Top 10 real doomsday facts. Spread of viruses and deadly diseases

List of the ten most anticipated ends of the world for humanity.

1. super diseases.
The development of medicine and the invention of antibiotics has become an incredible breakthrough in medicine, but what more people used them, the more the effect of addiction to antibiotics began to appear. According to the theory natural selection, soon we may well get strains of bacteria that are resistant to modern drugs, which will slowly lead to the extinction of people on the entire planet.

2. Pole reversal.
Every 10,000 years magnetic poles The lands are changing places, it is quite possible that this process will be accompanied by a weakening magnetic field planets and, as a result, exposure to cosmic radiation. Perhaps this will not bring direct harm to us, but everyone knows how destructive this radiation is for electronics. And for our society built on modern technologies, it would bring a lot of problems and disasters.

3. Ecological catastrophy.
Despite the fact that in recent times we forget about the importance of ecology environment, we are in immediate danger of pollution and depletion of natural resources. As the population grows, food becomes more and more scarce, and the sudden disappearance of any link in the food chain can cause a real disaster.

4. Hypercane.
Hypercane is the name of a huge tropical cyclone that can form as a result of rising ocean temperatures from volcanic eruptions, asteroid impacts, or global warming. computer models showed that if the oceans warm up to 45-50 degrees, then average speed winds on the planet will increase to 600 km/h. This cyclone will be about the size of the continent of North America.

5. coronal mass ejection.
A coronal mass ejection is the ejection of matter from solar corona, which is much stronger than a typical solar flare. By themselves, they are harmless to humans, but can cause great harm to electrical systems and everything built on the basis of silicon (from computer components to car components).

6. Megatsunami/Supervolcano.
One of the possible doomsday provocateurs could be a Megatsunami large enough to destroy, for example, the entire east coast of the United States, caused by the consequences of phenomena such as space collisions, massive earthquakes and large landslides. The devastating consequences of such a tsunami are quite obvious. There is also an opinion that another provocateur may be the awakening of a supervolcano. Its eruption is so powerful that it equates to a thousand ordinary ones. The world suspects the presence of seven supervolcanoes that can wake up literally at any moment.

7. Biotech disaster.
It is possible that as a result of crossing genetically modified crops with weeds, fast-growing superweeds can be obtained. And this, with the slightest oversight, can lead to an agricultural disaster.

8. Stopping the Gulf Stream.
The Gulf Stream is a huge ocean current that carries warm waters to the northwest through Atlantic Ocean warming Western and Northern Europe. Global warming is one of the reasons the Gulf Stream is slowing down. Melting ice caps could eventually lead to full stop currents, which will lead to the complete freezing of Europe.

9. Methane eruptions.
This phenomenon occurs in this way: a huge amount of methane, previously contained in sediments on the ocean floor or in the permafrost layer, is suddenly released into the atmosphere. Methane has a much better greenhouse effect property than carbon dioxide, which is accelerating the pace of global warming. Moreover, with an increase in temperature, a domino effect occurs, the higher the temperature. the more methane eruptions occur.

10. The Crisis of Nanotechnology.
The main principle of nanotechnology is "less is more" and its use for robots, which should ideally perform all tasks for people, including repairing themselves and creating their own kind. In this area of ​​science, in addition to bright side, there is also a dark one related to the fact that robots can get out of control and use up all the resources of the planet. Eric Drexler explains this scenario this way: "Imagine a replicator floating in a bottle chemical substances, and constantly making copies... the first replicator collects a copy in a thousand seconds, two replicators are already making two copies in the next thousand seconds, four are making four more, and so on. After 10 hours of work, we will have over 68 million replicators, and in less than a day they will weigh a ton. In two days they will outweigh the Earth."

From the movie Heart of a Dog.

On the eve of December of this year, those who believe in Mayan predictions are preparing for the doomsday. However, there are many alternative options for the end of the world, we will talk about the 10 most interesting ones below.

1 Greenhouse effect and solar activity

Many people believe in the theory of global warming, that the climate on Earth will change dramatically, the glaciers of Antarctica will begin to melt and a global flood will occur.

2 GMOs

Gene changes, super-diseases that will be subject to the theory of natural selection, ecological catastrophy, as a result of crossing genetically modified cultures ... A lot of options for the development of events, provided that a person feels like a god, and interferes in processes, the consequences of which are poorly represented.

3 Third World War for water

Perhaps it will happen like this: the natural resources and food reserves of the planet's population will run out, and a banal struggle for survival will begin.
Already now, many experts argue that the amount of fresh water in certain regions decreases. The rivers become shallow, the wells dry up - the water recedes. Perhaps in the future you will have to fork out for a glass of water.

