Buzz
Following the release of the 2012 film, a massive global buzz has emerged. The buzz suggests that the world is set to end on December 21, 2012. This date marks the conclusion of the Mayan Long Count Calendar, leading some theorists to predict catastrophic events signaling the apocalypse. With these theories circulating, I decided to compile a list of Outlandish End-of-World Scenarios. These are all plausible events that could lead to the end, expanding upon the previously published list of Mass Extinctions that would Really Suck.
10. The Imminent Threat of Planet X
This theory began with an archaeological discovery. A mysterious clay tablet, dating back to ancient times, was unearthed in the Middle East. It was crafted by the Sumerians, the earliest known inhabitants of the region. The tablet depicted a scene resembling our solar system, with all the planets orbiting the sun. However, there were 11 celestial bodies, not 9 as we know them today. Could one of them have been the moon, or perhaps the newly discovered mini-planet Sedna? The 11th body remained a mystery. Simultaneously, astronomers observed an unusual force in the outer solar system, which seemed to be pulling the outer planets out of their usual orbits. Something massive must be influencing them. These discoveries led to the theory of the elusive Planet X.
Planet X is believed to be hundreds of times the size of Earth, with an enormous orbit taking around 3,600 years to complete. As it passes through the inner solar system, it could trigger catastrophic events on our planet. Its immense size could reverse the Earth's poles, slow down its rotation, or even bring it to a halt. If Planet X draws too close, it might even strip the Earth’s crust away or push us into the sun. All these scenarios spell disaster for our planet.
9. Runaway Greenhouse Effect
This is one impending crisis we are heading straight into. In the coming decades, our planet’s climate could go haywire. Temperatures may soar, melting the ice caps and turning Earth's climate into something more akin to Venus'. We’ve all heard about global warming, and for years, headlines have warned us about it. The Runaway Greenhouse Effect is what happens if we push past the point of no return. As the temperatures climb, water evaporates, thickening the atmosphere, trapping more heat, which leads to even more water vapor, starting a vicious cycle. This is exactly what’s happening on Venus, where the thick atmosphere keeps heat from escaping, causing it to become unbearably hot. Once this process starts, there will be no stopping it—just as it won’t be stopped here on Earth.
This tipping point could occur as early as 2015. The polar ice caps hold trillions of tons of CO2 trapped in ancient air bubbles. If this is released, it could literally rupture the atmosphere. This would lead to an initial rapid rise in temperature, sparking the water vapor cycle. We could be heading toward a world where materials like tin and lead melt in our atmosphere. Once the water vapor traps all the heat, the planet would become too hot to support 99% of life, and there would be nothing humans could do to halt the process.
8. The Fine-Tuning of the Universe
Is the reality we experience truly real? Could it be that, like the film 'The Matrix,' we are merely part of a simulation? Maybe we're being controlled by an advanced alien species, observed through a screen or manipulated by a computer. A compelling piece of evidence for this theory is the Fine-Tuning of the Universe. The universe's incredible precision in supporting life appears to be a tremendous cosmic coincidence. And I don't just mean life in the biological sense, but all existence—stars, black holes, galaxies, even atoms and particles. It all seems remarkably calibrated.
British cosmologist Fred Hoyle was the first to recognize the significance of this ‘coincidence.’ He pointed out a curious fact about the fundamental constants (atomic masses, the speed of light, and others)—if any of them were even slightly different, nothing could exist. Take the strong force in atomic nuclei, for example. If this force were even a bit stronger, it would cause stars to burn out so rapidly that they would explode mere seconds after forming. Without this, we wouldn't have a sun—or even a planet. Conversely, if the force were slightly weaker, it wouldn't be strong enough to keep together elements like deuterium, a heavy hydrogen isotope. Without this, stars wouldn’t ignite, and life as we know it wouldn't exist either. The same holds true for all other constants. A minor variation in any of them, and the entire system collapses. So, the real question is, why are these constants so perfectly calibrated to sustain the universe? [Image Copyright: David Asch]
7. The Infertility Crisis
As you're likely aware, many men and women struggle with infertility. But what you might not know is that the number of people unable to conceive is growing rapidly. So rapidly, in fact, that scientists warn it could become a serious issue for the future of our species. There are a few theories about why infertility is becoming more common. One theory is that pollution—and the chemicals within it—has damaged our cells and reproductive systems over the years. Another theory suggests that evolution is determining who can have children and who cannot, through the process of natural selection. This concept is a bit complex, so I won’t go into it here. However, it’s likely a combination of many factors, including pollution, diseases, and more.
