The Doomsday Clock

The Doomsday Clock, a symbolic indicator made famous by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists since its inception in 1947, was moved Tuesday January 8, 2013 from six minutes to five minutes before midnight as a warning about nuclear dangers and climate change.

"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." ~ J. Robert Oppenheimer Quoting from the Bhagavad Gita

 

Today on Far Future Horizons we present another episode of the acclaimed documentary series Modern Marvels which tells the story behind the "Doomsday Clock" of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

The Doomsday Clock symbolizes all the existential threats currently facing the human species. According to the Doomsday Clock the World will end at the stroke of midnight!

The Universe – Asteroid Attack

Today on Far Future Horizons we present another episode of the highly acclaimed documentary series The Universe ~ Asteroid Attack.

Apocalyptic Visions

Destruction Rains Down on New York City

Today on Far Future Horizons we present another exciting episode of The Universe: Ancient Mysteries Solved.

In this installment of The Universe: Ancient Mysteries Solved we will examine Visions of the Apocalypse.

Asteroids - Deadly Impact

Today on Far Future Horizons we present - Asteroids: Deadly Impact. 

This documentary concerns the pioneering work of Gene and Carolyn Shoemaker and how their research provided compelling evidence that asteroid and comet impacts played a major role in shaping our planet. Over the course of eons these impacts not only brought the building block of life to our planet but also played a major role in shaping and altering the evolutionary course of life on our planet.

Catastrophe - Episode 5 - Survival Earth

Today on Far Future Horizons we present the fifth and final episode of Catastrophe.

This spectacular five-part series, presented by Tony Robinson, investigates the history of natural disasters, from the planet's beginnings to the present, putting a new perspective on our existence and suggesting that we are the product of catastrophe.

Ninety-nine percent of all the creatures that have ever lived, no longer exist. They were wiped-out in a series of global catastrophes. Each disaster changed the course of evolution on earth. Without them mankind, nor any of the life we see around us, would be here today. For out of catastrophe comes rebirth. Evolution is a savage, imperfect and violent process. It's survive or perish. The earth's history of catastrophes has both molded the planet and determined evolution. For each disaster led to another leap forward on the evolutionary trail form single celled bacteria to humankind itself.

Is an Urban Tunguska Close at Hand?

 

In the wake of the meteorite explosion the Russian city of Chelyabinsk people two years ago today on Friday February 15^th, 2013, we ask the question: Is Urban Tunguska Close at Hand?

The meteorite exploded with thirty times the explosive yield of the atomic bomb that destroyed the Japanese city of Hiroshima and injured about 1,100 people.

A possible disaster scenario where a sizable asteroid or meteorite explodes over or impacts a major urban center can no longer be treated as mere science fiction whimsy.

The Chelyabinsk  Event was a relatively minor incident. Next time we may not be so lucky.

Disaster: This graphic shows the sequence of events which led to the meteor crashing in Russia (the Daily Mail)

According to the Daily Mail:

Fireball from outer space: 1,000 injured as 40-ton meteor travelling at 33,000mph explodes over a terrified town

• Large object flashed across the sky at 9.20am local time
• Pictures show a streak of smoke followed by several bright blasts of flames
• 82 of the injured are children and two are in intensive care
• Landed in a lake near Chebarkul, a neighbouring town
• 6,000 square feet of a roof at a zinc factory collapsed
• One local said it 'was like a scene from the Armageddon movie'

 

Cosmic Collisions

Today on Far Future Horizons we explore the most violent cosmic collisions that have shaped the evolution of the known universe and our planet.

The Universe - Deadly Comets and Meteors

Tau CetiTau Ceti©David A. Hardy

Asteroids and Comets Make Tau Ceti Lethal
In 2007 it was announced that there could be an Earth-sized planet in orbit around the star Tau Ceti. However, as there is also a very large dust-disc surrounding this star, any planet would be likely to have many comets in its sky, and be bombarded constantly with meteorites, as shown here. So probably not a very likely abode of life!  (Commissioned by RoE/PPARC.)

Today on Far Future Horizons we focus our attention on those cosmic juggernauts of doom and destruction that prowl the universe and threaten humanity's very existence - the asteroids and comets. These celestial objects have left their imprint on planet Earth and the other worlds of our solar system and have shaped the history of our solar system.