4 Environmental disaster

Not many people currently care about the state of the environment, but no one knows what the consequences of gradual pollution and depletion of natural resources can be, and what this can lead to.

The Earth's magnetic poles change places every 10,000 years, which can lead to a weakening of the planet's magnetic field. This, in turn, threatens with cosmic radiation and a detrimental effect on electronics.
And the compass needle will turn, and the Americans will switch places with the Mexicans.

6 Natural disasters scale dimensions

A huge tropical cyclone, or awakening - who knows what secrets are stored in the bowels of the Earth and when they will become apparent.

7 Methane eruption

At the bottom of the ocean, for example, deposits of methane are stored, which, when released into the atmosphere, causes the greenhouse effect and accelerate the approach of global warming. The domino principle is at work here - the warmer the temperature, the faster the emissions occur.

8 Rise of the Robots

One fine day, all androids will unite into a supermind and seize power on Earth.
Peculiar - robots can get out of control, energy reserves can be used up, if there are a lot of robots, they can outweigh the Earth ...

9 Space intervention

The fall of a meteorite, cosmic dust, the attack of aliens (green men) - the Universe is endless, as are the options for the end of the world associated with it.

10 Gulf Stream Stop

Due to global warming, a huge ocean current can slow down the movement of its waters. If the Gulf Stream stops, all of Europe will freeze. In climatic zones, changes will begin that will affect agriculture and the entire infrastructure of cities (heating, water supply, energy supply).

And don't say we didn't warn you...

Related video - End of the world

People began to talk about the coming end of the world, probably, as soon as they learned to speak more or less articulately. Predicting all sorts of troubles and misfortunes is quite easy, because such predictions most often come true. It is much more difficult to predict exactly when and how exactly misfortune will occur. Mankind has successfully survived many dates for which the next “end of the world” was announced.

But this does not bother the forecasters, and almost every year for many years ahead it is proposed to prepare for some terrible disaster or just longingly waiting for her. For example, in 2008, an asteroid was supposed to destroy the Earth; in 2009, they expected the onset of Armageddon, based on the decoding of the predictions of Nostradamus; for 2010, a complete depletion of oil resources was predicted and the beginning total war; in 2011, the Mayan calendar cycle will end, which also does not bode well; in 2012 there will again be the "end of the world", again according to the Mayan calendar... And so every year until 2020, for which the "end of the world" is planned by Isaac Newton himself. There are a great many theories of exactly how the “end of the world” and the death of all living things will occur, ranging from absolutely reasonable and completely scientific, ending with the raging fantasy of too impressionable people. Here are some of them.

1. We will be destroyed by a monster from the depths of space

Many are firmly convinced (and generally speaking, not without some reason) that someday the Earth will die, colliding with some terrible object in the depths of space. Such a scenario of the end of the world is quite plausible. Our Sun, carrying with it all the planets of its system, rushes to the star Vega, one of the most bright stars in our sky, at a speed of more than 69,000 km / h. Who knows what this giant spaceship on which we are all passengers? Collisions of cosmic bodies with each other are not so rare. For example, comet Shoemaker-Levy collided with Jupiter in 1994. Its debris bombarded the planet from 16 to 22 July. If such a collision happened with the Earth, then it would quite pass for the "end of the world", because the fall of the largest fragment caused an explosion that was 750 times stronger than the simultaneous detonation of all nuclear weapons accumulated on Earth. In 2009, Jupiter again collided with a space body. As a result of this collision, a black spot the size of ours appeared in its atmosphere. Pacific Ocean. If this happened on Earth, the "end of the world" would also be imminent.

Even if such a “trifle” by cosmic standards as Tunguska meteorite, hit the capital of some major state, then the “end of the world” will definitely come in this particular state, and maybe in neighboring ones too. The Earth approximately once every quarter of a million years collides with meteorites, the size of which is much larger than the Tunguska. So, according to some hypotheses, the mass extinction of all forms of life on earth (Permian-Triassic extinction), which occurred 250 million years ago, was caused by the fall of a giant meteorite, whose crater is hidden by the ice of Antarctica. On the eve of another mass extinction, which occurred 65 million years ago, the Earth also collided with a meteorite, the diameter of which was about 10 km. The impact of such a colossus on the ground caused a tsunami 100 meters high in the oceans, and the dust that rose due to the explosion then eclipsed the Sun for several years. None of the people then suffered, because they were not yet on Earth, but there were dinosaurs, which are now no more.