This represents a gradual extinction. At first, the streets will seem less crowded, traffic jams will be a thing of the past, housing becomes more affordable, and jobs are plentiful. Fertility clinics are crowded as people realize the problem but remain hopeful that treatment can help. Fast forward a few generations, and the roads are empty, with most buildings—including fertility clinics—left to decay. A small group of people survive, but with no one to manage power plants, treatment facilities, or infrastructure, society has regressed to a medieval state. People live in small communities, but children are an increasingly rare sight. Eventually, the last child will be born. And they’ll be killed off by Non-Swimmers.
6. The Solar Collision
A comet hitting Earth? Please! I'm far more worried about Gliese-710. Never heard of it? Well, no surprise, with a name like that. It's a Red Dwarf star that you likely can't spot with the naked eye—yet. Over time, however, it will become more visible. Eventually, it will come close enough to wreak havoc. Not by directly colliding with us, but by coming so near that it could destroy the solar system. It could either tear everything apart with its gravity or disturb the Oort Cloud. The Oort Cloud is a vast region surrounding our solar system, filled with icy bodies, solar dust, and planet-sized rocks—millions of them. If GL-710 makes contact with this cloud, it could send planet-sized asteroids racing toward us. And not just a few, but enough that we'd need to defend our planet for thousands of years.
This star is still far away, so there's no need to panic just yet. It’s more than a million years away. But Gliese-710 isn’t the only star moving toward us. There are at least 8 others before it that will eventually pass through our solar system. The closest one is Barnard's Star, which will make its way here in about 10,000 years. After that, there's a binary system called Alpha Centauri A/B. This one could either pull us in and burn us to a crisp, or it could slingshot us out into deep space, leaving us to freeze. Or maybe both will happen. The path of stars is difficult to predict, so hopefully, they’ll miss us by enough to avoid major damage. But don’t count on it. They'd need to miss us by billions of miles to be safe.
5. The Inevitable Quantum Vacuum Collapse
This one is straightforward enough—scientists might just destroy the entire universe. You’ve probably heard of the Large Hadron Collider, right? It was in the news recently and some people called it a doomsday device, claiming it could destroy the Earth. Well, they were wrong. In theory, it could destroy the entire universe. Quantum physics suggests that the universe is filled with something called vacuum energy. Think of it like gunpowder, waiting to explode. All it needs is a spark. And that’s exactly what scientists built with the Large Hadron Collider.
The LHC has recently been repaired. During a collision experiment, the use of certain elements might trigger a quantum vacuum collapse. In less than a second, Earth will be gone—just vanished, without a trace. A wave of destruction will then spread across the universe at the speed of light, annihilating everything in its path. Scientists argue that elements collide in nature all the time, and since the universe is still here, there’s no risk. However, what they overlook is that the particles used in the collider are rare, such as gold. Additionally, they experiment with elements so unstable they don't even exist in nature. Who knows what might happen with those?
4. The Growth of Constants
Do you remember when I mentioned how the universe is fine-tuned and that if the constants weren’t precisely set, the universe couldn’t exist? Well, in 2001, physicists stumbled upon something strange. One of these constants, the ‘fine structure constant,’ seems to be gradually increasing. This can't possibly be true, right? Constants, by definition, are meant to be… constant, and they shouldn’t change. This discovery sparked an ongoing debate in the world of physics. Meanwhile, more evidence has emerged showing that other constants are shifting as well—the mass of the proton, the speed of light—everything seems to be getting a bit unpredictable.
What does this mean for us? Eventually, the universe could collapse. Stars would burn up in mere seconds, light would bend around corners, and then everything would fade to darkness. Some truly bizarre events might also unfold: buildings could turn into liquid rock and metal, and people might disappear into thin air (assuming the air is still there, because the atmosphere will vanish almost instantly). This may sound far-fetched, but if we trust what scientists have observed, we could be heading toward this type of universe sooner than we think—though, you know, in a few million years or so.
