ruff has spent decades campaigning for nuclear disarmament, and right now he's worried. With Donald Trump announcing the US will re-start nuclear testing and Russia saying it’ll follow suit, a lot of experts are seeing signs that humanity is dangerously close to a nuclear Armageddon. So does Professor Ruff agree? And what would all-out nuclear war actually look like? In this longer interview cut for the hack podcast, Tilman Ruff answers these and more questions, sketching out how a nuclear war could start, how fast things might spiral out of control, and whether there’s still time for us to step back from the brink. Guests: Dr Tilman Ruff, Nobel laureate and Co-President, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War Get the whole story from hack: Follow us on Instagram and TikTok Subscribe to the hack podcast Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live every weeknight at 5:30pm Credits Dave Marchese, Presenter

Episode Description