Perhaps the Earth will collide with the 300-meter asteroid Apophis in just some 25 years. On April 13, 2036, this asteroid will approach Earth at a menacing close quarters. Astronomers console that the probability of a catastrophic collision is extremely small, but they also deny the possibility worst case. So whether we collide or not, very soon we will see everything ourselves and without any telescope.

2. “Cosmic rays” will finish us off

Asteroids, comets, meteorites and other stones are not the most dangerous threats waiting for us in the black depths of space. At least, with these phenomena, within certain limits, you can try to somehow cope. Scientists have long been proposing to create special lines of defense to destroy meteorites flying towards us or crush them into smaller ones. All this is still, of course, from the realm of fantasy, but at least there are at least some proposals for protection.

As always, the enemy that is invisible is much more dangerous. Take, for example, the lethal gamma radiation emitted in colossal amounts by a massive collapsing star at the moment of its death. If such an ejection is made by some supermassive star in a galaxy neighboring us (and the probability similar event far from zero), then the consequences for earthly life will be simply terrible. The most powerful gamma flash will simply burn ozone layer, which protects us from the equally deadly ultraviolet radiation from our own sun. If this happens, then those living beings who collide with these will have to die long and painfully. Severe radiation sickness is very painful. In addition, hard radiation will certainly destroy not only plants on land, but also plankton in the ocean, and this will necessarily entail monstrous hunger for all animals, and possibly also suffocation, because taiga forests and oceanic phytoplankton are one of the main supply of oxygen to our atmosphere. By the way, if we ourselves try and sufficiently perforate the ozone layer (which, in fact, we are doing now, throwing freon into the atmosphere), or if the ozone layer becomes thinner due to some mysterious natural causes(this also happens), then the consequences will be exactly the same.

3. We will all fall into a black hole

Ah, if only stones or hard gamma radiation threatened us. Somehow you can try to hide from them. For example, dig a deep shelter with thick walls. Dilute a stunted vegetable garden underground, sit over it, tremble, keep your head down and hope for the best. Of course, the prospect is not so hot, but, as the well-known proverb says: “It is better to live badly than die well” (although there is another option: “it is better to die well than live badly” - thus, everyone can choose what what he likes best, and will be equally right).

But there is an all-pervading force in the world, from which it is impossible to hide or protect yourself. It is present everywhere, there are no screens from it. This force is gravity. Gravity affects all matter and all energy. Gravity ignites stars, gravity keeps planets in orbit, gravity gave birth to life on Earth, and gravity creates terrible black holes in space. massive stars dying, can no longer resist own strength gravity and turn into black holes. Black holes create such a huge gravitational attraction around them that not only objects with any mass, but even weightless light cannot leave them. There are many black holes in space - both small and supermassive. At the center of our own galaxy Milky Way, there is also a supermassive black hole, around which another smaller black hole revolves. In total, in our Galaxy, scientists have counted about 10 million black holes of various sizes and masses.

To perish, the Earth does not even need to fall into the black hole itself. It is enough just to appear close enough to her, and the monstrous gravitational force makes life absolutely impossible. For example, with an increase in the force of attraction only 8 times compared to the norm (that is, the force of attraction that we experience every day), a person is already blind, and getting into a gravitational field 16 times stronger than ours kills a person within 1 minute.

The meeting of the Earth with a black hole, scientists consider an unlikely (but still not incredible!) Event.

4. Our galaxy will die from a collision with another galaxy

Collisions of galaxies have happened more than once, and this phenomenon is well known to astronomers. Moreover, for our own galaxy, scientists have planned a collision with the Andromeda Galaxy (or as it is also called the Andromeda Nebula) somewhere in five billion years. Now the Andromeda galaxy is 2.52 million light-years away from us and is approaching us at a speed of about 120 km / s (or 432,000 km / h). True, some scientists say that now it is impossible to say for sure whether there will be a grandiose collision with monstrous explosions, a peaceful merger into one large galaxy, or the galaxies will simply disperse without harming each other. Some admit that our solar system in general, during this collision, it will be thrown out of the galaxy.

A collision with a galaxy is, of course, always dangerous, but in any case, a collision with the Andromeda galaxy is the least of the problems of the inhabitants of the Earth. After all, by the time we fly into the Andromeda galaxy, we will definitely have much more important problem. In 5 billion years, our Sun will become a red giant. Inflated, it will reach the size modern orbit Earth. It will not absorb the earth - it will move further, but all the water will evaporate, and most of the atmosphere will evaporate. Therefore, life in its present form (and it is precisely this form that is important to us) will become completely impossible.

