The end of the world in three versions

How, when and why, are the three questions concerned to the end of the world, which have concerned humanity over the last thousands of years. We hereinafter present three of the most frequently discussed theories on this matter. It becomes noticeable that years go by and science evolves, the apocalyptic scenarios are becoming increasingly more refined, and the details are becoming increasingly difficult to refute. It is worth mentioning that the end of this world would not mean the complete extinction of humanity. While two of these situations would force humanity to evolve to a new level, as they would lead more to an apocalypse of the current society with all of its elements, the third case would completely extinguish life on Earth.

• 1. Solar explosions

The first theory is backed by a highly prestigious institution: NASA. More to the point, Earth would be hit by a level of magnetic radiation that would reach an unprecedented level, said Doctor Richard Fisher, a director of the heliophysics division of the NASA. These phenomena could occur in 2013 due to the solar explosions. Electrical grids could overheat, air transport could be disturbed and electronic and navigation devices as well as the major satellites could stop working. The banking system would instantly collapse and communications would stop working as well. "We know it"s happening, but we don"t know how bad it will be. This would disturb communication devices such as satellites and car navigation systems, air transports, the banking system, computers, any electronic device, in short. The magnetic storms would cause major disruptions all over the world. Large areas would be left without electricity, and the recovery of the infrastructure would be an objective that would be very difficult to achieve, because it is time consuming", doctor Fisher said in an interview for The Daily Telegraph. In a nutshell, the entire global economy would be brought to its knees, and there is a possibility it may never return to its current form. Scientists estimate that some precautions could be taken to limit the negative effects. An important detail, the UK"s National Risk Registry, set up in 2008 in Great Britain is already working on drawing up plans for the measures that would need to be taken in the event of a complete interruption of the distribution of electricity.

• 2. The Mayan Calendar, December 21st, 2012

"The end of time" could take place on December 21st, 2012, the date when the Mayan Calendar ends abruptly. According to a report by the Pentagon, this means that time would count down to zero, the climate would change forever, and the human DNA would be completely reprogrammed. We can again talk about the disappearance of the current world order, but humanity will continue. According to Mayans, in 2012 humanity will uncover the whole truth, the current concepts of time and space will become obsolete and we will see a passage into the fourth dimension. The Mayan culture claims we are living in a cyclical universe, in which periods of creation alternate with periods of destruction, which allow regeneration. Basically, in 2012 a new evolution cycle would end and humanity would move up to the next level, one without any connection to what we know today.

• 3. The collapse of Mercury

This is the scariest scenario, but at the same time, the most unlikely to happen in the near future. Scientists have come to the conclusion that the planet Mercury could pose a threat for humanity. Gregory Laughlin, of the university of California, has come to the conclusion that the solar system is unstable. Essentially, Jupiter"s gravity could affect Mercury"s orbit, causing it to overlap that of Venus. For the uninitiated, that may not mean much, but for a scientist, that is the equivalent of pushing the solar system into chaos. There are several scenarios about the "breakdown" of the planet Mercury: one of them sees it hitting Earth directly, which could lead to the complete disappearance of life on our planet. There is a silver lining though, the are only 1% odds of dying due to Mercury before the Sun destroys the Earth, several billion years from now.