Comments on: This is the Way the World Ends

By: Steve Reilly

Steve Reilly — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:14:05 +0000

dave,

As I understand it, the sun will become a red giant, which is to say its radius will expand and it will swallow up the earth. So more like one man’s home planet is another man’s giant bit of charcoal.

By: dave

dave — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:56:45 +0000

there is a big difference here between the end of the world and the end of one of its inhabitant species. nuclear terrorists or an asteroid could perhaps cause mass extinctions but neither would end the world.
what will happen to the solid planets when the sun burns out? theyll get blown out of orbit?

one mans home planet is another mans giant asteroid.

By: bart.mitchell

bart.mitchell — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:46:01 +0000

The Bad Astronomer Phil Plait wrote a great book recently titled ‘Death from the Skies” It’s a fun ride through all the ways the universe is out to kill us.

By: Jon Shea

Jon Shea — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:27:33 +0000

I’m with Sion. I think asteroids are currently the only threat that could completely end humanity, and they will remain an existential threat as long as we remain a one-planet species.

By: Fun with Apocalypses

Fun with Apocalypses — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:42:50 +0000

[...] an astrophysicist, a nuclear terrorism expert, and other distinguished guests” (HT2 Steve Landsburg). A nice video companion piece, perhaps, to a series of articles Slate ran last year called [...]

By: Andy

Andy — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:33:33 +0000

Its amusing to me that if you’re a hammer, the end of the world is a nail. If you’re a screwdrive, the end of the world is a screw. If you’re a …..

If its gonna happen, could it happen before my 3/24 customer audit please.

By: hanmeng

hanmeng — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:22:23 +0000

“…as always, I wish they would post transcripts; reading is faster than viewing and skimming is faster still.”

Me too.

By: DividedLine

DividedLine — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:17:06 +0000

Oh man, great thread. This is one of those times when I wish I could contribute something funny and I’ve got nothing!

Bennett – That is just hilarious. If that isn’t a clear sign of the coming apocalypse, then I have no idea what one could possibly look like.

Fenn/Harold – I’d like to think I’m a red pill guy, but I’d be lying if I claimed to be immune to the attractions of the blue pill.

Josh – Not sophomoric, it could be the fundamental question/challenge of science.

Dave — It could end in 42, but be sure to bring a towel!

I look forward to reading more on this thread, serious and funny. Good weekend all.

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:03:03 +0000

By: Josh

Josh — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:30:32 +0000

All I know is that the biggest question of all time will continue to be “why is there something rather than nothing?” Also, has something always been in existence or was there ever a state of nothing? It just doesn’t seem possible that there was ever a state of nothing. Oh well enough of the sophomoric rantings.