5. The shrinking universe will destroy all life

Today, every schoolchild knows that our Universe arose almost 14 billion years ago as a result of the Big Bang. Since then, it has been constantly expanding - scientists can see this well. At the same time, everyone is worried about the question, what will happen to her next? To what extent will it expand, and will it not happen that the Universe will suddenly shrink back to the point from which it arose. If compression occurs, then we or our descendants will not do well.

There is no single answer to the question of the possibility of compression back to a point, because the exact value of the average density of matter in the Universe is still unknown. If the theories generally accepted today are correct, what if this average density turns out to be less than a certain value (which has already been determined), then compression does not threaten us - it will expand forever. True, it is not known, maybe this eternal expansion also threatens something bad.

Now, if the average density turns out to be more than this critical value, then, having expanded to a certain limit, the Universe will necessarily begin to contract and return to its original point state. And of course, in this case, with all our scholarship and ingenuity, we will not be able to oppose anything to the universal compression - the forces and scales are too unequal. And then, who knows, maybe, shrinking into a point, the Universe will again decide to arrange Big Bang, and will expand again.

6. Aliens, fantasy and other devilry

Until now, we have admired apocalyptic scenarios, remaining within the framework of conventional science. But, as Hamlet said: “There are many things in the world, friend Horatio, that our wise men never dreamed of,” so there are even more options for the death of our planet from various fantastic and so-called pseudoscientific reasons. And who is right - science or pseudoscience - time will tell, and it will definitely show.

Here, earthlings wound up on Earth from dampness. History shows that very often some of them are evil, greedy, vicious, stupid, envious. They destroy themselves and their environment, and at the same time they not only do not repent, but they believe that they are absolutely right, and that it is simply impossible otherwise. What will happen if some aliens from another planet fly here, who are similar to us in everything, only they are stronger and smarter? Probably, the same thing will happen to us that happened to the Indians when Columbus discovered them - first some terrible and incomprehensible diseases, then hopeless robberies, violence and slavery, and then the complete death of the local civilization. And remember what the enlightened Romans did with the less enlightened neighboring peoples? They simply drove them to their place in Rome - some into slavery, and some to death in circuses. And in this way they destroyed more than one people.

History tends to repeat itself. Since this has already happened to human civilization on Earth, then why shouldn't it happen again, only on a large scale? Very likely.

Deadly aliens who will destroy all living things here may well not belong to rational beings. Maybe it will be some terrible virus particles that will fall to Earth along with space dust. Here they will be built into our DNA, and they will turn all of us and the idiots rotting alive. “Scary, already horror!” Yes, there are alien viruses! Our own, earthly, viruses and bacteria can mutate at any moment and kill us all. Fantasize, fantasize!

7. The sun gave birth to us, the sun will kill us

Everything that happens on our mortal Earth depends on the Sun. But the Sun is a capricious star. The most powerful, little-studied processes are constantly taking place on it, the results of which are difficult to predict. Take, for example, regularly occurring coronal mass ejections. As a result of these emissions, the Sun spews huge amounts of matter into outer space. Moreover, this is not radiation, but a substance that has mass. When the ejection is especially strong, then the solar matter can reach the earth, and this is very clearly visible on Earth. Let us recall, for example, the famous geomagnetic storm of 1859. It is also called the Solar Superstorm. The flash then was of such monstrous power that the substance reached the Earth not in 3-4 days, as happens with ordinary emissions, but in just 18 hours. burst out geomagnetic storm immediately burned telegraph offices throughout North America and Europe. The Northern Lights blazed all over the world. Over the Rocky Mountains in America, the aurora was so strong that at night people thought it was daytime.

Studies of the ice of Antarctica and Greenland show that similar phenomena occur about once every 500 years. If this happened now, when everything that is needed and not needed is vitally dependent on computers, then for many this event will seem even worse than the real end of the world. And at the same time, no one guarantees that one day the emission will be so strong that not only computers, but also you and I will burn.

The intensity of solar "burning" also changes all the time. If the Sun warms up a little, or decides to take a little nap, then the consequences for earthly life will be more than terrible.

8. Our own Earth will kill us

If you look closely at the mythology, then in the myths of every nation there will definitely be a legend, either about the flood, or about how the Sun went out, or something else no less terrible. The stories are repeated with amazing unanimity, which means that they contain a considerable amount of truth.

The Earth has more than enough resources to wipe out all life from its face at any moment. Consider, for example, the most powerful earthquake in South-East Asia, which occurred on December 26, 2004. Then, in just a few hours, 235 thousand people died as a result of the tsunami - almost a quarter of a million.

