Fox did this hokey article on five ways the world could end. They had some neat pics and stuff. However, it struck me as woefully inadequate as some of my favorites didn’t make the list. So, I thought I’d one-up them. I wanted to make it a poll, but my freebie services wouldn’t allow for more than ten answers. Without further ado, my list of ways life as we know it may end.
A mutant virus, either man-made or natural, will kill off all human life.
A gamma ray burst from a distant star will zap the Earth, killing all life instantly. No warning there.
An advanced alien life form will decide we’re not fit to live, and make it so.
A mutually assured destruction where man kills himself off.
We create super-computers and machines that render man obsolete.
A once inferior species on Earth decides they are tired of being inferior and move up a notch or two on the food chain.
According to some, since the Mayan calendar ends 12/21/2012, time as we know it ends. There have been differing interpretations on what happens after that time ends, but one scenario would basically assure mankind ceases to exist.
God decides it’s time to go.
Man heats up the planet by destroying the environment and polluting the atmosphere to the point where the Earth is completely uninhabitable.
The Milky Way collides with Andromeda creating forces that rip the Earth from its orbit around the sun.
The sun expands, blasting away Earth’s atmosphere and making it kinda hot.
A comet either strikes the Earth or its remnants saturate the atmosphere making it way too cold to live.
A huge black hole sucks the solar system in, ripping our atoms apart to the point where nothing that we know exists any more.
A series of super-volcanoes erupt simultaneously spewing ash into the atmosphere which induces a super-freeze that destroys the world’s food supply.
Of course, the ever popular asteroid/meteor strike.
That’s just a few I could think of off the top of my head. I’m sure there are others. If you can think of some, leave me a comment and we’ll ponder it.
1/9/2009 Update:
No sooner than I post this silly thing, Foxnews lets us know there’s another scenario I hadn’t thought of:
A new study from the National Academy of Sciences outlines grim possibilities on Earth for a worst-case scenario solar storm.Damage to power grids and other communications systems could be catastrophic, the scientists conclude, with effects leading to a potential loss of governmental control of the situation.
The prediction is based in part on major solar storm in 1859 caused telegraph wires to short out in the United States and Europe, igniting widespread fires.
Now, this is not a complete end of life as we know it scenario, but it’s still pretty out there as far as damage to civilization. This report was based on a solar storm that knocked out communications in 1859. Now, that one was a bugger that is not necessarily expected to be repeated any time soon. However, I think a few of us here can remember 1989 when a solar flare knocked out communications to Quebec and parts of the US. Then of course there was 2003 when a series of flares killed two satellites and damaged a Mars orbiter. Those weren’t considered bad storms, they were just bigger than normal. So, imagine if you will, another bad one. Imagine no cell phones. No internet for the most part. Most likely no satellite tv. No GPS. Possibly no electricity ( mine would probably be OK because it’s locally generated by low-tech coal ). They go even further but I can’t see how it would affect things like sewage systems etc.. I’m septic so it’s not an issue. This could be a real mess.
However, this is not even remotely an end-of-life scenario. So, it probably merited its own post. However, the timing was just too coincidental for me.
I also think it’s curious we’re installing a new president in a few days and Fox has now run two major articles on the end of the world as we know it. Another coincidence?
