Buzz
Throughout history, people have been intrigued by the prospect of Earth's eventual demise. From the Biblical tale of Noah's Ark to the devastation brought by natural disasters, the end of humanity has long been a subject of fascination. Following World War II, the threat of nuclear extinction gave rise to a wealth of fiction exploring what the world might look like if nuclear weapons were unleashed. In more recent years, concerns about environmental collapse have taken center stage. But among the countless fictional depictions of the 'End of Days,' which ones might truly be possible?
10. Hypercane: Innocent Venus
In the Japanese anime series 'Innocent Venus,' the world is devastated by a series of catastrophic hypercane storms. These colossal hurricanes claim the lives of five billion people, leaving once-thriving economies and governments in utter ruin.
Incredibly, hyper hurricanes could theoretically occur. Discovered by an MIT professor, these storms were coined 'hypercanes.' A hypercane would reach 64 kilometers (40 miles) in height and have wind speeds exceeding 965 kilometers per hour (600 mph). To put this in perspective, it would be eight times larger than the most massive hurricane ever recorded on Earth, and its wind speeds would be double what humans have ever encountered. Its destructive power would obliterate everything in its path.
A hypercane could form if a vast section of the ocean—about 65 to 80 kilometers (40 to 50 miles)—became heated to a scorching 48.8 degrees Celsius (120 °F). The issue is that it wouldn’t be a single hypercane. Several would appear until the conditions dissipated. Though they might only devastate coastal cities, the real problem lies in the fact that these hypercanes would reach into the stratosphere, bringing water vapor into the ozone layer. This would lead to the destruction of the entire ozone layer within a week. Any survivors would have to live underground, hoping the ozone layer could eventually regenerate.
9. The Dying Sun: Sunshine
In the year 2057, the Sun is dying. A phenomenon called 'Q-balls' has entered the Sun, slowly eating away at its core. Physicist Brian Cox, who served as the scientific advisor for the movie 'Sunshine,' stated that these Q-balls are theoretically real. While it’s unlikely that they could destroy the Sun from within, this example highlights how much we still don't understand about the Universe. The Sun is expected to last another five to seven billion years, but who can say what tomorrow will bring?
Should the Sun gradually fade, it would exacerbate the issue of global dimming, a phenomenon already taking place. Currently, Earth is receiving less sunlight, with a reduction of about 1-2 percent globally each decade between 1950 and 1990. This is largely due to pollution in the atmosphere, which reflects sunlight away from our planet.
With less sunlight reaching Earth, the northern hemisphere would cool down. This cooling would slow evaporation, leading to less rainfall, which could result in droughts and famines. This is believed to have contributed to the devastating droughts that claimed thousands of lives in sub-Saharan Africa during the 1970s and 1980s.
Ironically, the pollution in the atmosphere could lead to rising temperatures on Earth despite reduced sunlight. This would continue for some time before the temperature began to drop sharply, eventually ushering in a new ice age.
If the Sun were to cease functioning entirely, it would take some time for it to cool down, but within a week, the average temperature on Earth would plummet to –17 degrees Celsius (0 °F). After a year, it would drop to a bone-chilling –73 degrees Celsius (–100 °F). The oceans would freeze on the surface. To survive, humans would need to live in submarines beneath the frozen oceans or move to Iceland, where 84 percent of the country’s energy comes from geothermal power.
8. Global Firestorm: These Final Hours
In this Australian film, a meteor strikes Earth in the North Atlantic. A massive firestorm sweeps across the planet, consuming everything in its path. As the firestorm draws closer to the southern hemisphere, the people there embrace their final moments, knowing they have only 12 hours left to live as the fiery wave approaches.
Meteors hitting Earth have long been a popular theme in end-of-the-world films. However, what makes *These Final Hours* unique is the unstoppable wall of fire that engulfs the planet. Could something like this really happen? One research team thinks it already did.
When it comes to the extinction of the dinosaurs, most scientists agree it was caused by a comet or asteroid that collided with Earth in what is now Mexico, forming the Chicxulub Crater, which spans about 180 kilometers (112 miles). However, there is ongoing debate about the specific effects the impact had on the planet, which led to the mass extinction event.
A team from the University of Colorado–Boulder conducted an experiment and concluded that after the comet or asteroid struck, it may have created a massive wall of fire that incinerated the Earth. According to their findings, the impact would have sent rock particles above the atmosphere, where they would have condensed into grains of sand before reentering the atmosphere. These particles would have been incredibly hot, heating the atmosphere to 1,500 degrees Celsius (2,700 °F).
