The December 21, 2012 Doomsday Prophecies

Scientists Claim the World Will Not End in 2012

Nov 14, 2009 Candice Gillingwater

The December 21, 2012 doomsday prophecies are addressed by scientists who do not believe the claims that the world will come to an end with a global catastrophe.

Due to a number of predictions that catastrophic events will take place on December 21 of 2012, many individuals are nervous about the security of their futures.

Many members of the scientific community state that the majority of these fears are unfounded.

Who Predicted the World Would End?

Most proponents of a supposed “coming apocalypse” will point to the Mayan calendar as the root of the belief that a global catastrophe will occur in December 2012. The ancient Mayan calendar, which spans a period of over 5,000 years, ends on December 21, 2012.

Nostradamus is often attributed with predicting the end of the word in 2012 when, in reality, his prediction of the end of the world is for 3786 – not 2012.

The Web Bot project also predicts, through searching chatter on the internet, that the Earth will face a global catastrophe that will end all life on December 21, 2012.

What Is Predicted to Happen?

All manner of doomsday scenarios have been predicted to wipe out all life. However, some of the most common scenarios include:

• Killer cosmic rays from the sun
• A shift of the Earth's magnetic poles
• A collision between Earth and “Planet X”
• Earth’s destruction by natural forces such as supervolcanos, earthquakes, and tsunamis.

The Scientific Community’s Response to the 2012 Predictions

Many members of the scientific community have issued a response to the predictions of the world's end.

1. The magnetic pole shift theory – Although a magnetic pole shift would render some electronic equipment useless and would certainly be an inconvenience, it would not result in the earth’s destruction. Stanford University geophysicist Norm Sleep claims that magnetic pole shifts have occurred on Earth for millions of years and are a relatively normal process.
2. A collision with Planet X – Astronomer Mike Brown claims that Planet X, also known as “Nibiru” does not exist. Any object the size of a planet that was on a crash course with Earth would be visible by NASA telescopes. A collision with Planet X was originally predicted for May of 2003, but the collision date passed without incident.
3. Killer cosmic rays from the sun – The Earth’s atmosphere has done well at protecting its inhabitants from the devastating effects of solar flares throughout history. Although the sun will enter a period of heightened solar activity at the end of 2012, this occurs every 11 years. Scientists believe that the heightened activity will pose no threat to either the atmosphere or humanity.
4. Earth’s destruction by natural forces – For tornadoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis to cause global catastrophe, a catalyst such as a massive impact would be required. Since a catalyst on December 21, 2012 is so unlikely, the chances that the Earth would be suddenly and inexplicably destroyed by natural disaster is almost nil. Supervolcanos, however, are a real and present threat. The Discovery Channel and the BBC both report that a supervolcano that currently lies dormant under Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming has entered “the red zone” and is due to erupt sometime within the next 200,000 years. That supervolcano's eruption date, however, is unlikely to fall on December 21, 2012.

What Will Actually Happen in December of 2012?

Scientists suspect that while nothing out of the ordinary is likely to occur, should an incident occur, it would be a coincidence and certainly not the fulfillment of an ancient prediction. Many of the doomsday speculations center around a planetary alignment, yet Dr. David Morrison, a scientist with NASA, claims that "There is no planet alignment in 2012 or any other time in the next several decades". Does the lack of a planetary alignment indicate there will be no apocalypse? Only time will tell.

Sources:

National Public Radio: Mayan Calendar Spurs End-of-the-World Debate

Apocalypse 2012: A Scientific Investigation Into Civilization's End by Lawrence Joseph, 2007

CSI - The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry: Dr. David Morrison Answers Questions About Nibiru and 2012

The copyright of the article The December 21, 2012 Doomsday Prophecies in Astrology is owned by Candice Gillingwater. Permission to republish The December 21, 2012 Doomsday Prophecies in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Scientists Say the World Will Not End in 2012