3. Grey Goo Scenario
This is my personal favorite apocalyptic scenario because of how utterly terrifying it is. As technology advances, it continues to shrink, and we are about to enter the era of nanotechnology. In fact, we’re already there to some extent. For example, IBM has managed to arrange single atoms to form the IBM logo. Now, let's look ahead just a decade or so. I’m talking about Nanobots—microscopic robots designed for a variety of tasks, most notably in medicine. These tiny machines could target and eliminate bacterial infections, repair damaged tissues, or even mend blood vessels. They would perform incredible feats, such as rearranging atoms to create water from sand or turning carbon atoms into diamonds. They could even take raw materials and reshape them into what they need. But here’s the catch: constructing such tiny machines would be incredibly difficult, especially considering their size. And this is where the problem arises. In order to make them, scientists would have to employ the nanobots themselves, essentially creating self-replicating machines. These tiny bots would become factories capable of building more of their kind.
Here’s where things take a dark turn. What if, by mistake, just one of these nanobots was discarded? It would begin converting atoms into more robots. These newly created robots would then replicate themselves, and the process would continue exponentially until the entire planet was consumed. Within just 72 hours, every single atom on Earth would be transformed into a nanobot. Everything—buildings, vehicles, plants, rocks, water, animals, and yes, even humans—would be converted into tiny, uniform nanobots. What would follow would be an endless ocean of grey goo, covering the Earth. If an extraterrestrial being happened to land, it too would be converted into nanobots. What's even more disturbing is that scientists are seriously working on creating these nanobots and are very close to achieving it.
2. The Grain Crisis
This idea might sound completely absurd, but it's taken quite seriously by biologists. One day, our entire planet could become entirely engulfed in grain. And I mean every inch—on beaches, in swamps, and even creeping through cracks in the pavement. Sure, there would be plenty of food, but it would only be bread. Grain would dominate all other crops, slowly pushing out all other agriculture until the entire biosphere is overwhelmed with it. Forests would be swallowed by vast fields of grain, causing the collapse of the food chain, and every landmass would transform into an unbroken expanse of grain. The dust from this grain could trigger fires capable of ravaging entire continents, or it could absorb all the planet's water, causing catastrophic damage to our water supply. It's even possible that we could face an ice age due to the excessive CO2 in the atmosphere caused by these fires.
I know, sounds ridiculous, right? Taken down by grain. Yet biologists believe that humanity may one day create the ultimate genetically modified crop. With genetic modification, we can alter or remove genes to make crops resistant to diseases and pests. But the fear is that a Super Grain could emerge, one that is virtually indestructible—resistant to diseases, pests, and even extreme temperatures. This grain could grow in almost any soil, possibly even rocks, and would likely be immune to every threat mankind could throw at it. And it’s not limited to grain. In fact, this could apply to anything. For example, in Canada, genetically modified rapeseed (canola) escaped a test field and is now spreading uncontrollably across the countryside. It could be anything—not just crops for bread or vegetable oil. What if it turns out to be cotton? We'd be in serious trouble.
1. Vanishing Act
This scenario is as serious as it gets (aside from #9). It comes directly from high-ranking UN officials, government agencies, and scientists, and it’s hidden within thousands of reports that few bother to read. The numbers in these reports are overwhelming, but the gist of it is this: in just three generations, the Earth's population will be halved. And it will continue to shrink. No, it's not a virus, and there’s no prophecy of a comet wiping out 3 billion people. The reality is simple: we're just not having enough children.
Decades ago, having many children was essential. The more children you had, the more hands you had to help with farming, work, and care for you in your old age. But modern technology and social programs have replaced that need. Now, people have children because they want them, not because they need them. The issue today is that fewer people are interested in having children. Whether due to financial challenges, a lack of suitable housing, or other reasons, fewer women are having children. Women used to have, on average, 5 children 50 years ago; now the number is 2.7. To maintain the population, a couple needs 2.1 children, compensating for those lost early on. But the decline is rapidly approaching the critical 2.0 mark, and once that happens, the world’s population will start to shrink. In just three generations, the population could fall to 3 billion, and still keep dropping. It’s a strange thought—humanity could fade away simply because we’re not having enough children. So, go ahead—breed!