The explosion would have been equivalent to a one-megaton bomb detonating every 6 kilometers (4 miles). The firestorm would move in a rolling wave, incinerating everything in its path. The main difference between a real global firestorm and the one shown in the film is that the actual event would take far less than 12 hours to unfold.
Is an asteroid on a collision course with Earth? A kilometer-sized asteroid, 1950 DA, could potentially strike the planet. The impact would release 44,800 megatons of TNT worth of energy. The good news is that this asteroid is not expected to hit Earth until March 16, 2880, and even then, the odds of a collision are only 1 in 4,000.
7. Worldwide Flooding: *Flood*
In Stephen Baxter's 2008 novel *Flood*, the world is gradually submerged under water. Initially, people assume the flooding is due to climate change. However, as the waters rise at an alarming rate, they realize something else must be responsible for the flood. It is eventually discovered that seismic shifts on the ocean floor opened vast reservoirs, unleashing enough water to cover even Mount Everest by 2052.
Some biblical readers believe a massive flood that covered the entire Earth has already occurred. While there is evidence that the Black Sea's levels rose around 9,400 years ago, there is no proof that the Earth was fully flooded. Furthermore, even if all the ice caps melted, it wouldn't result in a global flood like the one depicted in *Waterworld*.
However, similar to the scenario in *Flood*, there are actual water reservoirs beneath the Earth's surface, located about 650 kilometers (400 miles) deep, between the upper and lower mantle, in an area known as the transition zone. The water is trapped in a mineral called ringwoodite.
According to their research, scientists believe that the amount of water trapped underground could be enough to fill the world's oceans three times over. Could this water eventually reach the surface? Interestingly, one theory suggests that this is where Earth's water originally came from. It is thought that seismic activity allowed the water to escape, eventually filling the oceans. If it happened once, there's a chance it could happen again.
6. Brain Wave Disruption: *Cell*
In Stephen King’s 2006 novel *Cell*, every cell phone in the world rings at the same time. When people pick up the phone, it disrupts their brain waves, transforming them into violent zombies. Within minutes, chaos erupts, and the survivors are attacked. The people who answered their phones become part of a zombie horde, seemingly controlled by an unknown master.
So, could the waves emitted by a cell phone actually affect our brain waves? Some researchers believe they already do. Studies have shown that certain phone signals, when at the correct frequency, can influence behavior. For instance, they found that having a phone near your head while it was turned on could make it harder to fall asleep without the person's knowledge. Although the effects seem minor, scientists are just beginning to understand how cell phones might impact the brain.
If a phone’s signal were able to target the right frequency to affect the brain’s limbic system, we could have a serious issue. The limbic system controls emotions and adrenaline. If the frequency increased aggression and adrenaline, anyone with a cell phone could potentially become homicidal.
5. Microorganism Invasion: *The Andromeda Strain*
Michael Crichton’s 1969 novel was adapted into a film in 1971 and later into a miniseries in 2008. The plot centers around a satellite crashing near a small Arizona town. Once the satellite touches Earth, it releases a microorganism that spreads rapidly, causing deadly blood clotting or insanity. A team of experts is dispatched to contain the outbreak and prevent it from spreading further.
So, could Earth face the threat of infection from a microorganism or virus from outer space? The good news is that there is currently no evidence of bacterial or viral pathogens existing anywhere other than Earth. However, the absence of proof doesn’t eliminate the possibility, and it remains a legitimate concern for experts exploring space.
One major challenge is that, as humans evolved, we built defenses against diseases originating on Earth. A completely foreign virus, even one that is relatively weak, could be catastrophic for humanity. How bad could it get? Well, a group of astronomers from Cardiff University suggests that Earthlings might already have fallen victim to sickness caused by *comet dust*. They believe that one of the most deadly outbreaks in history, the Spanish flu of 1918, which killed over 20 million people, could have been triggered by dust particles from a comet.
4. Global Famine: *Interstellar*
In Christopher Nolan’s 2014 sci-fi masterpiece, the world faces a catastrophic food shortage, and dust storms ravage the Earth. With no new hospitable planet found in time, humanity faces starvation. While this may sound like a nightmare, could such a fate truly be possible?
One thing most people are aware of is that dust storms are very real events that can cause major damage to crops. One of the most infamous dust storms, known as the Dust Bowl, occurred during the 1930s in the Canadian and American prairies, leaving ruined crops and widespread droughts. But could such a phenomenon happen on a global scale?
Unfortunately, large dust bowls are already occurring in regions like China and northern Africa, where millions of acres are being devastated annually by dust storms caused by overgrazing. Overgrazing happens when animals repeatedly graze the same areas, crushing the soil and leading to erosion.