In Yellowstone Park in the United States is the famous volcanic caldera (a sinkhole above the top of the volcano), the size of which is 55 km by 72 km. This giant has formed here over the past 17 million years as a result of more than 140 eruptions. Due to its gigantic size, this a natural phenomenon became known as the Yellowstone Supervolcano. Constant changes in the landscape associated with unceasing volcanic activity are going on there and now, and the speed of these changes is increasing. Some scientists predict a large-scale eruption here as early as 2074. Having exploded, the supervolcano will destroy all life around it within a radius of 700 km in just a few minutes. So much ash will be thrown out that it will cover the entire surface of the Earth with a layer 8 cm thick.

Of course, such a powerful eruption will not do without the emergence of equally powerful tsunamis that will destroy life in coastal countries.

The ash thrown out by the volcano will not fall to the ground immediately. For some time it will hang in the air like a cloud, covering the Sun. The result of this will be a decrease in temperature by almost 20 degrees, and the cold will last for many years. Darkness and a drop in temperature will cause mass death of plants, which will inevitably lead to the extinction of animals and people.

The planet has repeatedly arranged mass extinction for the creatures living on it. In total, there were 5 extinctions. The largest extinction - the Great Permian extinction - occurred 251.4 million years ago. Then 95% of all living beings disappeared. Only 5% survived. Among the mass of reasons that can cause such a catastrophe on a planetary scale are called

9. Mankind will destroy itself.

Humanity's arsenal of self-destruction is extremely rich: weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, chemical, biological); environmental pollution, overpopulation; programs to reduce (increase) the birth rate; color revolutions; Genetic Engineering; addiction; hard labor + malnutrition for some and a sedentary lifestyle + overeating for others (surprisingly, but judging by the statistics, it kills equally); refusal to vaccinate; universal vaccination; bold and expensive scientific experiments… This list is endless. People very nonchalantly intrude into the most basic natural processes, excitedly repeat that they have finally found a cure for all diseases and a source of eternal joy, and then they discover with sincere surprise that the next discovery actually brings neither joy nor health, but only further accelerates the development of cancer, diabetes and disease Alzheimer's.

10. Depletion of the Earth's natural resources.

In addition to the above, one of the popular options - if not the end of the world, then the end of human civilization - is the depletion of natural resources. Yes, it was once predicted that the world's oil reserves would run out by 2010. This did not happen, but now the deadline has been postponed: reputable sources say that oil reserves, both explored and undiscovered, will end in 40 years, and in Russia even earlier - in 20.

What is a world without oil? This is a world without fuel - which means that all transport stops. The heating of dwellings and any other premises is stopped. This is a world without electricity, which means that the broadcasting of all electronic media is interrupted, up to the point that the Internet is dying. A world without oil is a colossal regression of humanity: states fall apart, chaos reigns in armies and other power structures, a war of all against all flares up, medicine is lost, hunger sets in.
www.bigpicture.ru

Mankind has degraded so much that vampires, sorcerers, zombies and other evil spirits from primitive beliefs frighten people much more than "nuclear holocaust". But, nevertheless, the picture of a man-made apocalypse is becoming more and more real every year, in connection with which I propose to consider the 10 most probable options for the outcome of mankind from the Earth, in which people do not want to believe.

1. Global pandemic

Any virus can mutate, and even the most harmless-looking flu virus can turn into a ruthless killer. And, as you know, viruses are most widespread not where there are fewer drugs, but where the population density is denser - that is, in big cities. Moreover, with the development of antibiotics human body slowly weaning itself from fighting the bacteria invading its world, which also adversely affects virus resistance.

Now imagine that, along with a high ability to infect and a high lethality, the virus acquires another feature - a long incubation period. External signs diseases in a person have not yet manifested, but he is already a carrier, and infects people around him. A striking example such a virus is AIDS, the incubation period of which can last for years. Even if this period for a new disease is only a month, by the time the disease is simply discovered, it will already be spread all over the globe.

There is one more point - no one denies the development of bacteriological weapons, which are being carried out everywhere in all developed countries. And it is there that this “ideal” virus can be born, which, due to the human factor, will break free.

2. Depletion of the planet's resources

Oil, gas, coal, ore and other minerals, which now provide us with a comfortable life, and in general are sources of heat and electricity, will sooner or later come to an end. No one knows exactly how much oil is left underground, but according to experts, by 2050 half of the entire fossil reserve will be exhausted, and its consumption is growing exponentially.

First of all, this will affect the shortage of energy carriers, and as a result, cold winters and the gradual immersion of mankind in darkness and stone Age. Most likely, the global apocalypse according to this development scenario will take place in stages. Initially, the cost of energy resources will rise, in connection with which only rich people can afford electricity. The inhabitants of the planet with incomes below average, and percentage there are more of them than the rest, you have to forget about heating and electricity. In order for them to be able to warm themselves, the destruction of another will begin. natural resource- forests. However, with a growing population, the green part of the planet will not be enough for a long time, so a gradual death of people will begin, civil wars And so on.

