There have always been speculations, concerns, and curiosity surrounding humanity’s fate, particularly the end of the world. For centuries, religious studies and scientific theories have provided information about the extinction of human life, also known as the apocalypse. However, for the first time, it seems like we might just know about when all this will happen. NASA and a group of scientists from the University of Tōhō in Japan came together and in doing so, discovered when the earth will come to an end. We finally know the year; it is in the year 1,000,002,021. However, understanding the number is just another complication.
The real threat is not asteroids; it is closer to the world than we think. The Sun
Humanity thinks that this event will transpire at once and suddenly the world ends. However, according to researchers and experts, our threat is the sun itself. According to AS USA, the sun will gradually grow and slowly expand for the next billion years; during that process, its growth will cause it to become hotter than it is, and then the world’s oceans will evaporate, leaving the world desolate and lifeless.
The signs and symptoms have already been detected by scientists and geologists. Global warming, climate change, greenhouse effects. Human beings have contributed to some of these effects and damages to the earth; however, the sun will increase in its luminosity to the extent that the world will not be able to contain it anymore. As reported by AS USA, within 999,999,996 years, the world will no longer be able to sustain life.
Solar storms, an imminent danger to the world
In 2024, NASA discovered another threat headed for Earth called solar storms. They are solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), according to AS USA, and NASA reported that they will change the atmosphere by reducing oxygen levels and increasing global temperatures. NASA warned us to be cautious of these changes that could harm life as a whole on Earth.
Exploring life outside planet Earth as an extinction escape
Researchers and scientists have already made moves to find solutions to this future dilemma by trying to figure out if life cannot be found on other planets such as Mars. they believe that if they can tap into anything habitable that can sustain humanity, then it is an escape plan before the entire world gets wiped away. Tech billionaire and CEO Elon Musk expressed that if SpaceX can get humanity to Mars, it will be his legacy.
Are humans able to avoid fate? The competition to colonise space
There is no assurance whether it is possible or impossible to avoid this type of fate. However, the consideration of human beings starting lives on other planets has always been part of scientists’ and space agencies’ plans, with Mars being the number one option because it has similar attributes to Earth and researchers believe there was life before the Big Bang.
However, surviving on Mars or any other planet or part of space will not be easy. it will take money, time, and emotional and psychological capacity to build a new life, especially if it is to match what we already have here on earth. According to Baku.WS, scientists also point out that advancements in technology may provide ways to postpone or avoid this terrible situation.
Now that NASA is clear about the end of the world, there is a lot of running around that scientists are doing to save humanity. Can technology save us? Experts claim that innovations and advances in life-support systems can supply oxygen and water in closed spaces, meaning that human beings will survive in artificial habitats. But, until when? The human body was not built to survive in such environments and over time it can still lead to that very thing we are running away from, death and extinction. A billion years seems too far to be worried about the end of the world, but today’s decisions are tomorrow’s solutions.