Nuclear obliteration was judged to be less of a risk than destruction of the environment

Overpopulation and destruction of the environment are the two greatest existential threats facing mankind, according to Nobel prize-winning scientists.

Nuclear war, misinformation, drug-resistant diseases, artificial intelligence and Facebook were among the other phenomena regarded by 50 laureates as the most serious risks. More than a third cited the strain placed on the planet by our growing numbers.

Sir Richard Roberts, who shared the 1993 prize in medicine for discovering that genes could be cut and pasted, said using genetically modified plants and animals to feed the world should take priority. “To tell people that they cannot eat or grow a food type which might stop them from starving is plain disgusting,” he told Times Higher Education, which carried out the survey with the Lindau