Humanity, says Brian Cox, could be wiped out by asteroids – and we’re not taking the threat seriously Brian Cox isn’t a man to mince his words. He famously described the belief that the world is 6,000-years-old as ‘b*****ks’ and those who think the planet would end because of the Mayan calendar as ‘morons.’ But, lately, something far more serious has been weighing on the mind of the Oldham physicist. Humanity, he says, is at risk of being wiped out by asteroids – and we’re not taking the threat seriously. ‘There is an asteroid with our name on it and it will hit us,’ Professor Cox told MailOnline. In fact, the Earth had a ‘near-miss’ only a few months ago.
@highlight
Professor Cox says we recently had a ‘near-miss’ with a large asteroid
@highlight
No one knows when next one could be. It 'could be tomorrow,' says Cox
@highlight
Engineers are working to mitigate threat, but progress has been slow
@highlight
As well as asteroids, threats to humanity include AI and climate change
@highlight
‘It's human stupidity we need to worry about,' claims Professor Cox
@highlight
He says threats can be prevented through research and education
Researchers studying the rock found that its body rotates so quickly that it should break apart, but somehow remains intact on its @placeholder-bound trajectory.