World Reaches Longest Period Without Nuclear Test

As of Jan. 14 the world has passed the longest continuous period without a nuclear explosion — eight years, four months and 21 days since North Korea’s Sept. 3, 2017 test, surpassing the prior 1998–2006 gap. One hundred seventy-eight countries have ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and atmospheric testing largely ended after 1963, but treaty erosion and geopolitical shifts raise concerns about renewed testing.