Initially this debris helped to build the planets through violent collisions. It is believed by many planetary scientists that during the Earth’s fiery infancy that comets and asteroids may have even seeded Earth with water and the building blocks for life.

Since the turbulent formation of the solar system, these space rocks have continued to impact Earth.

Super Comet: After the Impact

Today on Far Future Horizons we present the two hour docudrama ‘Super Comet: After the Impact’.

This documentary essentially transfers the events of the Cretaceous Extinction Level Event (E.L.E), that occurred sixty-five million years ago and lead to the demise of the dinosaurs, to the twenty first century.

'Super Comet' recreates the fatal disaster that wiped the dinosaurs off the face off the Earth, only it's not the dinosaurs that are living on planet Earth - it's us.

Worst Days on Planet Earth

Today on Far Future Horizons we look at some of the worst days that have plagued our planet during its 4.54 billion years in another exciting episode of the acclaimed documentary series The Universe.

Earth may seem like the most hospitable planet in the solar system. But look again. Startling new discoveries reveal the blue planet has been plagued by more chaos and destruction than scientists once imagined. 

Stopping the Next Celestial Armageddon

Humanity faces a celestial Sword of Damocles. We can no longer go about our humdrum worldly concerns and abandon any attention to the heavens and the dangers that lurk in the local celestial neighbourhood. We face the celestial equivalent of a 9/11 writ large. Humanity can no longer ignore the objective reality that its long term survival and existence are imperilled.



It sounds like a Hollywood blockbuster: a deadly asteroid is on a collision course with Earth. But in reality, it's only a matter of time before a giant space rock threatens to wipe out civilization. An asteroid took out the dinosaurs sixty-five million years ago. Are we next? This episode analyzes the threat and explores the many ways--from a nuclear bomb to ingenious new technology--that experts are proposing to stop Armageddon. Humanity faces an Extraterrestrial Imperative- we either become a spacefaring civilization or face the fate of the dinosaurs. 

The Last Extinction

Today on Far Future Horizons we present another exciting episode of the acclaimed PBS science documentary series NOVA - Last Extinction.

Fifteen thousand years ago, North America was like the Serengeti on steroids, with mega-creatures roaming a continent teeming with incredible wildlife. But then suddenly, in a blip of geologic time, between fifteen and thirty five magnificent large types of animals went extinct.

In this television exclusive, NOVA joins forces with prominent scientists to test a startling hypothesis that may finally explain these sudden and widespread extinctions—that a comet broke apart in the atmosphere and devastated North America twelve thousand nine hundred years ago.

Prehistoric Megastorms ~ Asteroid Apocalypse

Today on Far Future Horizons we present another exciting episode from the acclaimed documentary series Prehistoric Megastorms.

This instalment of Prehistoric Megastorms explores the question of whether or not a future Asteroid impact of apocalyptic proportions is a real possibility in the light of past events in our planet’s antediluvian past.

Prehistoric Megastorms - Comet Storms

Today on Far Future Horizons we present another exciting episode of the acclaimed History Channel documentary series Prehistoric Megastorms that examines the large-scale climatic events from prehistoric times, beginning with a firestorm caused by a comet exploding over Canada 13,000 years ago.

Scientists speculate that some 13,000 years ago, a large comet exploded over eastern Canada, creating enormous wildfires that set North America aflame. Every living thing on the continent was incinerated, including an ancient tribe known as the Clovis. 

When Space Changed History

 

 

Today on Far Future Horizons we present an exciting episode of the acclaimed documentary series The Universe which examines how objects from space may have altered the course of Earth's history.

Comet Catastrophes

It has happened before, and it will happen again. Somewhere out in the dark depths of the Oort cloud there lurks a comet with our name on it.

Imagine the awesome effect of a three-mile wide comet crashing into the Indian Ocean.

Our ancestors may have witnessed global catastrophes that, today are lost in the mist of time and only dimly remembered in the myths and legends they weaved to explain traumatic episodes beyond their comprehension. These myths and tales may contain proverbial lessons key to our survival as a species.