The University of Bristol found scary results which could signify the end of times
It’s nearly 2025, and what better way to celebrate another year on Earth than to find out the exact date it’s all going to end?
There has been so much talk throughout history about how the world will be destroyed, and while nobody has been able to definitively say how it’ll happen, new research believes it holds the key.
Well, according to a study conducted by the University of Bristol, we’ve got a few million years left until it’s over.
The researchers found through their calculations using computer simulations into how all mammals will die found that humans are likely to go extinct in 250 million years, only if we stop doing one thing.
The report suggests that Earth will cease to have any mammal inhabitants that cannot adjust to living with temperatures of between 104°F to 158°F (40°C to 70°C).
What is going to happen to Earth? (Torsten Blackwood – Pool/Getty Images)
This is because of our fossil fuel burning and greenhouse gas emissions, which researchers say need to stop now.
If not, we’re only quickening the end of times.
As we’ve not had a mass extinction event since the dinosaurs were wiped out 66 million years ago by a massive asteroid, maybe we’ve just started to believe that it’ll never happen.
But hold your horses, matey. We’re actually well overdue one.
Think about it, there have been five mass extinction events in the history of the world, and we’ve been sitting pretty for 66 billion years without triggering one?
Well, this one is different, as it’s totally man made and our own fault.
As Earth’s tectonic plates move slightly each year, there are times when they come together to form a supercontinent every 400 to 600 million years, which might trigger some nasty natural disasters too.
But it’ll mostly signify the end of times.
Lead author Dr Alexander Farnsworth, Senior Research Associate with the Cabot Institute for the Environment at University of Bristol, said: “The newly-emerged supercontinent would effectively create a triple whammy, comprising the continentality effect, hotter sun and more CO2 in the atmosphere, of increasing heat for much of the planet. The result is a mostly hostile environment devoid of food and water sources for mammals.
Apparently, fossil fuels will end us all (David Odisho/Bloomberg)
“Widespread temperatures of between 40 to 50 degrees Celsius, and even greater daily extremes, compounded by high levels of humidity would ultimately seal our fate. Humans – along with many other species – would expire due to their inability to shed this heat through sweat, cooling their bodies.”
Co-author Dr Eunice Lo, Caboteer and Research Fellow in Climate Change and Health at the University of Bristol added that we need to be thinking about our fossil fuel, saying: “It is vitally important not to lose sight of our current Climate Crisis, which is a result of human emissions of greenhouse gases. While we are predicting an uninhabitable planet in 250 million years, today we are already experiencing extreme heat that is detrimental to human health. This is why it is crucial to reach net-zero emissions as soon as possible.”
Dr Farnsworth said: “The outlook in the distant future appears very bleak. Carbon dioxide levels could be double current levels. With the Sun also anticipated to emit about 2.5% more radiation and the supercontinent being located primarily in the hot, humid tropics, much of the planet could be facing temperatures of between 40 to 70 °C.
“This work also highlights that a world within the so-called ‘habitable zone’ of a solar system may not be the most hospitable for humans depending on whether the continents are dispersed, as we have today, or in one large supercontinent.”
In 250 million years’ time, Earth will form a doughnut-shape with an inland sea in the middle and the Pacific Ocean taking up the majority of Earth’s surface.Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock
Topics: Environment, Global Warming, Science
Britt Jones
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Updated 16:38 6 Sep 2024 GMT+1Published 16:34 6 Sep 2024 GMT+1
People warned about exact date ‘God of Chaos’ asteroid could hit Earth
The asteroid was named after the Egyptian god of chaos and destruction, Apophis
After previous reports batted away the idea that Earth could be smashed into smithereens by the God of Chaos asteroid, it turns out it could actually happen.
The giant rock was first spotted in 2004 and given the astral title of 99942, but after it was found that it carried a 2.7 percent chance of knocking our little planet out of the solar-sphere in 2029, it was dubbed the God of Chaos.
The 340-metre-wide asteroid was named after the Egyptian God of Chaos and destruction Apophis, which is fitting.
However, while experienced asteroid gazers decided there was no way it would crash into us in 2029 or 2036, an update came from a Canadian space expert called Paul Wiegert, who says otherwise.
Wiegert co-wrote a new study about it which was published in The Planetary Science journal and found that an object as small as two-feet could change how it travels.
The asteroid could be on a collision course to Earth (JUAN GARTNER / Getty Stock Images)
People have been warned that it would brush past us on Friday, April 13, 2029.
Now that would be a very unlucky Friday the 13th.
Even though it was initially thought to be at a 18,300 miles distance from Earth, Wiegert believes that the course could be dramatically changed if Apophis comes into contact with ant ‘small object’ in its path.
So, if it happens to knock into a rock in space, it could hurdle into us?
Maybe, yeah.
