Is the End of the World Near?: From Crackpot Predictions to Scientific Scenarios

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Twenty-First Century Books, 2011 M08 1 - 120 páginas

At one time or another, just about everyone has talked about the end of the world. But what does this phrase really mean? Does it mean the end of the human race? The end of planet Earth? The end of our Sun and solar system? And if the world were to actually end, how and when would it happen? People have been asking these questions for thousands of years. Many religious prophets have predicted the end of the world. Science-fiction writers have created lots of end-of-the-world stories. Scientists, too, talk about natural events that could destroy human life or planet Earth.

Some end-of-the-world events are dramatic. Imagine an asteroid slamming into Earth, creating a massive explosion. Other scenarios don’t involve a single, catastrophic event. For example, global warming is changing the planet and threatening people, plants, and animals. It might not bring about the end of the world, but it might change life as we know it. In this book, we'll look at these scenarios and many more—everything from Mayan prophecy to nuclear disaster to the end of the universe. We'll find out which scenarios to ignore and which ones to really worry about.

 

Contenido

Introduction
5
Fantasy Faith And Fiction
9
2012
21
Pseudoscience
29
Knockout From Space
41
Our Own Worst Enemy
59
The End Of The Human Species?
75
The End Of Earth
89
Timeline
108
Glossary
110
Source NotesSelected Bibliography
112
Further Reading Films And Websites
113
Index
118
About The AuthorPhoto Acknowledgments
120
Back Flap
121
Back Cover
122

Going Going Gone
97
Epilogue
106

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Acerca del autor (2011)

Ron Miller has worked as a freelance writer and illustrator for more than 30 years. Many of his illustrations appear in magazines like Astronomy and Scientific American. He has also worked on motion pictures and created postage stamps. (One of his stamps is attached to a spacecraft headed for the planet Pluto!) He has also written short stories and novels and has even created a comic book.

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