A Census Of Endings (MEGA DISASTERS!!)

For many Canadians, Americans and Europeans, the threat of global warming might not seem that big a deal. Sorry about the polar bears, of course, but shorter winters? Manitobans and Muscovites probably feel they could cope.

In "Megacatastrophes!: Nine Strange Ways the World Could End," David Darling and Dirk Schulze-Makuch offer a much more impressive list of lethal possibilities, which they score on a "Catastrophometer," giving points for probability and potential loss of life. The top of the scale is 10: absolutely certain extinction of the entire species. Fortunately, none of the authors' scenarios is quite that bad yet.

Book Review WSJ: A Census Of Endings

Oh yummy!!! Basically a book about all the possible mega-disasters you could possibly dream up and all maybe coming to a neighbourhood near you!

As for the possibility of something awful being caused by the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, another threat that the authors note, there's no point in worrying. If the LHC flips us into a "deeper energy minimum" or "true vacuum state," as one or two physicists speculate could happen, we'll all just wink out instantly.

Mm, always knew that thing was a potential danger! Now we find out that the boffins are speculating that it could annihilate us. Strange, I thought someone on ATS said that

One involves nanotechnology getting out of hand. We might release tiny self-replicating gadgets to mop up an oil spill, say, but what if they take an interest in all carbon molecules instead? In no time much of the world would be "gray goo."

I am so glad I don't remember dreams or get disturbed by them. This sort of thing is the stuff of nightmares.

Nevertheless, the real danger, say Messrs. Darling and Schulze-Makuch, is pandemics, a threat they rate at 7.5: sure to happen sometime, death toll in the hundreds of millions or even billions.

If the macro events don't get you the micro-organisms may.

"Megacatastrophes!" reminds us that the air of reassuring omnipotence that our leaders like to project is mere illusion. We're always dancing on the edge of a volcano, in a universe not built to human scale.

So there we have it. Select your favourite disaster scenario, break out the popcorn and sit back and watch the show which will be visiting your area soon!.

reply to post by PuterMan


Gotta love a good cheerful read on a lazy sunday morning.
2nd

Haha. You're damn right up here we could use shorter winters =P, I could stand with 4 months less winter out of 10 months of winter (haha).

But seriously, if there is going to be some of these huge pandemics and zombie apocalypses, just head north into the cold. (seriously). The farther north you get the colder it gets. Germs and zombies don't like the cold so won't be able to get up there

reply to post by AzureSky


Zombies? OMG I had not even considered them. Do you think we could fight them of with Poitin?

No just drink it and don't worry.

Yep,, My current favorite potential is the newest instability that our sun will be at for the next 8 months..it is in its pole flipping stage.. creating a scenario from the movie "Knowing" when a CME of global proportions hits earth..

reply to post by Lil Drummerboy


Haven't seen that movie. Guess I had better see if I can find it.

Anyone got any new disaster scenarios? I think we should make a list of all the possible ways the world could end in the next 7 months (assuming one of them will happen by 21 Dec 2012 ), or for the next doomsday date when that one passes.

Knowing

In the fall of 1959, for a time capsule, students draw pictures of life as they imagine it will be in 50 years. Lucinda, an odd child who hears voices, swiftly writes a long string of numbers. In 2009, the capsule is opened; student Caleb Koestler gets Lucinda's "drawing" and his father John, an astrophysicist and grieving widower, takes a look. He discovers dates of disasters over the past 50 years with the number who died. Three dates remain, all coming soon. He investigates, learns of Lucinda, and looks for her family. He fears for his son, who's started to hear voices and who is visited by a silent stranger who shows him a vision of fire and destruction. What's going on?

reply to post by PuterMan
Yes that would be it,. it is not a bad movie.. I do of course have it in my collection of doomsday flicks..
the ending of it is most revealing to the Hollywood imagination..