The expert explained his theory, as reported by the Daily Star: “The odds of an unseen small asteroid deflecting Apophis enough to direct it into a collision with Earth in 2029 (d 3.4 m, v > 5 102 m s1) are approximately 10-8.”
Apparently, the chance that the bump could set the rock on a path to destroy Earth, isn’t actually very likely and there’s a one in two billion chance that it’s going to happen.
The rock would wipe us out (VICTOR HABBICK VISIONS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Getty Stock Images)
Wiegert explained: “Given that only five percent of such impulses are in the correct direction to generate an Earth impact, the overall probability of a small impact directing Apophis into a collision with the Earth is less than one in two billion.”
So it sounds like – unless we’re extremely unlucky – there’s nothing to worry about.
But the expert did share a strange bit of information which doesn’t make anyone feel at ease by his words.
He shared that the asteroid has basically been left to its own devices in space, saying: “An additional element of the story is that Apophis has been largely unmonitored by telescopes since May 2021 and will remain so through 2027.
“This arises simply because of the relative geometry of Apophis, Earth, and the Sun, which puts the asteroid in the daytime sky for the time span in question.”
Mm, I don’t know about you, but that’s not a comforting thought.Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Photos
Britt Jones
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Published 10:39 13 Apr 2022 GMT+1
Environmental Group Calls On Activists To Take Part In SUV Tyre Challenge
“This is a gentle escalation of methods to drive the urgency of this climate crisis home”
An environmental group has called on activists to take part in an SUV tyre challenge in a bid to tackle climate change.
Canadian non-profit Adbusters put forward the idea this month, suggesting people should deflate the tyres of SUVs.
Petrol and diesel SUVs produce 25 percent more CO2 on average than a medium-sized car, earning them a bad rep in the fight against global warming.
It’s for this reason Adbusters launched the ‘SUV Flat Tire Challenge’, with the organisation offering a three-step instructional infographic to explain to people how to take part.
Pexels
“So here’s what we do: Wedge gravel in the tire valves, leaflet the SUV to let them know the tires are flat and why it was done, and walk away,” they wrote on Twitter.
“It’s that simple. If we organize, we can hit enough SUVs in particular neighborhoods to spark reporting and spread the metameme.”
Discussing SUVs in a separate tweet, they said: “They’re the 2nd-largest contributor to the increase in global CO2 emissions since 2010, more than aviation.
“This is a gentle escalation of methods to drive the urgency of this climate crisis home and engender a systemic aversion to SUVs.”
Adbusters said that ‘targeting SUVs is a good way to hit the automotive industry where it hurts’, adding that the vehicles play a significant role in its expansion.
Time to do something about SUVs. They’re the 2nd-largest contributor to the increase in global CO2 emissions since 2010, more than aviation. This is a gentle escalation of methods to drive the urgency of this climate crisis home and engender a systemic aversion to SUVs.
However, they suggested to ‘start by targeting wealthy areas’, adding: “Our goal isn’t to disrupt workers – and avoid targeting vehicles with disabled stickers or hangers.”
The group, who describe themselves as a ‘global collective of poets, punks and philosophers implementing radical design and media strategies to shake up complacent consumerist culture’, also shared a leaflet for people to put on SUV windshields after deflating their tyres.
It reads: “Your tires are flat. It isn’t personal. SUVs are disproportionately fuelling the climate crisis. They’re the 2nd-largest contributor to increasing global CO2 emissions since 2010. And they’re totally unnecessary.
“The climate crisis is spiralling out of control, making drastic action necessary. So we deflated your tires.
“Walk, bike, take public transit if you have to. But it’s time to end our reliance on these gas-guzzling behemoths.”
To quote Andreas Malm, “If we cannot even get rid of the most preposterously unnecessary emissions, how are we going to begin moving towards zero?” We’re done asking nicely. Here’s a leaflet you can put on SUV windshields to convey the message when you deflate their tires.
Adbusters also pointed people in the direction of the website of The Tyre Extinguishers, a UK-based collective and one of the early initiators of the challenge.
Last month, a woman spoke out about how she’d been targeted by the group, and had to get an Uber to work after discovering the flat tyres on her Skoda Yeti car on 23 March.
Carly Bateman, from Didsbury, saw a note on her windscreen which began with the words ‘Attention – your gas guzzler’, and went on to accuse the 28-year-old of driving a ‘huge vehicle [which] has massive consequences for others’.
Kennedy News and Media
It added: “The world is facing a climate emergency… So far, the impacts on you have probably been minimal.
“We need emergency action to reduce emissions immediately. We’re taking actions into our own hands because our governments and politicians will not.”Featured Image Credit: The Tyre Extinguishers/Alamy
Topics: Environment, Cars, Global Warming
Daisy Phillipson
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Updated 11:59 25 Jul 2023 GMT+1Published 12:00 25 Jul 2023 GMT+1
EasyJet pilot’s warning to passengers over tannoy causes some to get off plane bound for Rhodes
Rhodes has been devastated by wildfires
The warning of an easyJet pilot on a flight bound for the wildfire-stricken Greek island of Rhodes led to many passengers getting off the plane before it even left.