There are ways out of this situation. For example, the search for alternative energy sources, but no one is in a hurry to build powerful solar power plants, since it is not profitable for the magnates - sales of fossil fuels will fall. Of the most fantastic options, there is the search for fossils on neighboring planets, but at the moment the costs of this will be extremely high.

3. Supervolcanoes

Great danger is fraught with supervolcanoes. There are few of them on the planet - no more than twenty. But the danger that the eruption of at least one of them is fraught with is extremely great.

The reason is not only in the millions of tons of lava that they can spew out of themselves. A column of ash rising into the air will block the sun for several years, in connection with which there will be global change climate. Without sunlight temperatures will start to drop and most likely lead to a mini-ice age. As a result, there will be a shortage of food, which is why not everyone will survive this period.

4. Global warming

No matter how ridiculous it may sound, but the fact remains. Annually mean annual temperature the planet rises. And although this increase is not so noticeable if you observe it gradually, but if you imagine the consequences, say, after a couple of hundred years, then this completely threatens a global catastrophe.

Such a global climate change will easily lead to water shortages on the planet, and food shortages. And unlike global cooling the opposite effect is almost impossible.

“We have to keep in mind the frightening speed with which change will take place, understand how little time is left for action. Then every community, every nation will have to work out the best way to use the available resources so that civilization will last as long as possible.
James Lovelock.

5. Nuclear holocaust

As long as the planet exists nuclear weapon, the probability of a destructive war cannot be reduced to zero. Now at least seven countries have such weapons, and each of them is ready to press the “red button” at any moment.

As you know, a nuclear explosion has several damaging factors. Among them are light radiation, shock wave, penetrating radiation, electromagnetic pulse, radioactive contamination, violation of the epidemiological and environmental situation, psychological impact.

Of course, no one survives in the zone of direct defeat. It is unlikely that even the most powerful shelter will withstand nuclear explosion. However, outside the affected area is also not all smooth sailing. At a minimum, this Nuclear pollution environment. In addition, people who have not received tangible damage from the explosion are more likely to die from chemical poisoning and infectious diseases.

Of course, you can survive a nuclear war, but after it ends, there is a risk of a nuclear winter. It starts from huge amount ash and soot that have risen to the upper layers of the atmosphere, in connection with which the temperature will drop significantly, and all living things will begin to die out.

6. Gray slime

With the development of technology and prosperity artificial intelligence there is a danger that man-made intelligence will get out of control. And the danger lies not in huge iron machines, but in the so-called nano-robots. Among futurologists, they have already received a slippery name - "Grey goo".

To put it simply, uncontrolled self-replicating nanorobots will absorb all the matter of the Earth available to them, carrying out their self-reproduction program.

Of course, so far there is no talk of such technologies, but the question of their creation is a couple of decades. And let them be developed solely for the benefit of man, but no one can deny that at one fine moment they will get out of control.

However, the "Rise of the Machines" described in "The Terimnator" can also be attributed to the same scenario.

7. Magnetic storms

The sun is a fairly constant star, unlike some of its fellows, but it regularly flares up every now and then. magnetic storms that could pose a threat to humanity.

Basically, magnetic storms are harmless to humans, and only rare outbreaks create strong magnetic disturbances, which we witnessed in the spring of 2015, when the northern lights appeared in middle lane. A prime example is the geomagnetic storm of 1859, dubbed the "Carrington Event". Then the northern lights could be observed even close to the equator, and in northern latitudes it was completely so bright as if it were daylight.

So far, powerful solar streams are restrained by our atmosphere, but what if the storm is so strong that protective layer the planet will not survive? At a minimum, all electrical equipment on the planet will fail, as a maximum, people will receive lethal dose solar radiation.

8. Striking from space

One of the most probable ends of mankind can be considered a collision of a giant cosmic body with the earth. There, outside the planet, there are many asteroids and comets, the collision with which is equal to the death of the Earth.

For example, if an asteroid falls to Earth, then its impact will be equal to an explosion of 400 megatons of TNT. And what will happen next - all by analogy with the "nuclear holocaust". In the event of a collision with a comet, the Earth may even leave its orbit.

9. Narrow jet

In addition to solar disturbances and fireballs, there are open space Another danger is bursts of energy. Gamma-ray bursts are large-scale cosmic bursts of explosive energy. So far, they have only been observed in distant galaxies in the hardest part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Their source is the death of supermassive stars, and the energy they carry with them is deadly to all living things.

