Do you know when this world is going to end? December 12, 2012.. It is called the dooms day because it is believed by many that world is going to end on that day..Is it true? I don't know if it is true or not but here is a list of possible reasons why people believe in dooms day..
Human
Flu Pandemic - it might not be swine flu, but flu researchers say a deadly pandemic is not a case of if, but when.
Nuclear War / WW3 / Biological War - although the Cold War is over, and less bunkers are being built, the threat is still very real.
Large Hadron Collider - scientists tinkering with something they think they understand the risks of, but what if there's a 0.000001% chance their black hole calculations are wrong? Is it worth the risk?
Nanotechnology - while this might have health concerns when used in everyday products (i.e sunscreen), the doomsday risk is when self-replicating little thingies are developed. Search for "grey goo".
Religious Apocalypse - or rapture, or "judgement day". Most religions predict such a day, but atheists have nothing to worry about.
Nuclear Accident - nothing is foolproof. We've had such accidents in the past, and a bigger accident is totally possible.
Rise of the Machines - somewhere between Terminator and I Robot is an easy prediction: robots one day will have the capacity to rule the world. Are we stupid enough to allow it to happen?
Genetic Modification - we blindly take vaccinations, and we might be sheep when it comes to "gene therapy" as well. Our desire to live longer might just be our undoing.
From Space
Nearby Supernova - experts say that no supernova candidates are close enough to harm us. But how many supernovas have they observed?
Explosion from the black hole at the center of our galaxy - read about how something similar could have caused the recent tsunami
Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) - a 2004 study told us that a GRB from a distance of just one kiloparsec could destroy half of Earth's ozone layer.
Asteroid/Meteor/Comet - ancient, advanced civilisations have one distinct advantage over us - they may have observed the skies for longer, and may have spotted an orbit that will culminate in a collision with Earth in 2012.
Coronal Mass Ejection (CRE) from our Sun - typically expected to merely cause power blackouts and wreck satellites. But do we really know how big they can get?
Cosmic Rays - Either an increase striking our atmosphere, or a weakening of our shields. Either way, more cosmic rays would be silent killers.
Solar System Falls Apart (butterfly effect) - to the best of our knowledge, everything is OK for a long, long time. But throw a stray comet or Planet X into the mix, and our solar system could turn into a catastrophic pinball machine.
Alien Invasion - no evidence, but plenty or believers!
From Earth
Magnetic Pole Shift - this is something that scientists state has happened before. They suggest it takes thousands of years and does no harm. They are wrong - it could just as easily happen overnight. No mechanism is known for the cause of the magnetic poles swapping places.
Crustal Displacement - a physical pole shift.
Supervolcano -these are real, they have caused great catastrophes in the past, and we have no idea when the next eruption will be. Some believe Yellowstone has been exhibiting signs of unrest.
Ice Age - right now the buzz is about "global warming", yet a mere thirty years ago we were worried about an impending Ice Age.
Global Warming - it will only take an increase of a couple of degrees to make life very difficult for most human.
Now another interesting theory is Mayan's theory..
Maya Indians, a people living in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador, whose highly developed civilization reached its peak in the seventh and eighth centuries. At that time, a number of Maya cities were home to tens of thousands of people. The Mayas reverted to a primitive state of existence after their civilization, which had long been in decline, was destroyed by Spanish conquistadores in the 16th century.
They created the Long Count Calendar, a time measurement system that had spiritual significance to their culture. They organized their calendar into several cycles, the last of which will end in December 2012. Some people think the Mayans had discovered that after 2012, the world would end.
Quite unnerving number of reasons.. Half of it seem ridiculous.. But yes they are possible.. Does it really matter if the world ends so soon.. For me it doesn't.. Life time is not predictable.. Death is unavoidable.. It is difficult to let go off relations.. But it is happier at the same time.. "The last enemy that shall be conquered is Death".. My favorite words of Dumbledore. It doesn't mean becoming immortal.. It means living after death in the form of memories in people who love us..
Human
Flu Pandemic - it might not be swine flu, but flu researchers say a deadly pandemic is not a case of if, but when.
Nuclear War / WW3 / Biological War - although the Cold War is over, and less bunkers are being built, the threat is still very real.
Large Hadron Collider - scientists tinkering with something they think they understand the risks of, but what if there's a 0.000001% chance their black hole calculations are wrong? Is it worth the risk?
Nanotechnology - while this might have health concerns when used in everyday products (i.e sunscreen), the doomsday risk is when self-replicating little thingies are developed. Search for "grey goo".
Religious Apocalypse - or rapture, or "judgement day". Most religions predict such a day, but atheists have nothing to worry about.
Nuclear Accident - nothing is foolproof. We've had such accidents in the past, and a bigger accident is totally possible.
Rise of the Machines - somewhere between Terminator and I Robot is an easy prediction: robots one day will have the capacity to rule the world. Are we stupid enough to allow it to happen?
Genetic Modification - we blindly take vaccinations, and we might be sheep when it comes to "gene therapy" as well. Our desire to live longer might just be our undoing.
From Space
Nearby Supernova - experts say that no supernova candidates are close enough to harm us. But how many supernovas have they observed?
Explosion from the black hole at the center of our galaxy - read about how something similar could have caused the recent tsunami
Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) - a 2004 study told us that a GRB from a distance of just one kiloparsec could destroy half of Earth's ozone layer.
Asteroid/Meteor/Comet - ancient, advanced civilisations have one distinct advantage over us - they may have observed the skies for longer, and may have spotted an orbit that will culminate in a collision with Earth in 2012.
Coronal Mass Ejection (CRE) from our Sun - typically expected to merely cause power blackouts and wreck satellites. But do we really know how big they can get?
Cosmic Rays - Either an increase striking our atmosphere, or a weakening of our shields. Either way, more cosmic rays would be silent killers.
Solar System Falls Apart (butterfly effect) - to the best of our knowledge, everything is OK for a long, long time. But throw a stray comet or Planet X into the mix, and our solar system could turn into a catastrophic pinball machine.
Alien Invasion - no evidence, but plenty or believers!
From Earth
Magnetic Pole Shift - this is something that scientists state has happened before. They suggest it takes thousands of years and does no harm. They are wrong - it could just as easily happen overnight. No mechanism is known for the cause of the magnetic poles swapping places.
Crustal Displacement - a physical pole shift.
Supervolcano -these are real, they have caused great catastrophes in the past, and we have no idea when the next eruption will be. Some believe Yellowstone has been exhibiting signs of unrest.
Ice Age - right now the buzz is about "global warming", yet a mere thirty years ago we were worried about an impending Ice Age.
Global Warming - it will only take an increase of a couple of degrees to make life very difficult for most human.
Now another interesting theory is Mayan's theory..
Maya Indians, a people living in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador, whose highly developed civilization reached its peak in the seventh and eighth centuries. At that time, a number of Maya cities were home to tens of thousands of people. The Mayas reverted to a primitive state of existence after their civilization, which had long been in decline, was destroyed by Spanish conquistadores in the 16th century.
They created the Long Count Calendar, a time measurement system that had spiritual significance to their culture. They organized their calendar into several cycles, the last of which will end in December 2012. Some people think the Mayans had discovered that after 2012, the world would end.
Quite unnerving number of reasons.. Half of it seem ridiculous.. But yes they are possible.. Does it really matter if the world ends so soon.. For me it doesn't.. Life time is not predictable.. Death is unavoidable.. It is difficult to let go off relations.. But it is happier at the same time.. "The last enemy that shall be conquered is Death".. My favorite words of Dumbledore. It doesn't mean becoming immortal.. It means living after death in the form of memories in people who love us..