Rhodes has been devastated by wildfires over the last week, with many people having to flee their homes in affected areas.
Tourists visiting the island have also been forced to abandon their hotels.
Some have had to sleep in local schools and gymnasiums while waiting to find out when they can go home. Flights are currently being run to repatriate tourists, with return flights being operated by the military.
Photo by SPYROS BAKALIS/AFP via Getty Images
However, there are some parts of the island which are not directly affected by the wildfires, and flights are still carrying passengers to Rhodes for people who wish to start off their summer holidays.
However, one pilot’s blunt warning to passengers on a flight to Rhodes was enough for some people to rethink their plans and get off the plane as it sat on the tarmac.
Gwyn Loader, who was on board to report for BBC Wales’ Welsh-language news programme Newyddion, said the easyJet pilot made the announcement before take-off.
Speaking over the tannoy on the flight, the pilot apparently offered passengers the chance to get off the plane, advising them that travelling to Rhodes for leisure was a ‘terrible idea’.
The pilot said: “Travelling to Rhodes for a holiday at the moment is a terrible idea. As far as I’m concerned, this flight is being operated on an emergency basis.
“Return flights are now being managed by the military. If you want to get off flight, you are welcome to do so.
“I don’t know in what capacity you are travelling, but if you are travelling for leisure, my sincere recommendation is it’s a bad idea.”
STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images
And the warning was enough for some would-be holiday-makers to have second thoughts about their plans and get off the plane, as of the 37 people on board the flight from Gatwick to Rhodes, eight got off.
The wildfires have seen evacuation orders put in place for parts of Rhodes and Corfu, with reports emerging that some tourists had to be evacuated to safety by boat as routes via land became inaccessible.
Officials have described the operation as the biggest evacuation in Greek history, with some 19,000 people moved to the north of Rhodes as wildfires tear through the south coast and through the centre of the island, impacting a huge area.
Those on the island can expect to face 40C heat. The combination of a heat wave and strong winds has fanned the flames, causing widespread devastation.
It is believed that climate change has increased the length of the wildfire season – early July saw the hottest days on record, four days in a row.Featured Image Credit: STR / NurPhoto via Getty Images Pixabay
Topics: Global Warming, News, World News, Environment
Kit Roberts
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Updated 16:58 1 Aug 2023 GMT+1Published 16:56 1 Aug 2023 GMT+1
Depressing find at the bottom of the Mariana Trench is a warning to the world
At 11km deep, the trench is the deepest point on Earth
The ocean is home to all sorts of mysterious and terrifying things, but there’s one discovery in particular that should be used as a warning to pretty much every single human on Earth.
The disturbing find was made at one of the deepest parts of the ocean, known as the Mariana Trench.
It’s the deepest spot on Earth, measuring some 11km (seven miles) down and sitting far below the surface of the water somewhere between Hawaii and the Philippines near the small island of Guam.
Scientists have claimed that getting to the lowest point of the sea is just as difficult as getting into outer space.
Victor Vescovo was one of a select few to make the journey down to the deepest point of Mariana Trench in April 2019.
During his mission, Vescovo reached a new record depth of 10.9km in a Triton 36000/2 submarine, which is built to withstand the extreme pressure.
Given how deep the trench is, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to come across something unexpected.
YouTube/Natural World Facts
However, considering it’s in the ocean, you’d expect that discovery to involve some sort of sea creature, or weird plant.
Vescovo did admittedly come across a bit of that in the form of a previously unknown crustacean species, along with brightly coloured outcrops and a pink snailfish, but he also found something that definitely shouldn’t have been there.
In a horrifying discovery, Vescovo managed to find lolly wrappers and, more specifically, a plastic shopping bag.
Again, just to reiterate, this trash was found at the deepest spot on Earth.
YouTube/Natural World Facts
Eric Galbraith, an ocean biochemist at the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies in Barcelona, commented on the disturbing find as he said: “We always had this sense that there was a part of the planet that was beyond, that was untouched by human action. That used to be true. And now it’s no longer true.”
A similar depressing find came when Dr Deo Onda, a microbial oceanologist from the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute, dove into the Emden Deep, part of the Philippines Trench.
“The Philippine Trench is already so deep, but human pollution was still able to reach it. What more for shallower environments like coral reefs and seagrass beds?” Onda told The Inquirer.
“[If we don’t do anything], I wouldn’t be surprised if I would get confused if I was in the Philippine Trench or in Manila Bay.”
In 2018, researchers from the Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering in China determined that man-made plastics had ‘contaminated the most remote and deepest places on the planet’.