If such a burst occurs even at a distance of 10 light years, and a narrowly directed jet (jet) from it will be aimed at our planet, then the earth will undergo such a blow of radiation, from which all life on the planet will die.

10. Human stupidity

Yes, this outcome scenario exists, and it is the most realistic of all. As unfortunate as it may sound, with the development of technology, most of terrestrial population begins to become stupid, to turn from creators into consumers.

Thus, man degrades as a species, sliding down from the culmination of progress to the primitive communal system. Here, the scenario of the development of events can go along another chain - human stupidity, as the cause of global death man-made disaster or nuclear holocaust.

These are the most likely variants of the apocalypse, but this list is not complete. And if humanity manages to survive all this, then in the future the Earth may be threatened by the heat death of the Universe, predicted by many scientists ...

There are other options for the end of the world:

1. The fall of an asteroid or a comet to the ground. As a result, various climate changes can occur, due to the emission of various products into the atmosphere
collision and explosion. The atmosphere may be completely destroyed. And also the earth can go out of orbit and change the tilt of the axis, as a result of which the Earth will fall into the sun and be destroyed along with all civilization and others biological organisms) Also, the fall of a sufficiently large cosmic body on the earth can provoke both global warming and the ice age and volcanic eruptions and fogging of the atmosphere, and so gradually destroy earthlings)

2. Robots will take over the world) This theory is best known for the Terminator movie series. It says that robotics will be developed to such an extent that people will be able to create robots with the same mobility as a person. And most importantly, people will learn to create such an artificial intelligence that will be able to think not only in exact forms, as it is now, but also creatively and figuratively. And in this case, the robots will arrange an uprising and exterminate people)

3. Supervolcano eruption. Even ordinary volcano eruptions can affect the atmosphere. For example, the Tambora volcano eruption in 1815 was so strong and threw so much ash into the atmosphere that there was no summer on Earth that year) But even such power is thousands of times weaker than the power of any supervolcano. A supervolcano under the yellowstone park is due to erupt soon. It erupts every 600 thousand years, in theory. But the eruption has not happened for 640 thousand years, which means it can happen at any moment. In this case, for many hundreds of kilometers, everything around will be buried under lava, and the atmosphere will become so foggy that there will be no summer for many years) Also, such an eruption will provoke eruptions of all other volcanoes and they will begin to spew into the atmosphere toxic gases. This could lead to the extinction of humanity

4. Alien invasion. Adherents of this theory are mostly ufologists. Also, in the middle of the 20th century, many films were filmed in America that reveal this theory. Now, some scientists studying space admit the possibility of this. Since there are many, many billions of galaxies in the world, and there are millions of times more planets. And the possibility that we are the only and most developed civilization in the entire universe is zero) And if there are other civilizations that can make contact with us, then they are millions of years more developed than we are. But for example, if we go and meet ants on the road, we don’t say to them: “Hello, we came in peace. Our human civilization sees the prospects of cooperation with you and we are going to give you technology nuclear fusion, take us to your government", we will simply step on the ants without noticing them at all or we will notice them, but we will pass by. So are the aliens. If they make contact with us, then only violently, as with a wild race. And destroy our civilization in a matter of hours)

5. Global cooling or a new ice age. Over the past 750 thousand years, there have been 8 ice ages. Soon, the ninth may really happen) It is believed that the current global warming will serve as the beginning of a new global cooling. The fact is that during global warming, huge glaciers formed in permafrost melt, and since water inevitably circulates on Earth, and ice is fresh water, the oceans begin to desalinate) Further, the current climate of the planet and normal condition supported ocean currents. Currents in the tropics take heat, carry it north and south, and there they release heat into the atmosphere. And these currents are based on the circulation of dense salt water from the surface to the bottom. And if the water in the oceans becomes desalinated, then the most important course of the golf stream will cease to function and disappear. And the cycle of this heat will stop flowing. This will have a strong detrimental effect on the Earth's climate. The northern hemisphere could be covered in ice for several thousand years as a result of all this.

