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How The Life Will End On Earth
We all know how precious life is. Till now, the only planet we know of having life is our earth, even though astronomers have been searching for life somewhere else in the universe. But in the end everything has its life cycle of its own.
We as human beings also have our own life cycle, and so do any other living organisms. Even non living things also have their own life cycle, and earth is no exception.
End of earth will mean the end of life on earth, this is a fact. And it’s actually a good thing to think and know about these, because we can deduce some solutions in advance rather than waiting to be helpless for the last moment. Even though our generation may not face any catastrophic event, we need to be cautious and ready for the worst. Continuously working over these, by improving ourselves with science and technology is our only way to counter such situations.
The end of earth will not determine the end of humans. Let’s explore a few possibilities.
Extreme Climate In Next Supercontinent Assembly
Scientists believe that during the next supercontinent assembly, which is named as Pangaea Ultima or Pangaea Proxima, will likely be the end of all mammalian life forms. This was shown in one of the papers published in Nature - Geoscience.
Using advanced simulations, scientists have simulated that the next supercontinent of Pangaea Ultima will form in the next 200 million to 250 million years. The results from the simulation shows the continental plains or the middle region will face extreme heat and the climate will become so severe that temperature would rise to 40 to 50 degree Celsius (104 to 122 degree Fahrenheit).
The temperature peak may be even higher during the day, these conditions make it impossible for the mammals to sustain life, who depend on sweat evaporation to cool down the body temperatures, including humans.
Mass Extinction by Increase In Global Temperature
There is a possibility that the increase in global temperature can become the cause of the next mass extinction. There can be many reasons for increase in global temperature, primarily the increase in greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, fluorinated gases, etcetera.
This will happen slowly over time and at some time it may become irreversible which is why it is discussed seriously worldwide and governments have started to take actions against it.
Scientists have shown data that in 2023 the average increase in global temperature was about 1.3 degree Celsius. And according to current scientific researches, the global temperature increase of around 5.2 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels is expected to be the threshold for mass extinction event.
This will be more harmful for the animals living on ground while sea creatures might not be affected in comparison.
Gamma Ray Bursts Extinction
Although the possibility of gamma ray bursts coming to earth is very small, it's not impossible to happen. Gamma ray bursts are extremely dangerous and can destroy our earth in seconds. There are various kinds of gamma ray bursts, I am not talking in terms of quality but the amount of time it lasts.
It is said to be the most violent phenomena in our universe. It may happen when two neutron stars collide and die as a result or when a neutron star and a black hole collide (or black hole engulfing neutron star) or when a new black hole emerges or during the death of a star (supernova).
A few seconds of exposure under gamma ray bursts can tear off the ozone layer of our earth, which can lead to the sun's direct uv rays on earth surface leading to the death of many lifeforms. The gamma rays can also break the atmospheric oxygen and nitrogen, resulting in nitrogen dioxide, which is known as smog. It can block sunlight almost completely and with no sunlight reaching the surface of earth for a long time, a new global ice age may begin.
Asteroid Impact Apocalypse
This is a very well known apocalypse theory, where an asteroid will come to destroy everything on earth. Actually, I think the possibility of this event happening is much greater than any other apocalypse event. It’s because other events such as gamma ray bursts which are very rare to come by and increase in global temperatures (which can be maintained if managed properly by humans) whereas an asteroid coming our way, we can’t tackle that without advanced technology and proper tracking of near earth objects at all times.
Well space agencies are alert at all times for such objects. They study the trajectory of every asteroid that is considered a near earth object. Engineers are also working to improve our way of tackling these events, either we can destroy the incoming asteroid or divert its trajectory away from earth (which is better comparatively, but more challenging).
Virus
In the past, humans have suffered pandemics of cholera, yellow fever, tuberculosis, polio, smallpox, plague, and Covid (most recent). These viruses have the capability to make the human population extinct. They are very deadly, if not for our doctors and advancements in drug discovery, I think our population wouldn’t be even half of what we have today.
End Of Sun
The Sun is currently in the middle phase of its life cycle, and has another 5 billion years of fuel to live on. But after that time comes to an end, our sun will also like any other star of its kind transform into a red giant, and the outer layer which is extremely hot will engulf the earth evaporating all water, there won’t be any atmosphere and life will no longer be possible on earth, which will truly make the end of life on earth for sure.
After the red giant phase, either our sun will become a white dwarf (the most common kind of star in the universe) or it will undergo one of the most violent phenomena known as supernova and create a beautiful nebula out of our solar system.
At the rate our human civilization is advancing, I believe we won’t be here to see that day. Instead we would have long become an intergalactic civilization, traveling long distances in the universe, in search of new planets like our own earth.
Our earth will end one day for sure, but don’t be sad, it will also be a new beginning for humans.
Next time let’s talk about something else… I think it’s enough talking about the ending.
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