Scientist reveals the different ways the world can end, including an alien invasion

The idea of ​​the end of the world is a classic plot in science fiction movies. But in reality, there are several theories that talk about the disappearance of our planet, along with all of us. But the truth is that many of these theories are based on fairly solid science, including the Earth that is swallowed by the sun and a catastrophic asteroid collision. Although there are other possibilities that go beyond what we can understand, such as the second coming of Christ, and a collision with the wandering planet Nibiru .So here are the different ways the world can end

Now, a scientific journalist has identified eight ways in which the world could end, with biotechnology, artificial intelligence and nuclear war being the greatest threats to life on Earth. Bryan Walsh, 41, a former foreign correspondent and renowned writer, also addresses climate change, supervolcanoes, asteroids, diseases and even alien invasion in his new book. Walsh has written ” End Times: A Brief Guide to the End of the World (End Times: A Brief Guide to the End of the World) “ after spending two years investigating the horrible ways the world could face Armageddon. He has assessed both the severity of each disaster and the probability that it actually occurs.


According to Walsh, the most credible and worrisome threat to planet Earth is biotechnology. He believes that extremist scientists who experiment with diseases can produce a supervirus that can resist vaccines and antivirals, with the intention of eliminating a large number of human beings. The use of genetic engineering in diseases can change the lives of humans for the better, but the catastrophe could occur if done incorrectly. Walsh points out that in recent years ISIS has tried to weaponize smallpox, a disease contained since 1977. The lethality of a disease like this, or the most recent threat of Ebola, combined with the rate of infection of a cold, could cause chaos, creating the ‘perfect biological weapon’.

Artificial intelligence

Another product of the enormous advances in human technology is the fear that the Terminator movie can be a reality. Advances in artificial intelligence have exploded in the last decade, as creators seek to meet the growing demand for robots to facilitate our lives. The threat arises from the fact that computers are now ‘learning to learn’ , taking away the control that humans have. Furthermore, their ability to store large amounts of data and process it much faster than the human brain means that they could become much higher, “superintelligent” intellects .

And our presence on this planet could get in the way of the robots and lead us to our extinction, in the same way, that humans have done with less intelligent animals such as the dodo and the western black rhinoceros.

artificial intelligence - Scientist reveals the different ways the world can end, including an alien invasion

Nuclear war

The nuclear war is possibly the most talked about and expected the way the world ends. The huge arsenal of weapons that occurred after World War II, as well as the increase in tension between superpowers such as the United States, Russia, and China in recent years, has the potential to cause the end times. In his book, Walsh delves into the history of the nuclear bomb and follows its history from its inception during World War II until the Cold War. He points out that US scientists and military leaders. at the time it was developed they were not worried what would happen if it went wrong, but what would happen if everything went well. In the case of a complete nuclear war, he quotes historian Alex Wellerstein saying: “It is not much you can do.”


Supervolcanoes are the most dangerous natural existential threat, according to Walsh. Dangerous asteroids can be followed decades before they can affect Earth, while humans know very little about the threat of volcanoes. And supereruptions could be activated at any time. Walsh mentions Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, as a clear example. Right where the most famous supervolcano in the world is located, it has seen three supereruptions in the last 2.1 million years, and is still very active. If it exploded, it would devastate life when the Magna came out of its 45-kilometer-wide caldera, which was caused by the last explosion 640,000 years ago.

Walsh describes how a supervolcano could end the world. There would be powerful earthquakes as magma moved towards the surface of the Earth, followed by a ‘titanic eruption’ as the enormous toxic discharge will erupt. The lava would wrap 64 kilometers around the national park and continue spitting ashes and gases for days. It is these gases that represent the broadest threat to life on Earth, as they would launch up to 24 kilometers into the atmosphere and plunge much of the US. in the dark, just as they would tear people’s tissue and “eat” their lungs.

Alien invasion

After describing the very real threats posed by nuclear bombs, biotechnology, and volcanoes, there is also the unknown threat from aliens. Walsh is convinced that, with a large number of planets in the universe, it is very possible that there is intelligent life, one that could cause our extinction. If there are any extraterrestrial species that can reach Earth, it would be much more technologically advanced than we who would be essentially defenseless against it. It would not be like Independence Day or any of these films, rather it would be as if the US Army Conquer a primitive tribe.

alien invasion - Scientist reveals the different ways the world can end, including an alien invasion


In this sense, Walsh feels that the chances of an asteroid ending up impacting our planet are not low, but neither would it be devastating if it happened. He points out that there is a probability of 0.000005 percent that an ‘asteroid of extinction-level’ hits Earth at any time. He explains that, with dinosaurs, the asteroid Chicxulub crossed the seabed in Mexico, releasing unusually large deposits of sulfur. These reflect the sun, so when they shot out into the atmosphere it was joined with clouds to stop the heat and daylight that came to Earth. The darkness lasted two years, and it was this and the effect it had on food resources that led to the great extinction, not the asteroid itself.

Climate change

The threat of climate change has taken over the world in recent months, whether due to extreme weather events or forest fires in the Amazon. But Walsh doesn’t think it causes our extinction as if biotechnology and other man-made problems could do it.

“We are not a species that plans deeply in the future,” Walsh writes in his book. “We are not a species anxious to set limits on ourselves. We are a species that prefers to be one step ahead of the disasters of our own creation, which is willing to do enough to move forward. “I think we have more time, but it is something we should think about on large-scale technological solutions because I really don’t have much confidence in humanity’s ability to deal with something that is a risk that will always be for the future.”

Infectious disease

It is unlikely that infectious diseases alone end up eradicating our species, and its severity is also considered low by Walsh. Facing the deadly SARS (acute and severe respiratory syndrome) while working in Hong Kong in 2003, he saw how a disease could appear out of nowhere and devastate a community. But he said there was always a “stopwatch” for infectious diseases, which disappeared as soon as they arrived. This is due to greater hygiene in the 21st century that tends to favor milder diseases that can spread rapidly.

As we can see, not only do the aggressors and conspiracy theorists talk about the ways in which our planet can end, science also raises these possibilities. Now, we only have to ask ourselves when one of these apocalyptic events will simply occur.

And how do you think the end of time will happen?

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