6. The so-called gray matter. The fact is that nanotechnology is developing now. Nanotechnology is the creation of technological devices small size, such that only a microscope can be seen, or a change in the structure of substances, tissues, etc. at the nano level. For technical progress, industry and medicine nanotechnology is a huge prospect. In particular, in medicine they are going to create nanobots. These are such small robots, about the size of leukocytes, which can be loaded into the body and spread in it through the blood, and which are programmed to heal diseases from the inside: fight a virus, destroy a tumor, or break blood clots. That's all good. But it is very difficult to make such nanobots, and there must be a lot of them to complete the task. Therefore, systems are being developed that will enable these bots to reproduce themselves like cells, by dividing. This is where the danger of gray matter lies. After all, from 1 bot, 2 will appear, from 2 - 4, from 4 - 8, and so on. This will happen with great speed and if it gets out of control, they can multiply indefinitely and absorb all the tissue for this and fill all the space around them. And here is a huge accumulation of them, forever growing and unstoppable, and is called gray matter, because it will look like gray mold. So in a few days, uncontrolled bots will flood the entire Earth and humanity will come to an end)

7. Nuclear war. In the 20th century, the well-known cold war between the USSR and the USA - two superpowers. At that time, both the USSR and the USA were armed to the teeth with nuclear missiles, and now all sorts of ways to protect against missiles are being developed. And although they talk about disarmament, but still, both Russia and the United States still have a couple of thousand nuclear missiles. And they can be launched in just a few minutes. To do this, it is enough for an alarm to sound in the command post of a country that they say "a missile is flying at us," even if it is false. And then the commander-in-chief will give the order to shoot down these missiles, and if it is not possible to quickly negotiate or make sure that it was a false alarm, then they can launch their missiles on the other side. So that nuclear war may start randomly, but the side that was attacked will undoubtedly respond, etc. Well, it is absolutely clear that a big nuclear war will lead to climate change drastically. The atmosphere will be saturated with radiation, acidic and radioactive rain that will poison the soil. Heavy metals will also poison the soil and air. And humanity will die out, and the Earth will remain a huge cemetery of radiation for a long time to come.

8. New plague. Some believe that the plague passed in the Middle Ages in the XIV century and will not happen again. But now medicine is unable to cope with all infectious diseases and viruses, moreover, it is also not able to respond quickly enough to epidemics and create antidotes. Therefore, now, and even taking into account the high interest of man in chemistry and space, there is a possibility of a new plague. In addition, the increased use of land, the invasion of the jungle leads to the discovery of new viruses, and viruses can mutate and become more dangerous and acquire other properties that are dangerous to humans. A person can also bring viruses from outer space, from other planets, or invent a new virus) It is believed that viruses dangerous to humans develop on animals and then are transferred to humans. But some scientists believe that a meteorite may fall to the ground, on which there will be a new, space virus from another planet. A similar plot is used in the Command & Conquer game in the Tiberium Wars series of games. There, too, a meteorite falls to the ground, bringing a certain substance Tiberium from another planet, which destroys the civilization of people. Also, some scientists can develop bacteriological weapon. And if a scientist is not careful and drops a test tube with a virus and it breaks and the virus starts to spread through an open window, and if it is a dangerous virus, it can quickly cause a terrible epidemic and spread over the earth. So from the new plague and humanity will be destroyed)

9. Human mutants. Everyone knows that animals develop in an evolutionary way. So the man from a monkey or someone else gradually became what he is now - homo sapiens sapiensis. But now people can interfere with the evolution of plants and animals and create hybrids and species more useful for themselves, replacing or modifying certain genes. This allows you to do the science of genetic engineering. Recently, it has received great development, as a result of the fact that it is necessary to make crops more stable and fruitful, to change other qualities of crops and vegetables, because there are a lot of people on earth, and also for economic feasibility. For a long time man remained the biggest mystery genetic engineering. But recently the human genome has also been deciphered, and it is already possible to identify which gene is responsible for which trait. Therefore, it becomes possible to change the possibilities and characteristics of the biological and physical of the person himself, as well as in plants and animals. And if any group of scientists, thanks to these latest discoveries, bring into the world a generation of perfect people who will be physically stronger than the best athlete and mentally stronger than any computer, then they will become a new, non-evolutionary species and will be able to destroy the previous less perfect view homo sapiens sapiensis people and will start to rule the Earth instead of us.

10. Dependence of people on technology. Now technology has already become an integral part of our civilization. You may not notice them, but without them, modern civilization will not be able to exist. For example, if there is no energy, then even water cannot be delivered to the tap and there will be no electricity in the house and no gas in the stove. And if some saboteur or hacker or a group of people who want world domination seize power over all the machines and energy in the world, then they will be able to do whatever they want, including reducing the size of the human race of the value that they need. Also, if oil runs out and other sources of energy a person cannot suddenly extract, then at least the end of the world will not happen, but the end of modern civilization will happen and people will again live in caves and hunt animals and fry food on a fire. This is how modern civilization will end, which cannot exist without energy, technology and communications. And in order for it not to end, it is necessary to continue development and discover new ways to obtain a large number energy. And such a continuation of development has many dangers of destroying the human race. Therefore, it is not clear what is even better, the certain destruction of civilization or the possible destruction of the race.