17. Nearby Supernova - experts say that no supernova candidates are close enough to harm us. But how many supernovas have they observed? This is where, after the fact, scientists proclaim "but of course!"
16. Nanotechnology - while this might have health concerns when used in everyday products (ie sunscreen), the doomsday risk is when self-replicating little thingies are developed. Search for "grey goo". Fortunately 2012 seems too soon for some mad scientist to let the goo loose.
15. Time Travel Error - someone from the future ventures into our past and causes a conflict in the time-space continuum... if it causes us harm in 2012, maybe someone managed to zip back in time and warn the ancients of it?
14. Global Warming - it will only take an increase of a couple of degrees to make life very difficult for most humans. Luckily for us, it is unlikely to wipe us out as early as 2012.
13. Rise of the Machines - somewhere between Terminator and I Robot is an easy prediction: robots one day will have the capacity to rule the world. Are we stupid enough to allow it to happen?
12. Supervolcano - these are real, they have caused great catastrophes in the past, and we have no idea when the next eruption will be. Some believe Yellowstone could explode again soon, as it has been exhibiting signs of unrest, with earthquake swarms, ground deformation and considerable heat and gas emissions. It it did erupt, expect half of the USA to be wiped out, and major variations in global climate for many years. For more information, watch documentaries by the BBC and Discovery
No comments:
Post a Comment