The real issue is that, as the global population grows, the demand for food increases. Without significant changes to how we manage food sources, overgrazing will continue to worsen. Compounding this is the fact that we will keep exhausting the soil's nutrients. If these trends persist, the dust storms will intensify, spreading across the globe and further diminishing food supplies. Let’s hope we don’t need to count on Matthew McConaughey to save us after all.
3. Electromagnetic Pulse: *Revolution*
In the 2012 television series, spanning two seasons, a catastrophic event occurs: all electronics worldwide suddenly stop working. Every device shuts down and never restarts. This causes the collapse of societies and governments, effectively plunging humanity back into the 19th century. What’s particularly frightening about this scenario is that it’s a very real concern among governments around the world.
There are two primary ways in which electronics could be wiped out. The first method is through an attack using an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). This could occur if a nuclear weapon is detonated at a high altitude above Earth. It doesn’t even require a large warhead; the missile carrying it only needs to reach a specific altitude. The resulting EMP could devastate entire electrical grids in countries like the US. Smaller, rogue nations such as North Korea are believed to have the ability to use this type of attack to cripple major world powers.
The second possibility is a natural event, such as a solar storm. These occur during periods of heightened solar activity, and if a solar flare or coronal mass ejection (CME) were to strike Earth, it could have similar effects to an EMP. Large sections of the world could lose power for extended periods—potentially months or even years. This has happened before, such as during the Carrington Event of 1857, which disrupted telegraph communications. Another close call occurred in 2012, when a CME narrowly missed Earth. There is a 12 percent chance of a CME hitting Earth before 2024.
Given our heavy reliance on the electrical grid, the consequences of such an event would be catastrophic, particularly in urban areas. Virtually every facet of modern life would be disrupted, including banking, communication, and the availability of essential services like food and water. One of the most critical issues would be the loss of refrigeration, a service we’ve become deeply dependent on for storing food and medicines.
The threat is so significant that the U.S. government created The Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse Attack. This commission issued reports in 2004 and 2008, warning that up to 90 percent of Americans could perish from disease, starvation, and the collapse of society in the aftermath of such an event.
2. Man-Made Virus – 12 Monkeys
In the movie *12 Monkeys*, a laboratory-engineered virus devastates much of humanity, forcing the survivors to take refuge underground. Fortunately, they have developed time travel technology, and they send James Cole back in time to gather information on both the virus and a mysterious group known as the 12 Monkeys.
Disease, as seen in *12 Monkeys*, is an effective way to wipe out a large portion of the population. While no current diseases are as deadly or contagious as the virus depicted in the film—not even Ebola—what if such a virus were to be intentionally created, as in the movie? Unfortunately, the reality is that scientists have already done something similar.
For instance, a research team at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands, genetically modified the H1N1 virus to become more contagious to ferrets, whose response to the flu closely mirrors that of humans. Not only can humans transmit the flu to ferrets, but the reverse is also true. What’s particularly alarming is that after 10 generations of infected ferrets, the virus became airborne. Healthy ferrets kept near infected ones would catch the disease without direct contact.
Experts have stated that altering H1N1 is one of the most perilous undertakings. Although H1N1 doesn’t easily spread between humans, when it does, it’s often fatal. Making it airborne would transform it into an extraordinarily dangerous and contagious pathogen. If such a virus were released or fell into the wrong hands, it could trigger a pandemic capable of killing millions.
The research sparked such controversy that both the U.S. and Dutch governments initially tried to block the publication of certain details regarding the study.
1. Rage Virus – 28 Days Later
In Danny Boyle’s take on the zombie genre, a virus spreads quickly from person to person, transforming its victims into violent, savage beings. The virus is transmitted through bites or the exchange of bodily fluids between living humans. This differs drastically from George A. Romero’s reanimated corpses, which are biologically impossible.
A virus could potentially turn humans into homicidal maniacs, such as a mutated version of rabies. Normally, rabies symptoms don’t surface until anywhere from 10 days to a year after infection. However, if it were to mutate and cause symptoms to emerge more rapidly, the consequences would be far worse. Viruses tend to evolve and adapt in order to survive.
The real danger would come if rabies were to mutate in combination with another virus, like the flu. Fortunately, rabies and the flu are entirely different viruses and would not naturally merge. But in 28 Days Later, the virus was artificially created in an underground lab, not occurring in nature.
Though it’s unlikely and incredibly difficult, it remains a theoretical possibility. According to Samita Andreansky, a virologist at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, one could combine the flu with rabies to make it more contagious, introduce elements from the measles virus to alter the infected person’s behavior, and add encephalitis to induce fever, increasing aggression. The resulting virus would be a terrifying, highly contagious pathogen that could turn people into homicidal maniacs.
