A NASA Scientist Answers the Top 20 Questions About 2012
PUBLIC CONCERN ABOUT DOOMSDAY IN December 2012 has blossomed into a major new presence on the Internet. This fear has begun to invade cable TV and Hollywood, and it is rapidly spreading internationally. The hoax originally concerned a return of the fictitious planet Nibiru in 2012, but it received a big boost when conspiracy theory websites began to link it to the end of the Mayan calendar long count at the winter solstice (December 21) of 2012. Over the past year, many unrelated groups have joined the doomsday chorus, including Nostradamus advocates, a wide variety of eschatological Christian, Native American, and spiritualist sects, and those who fear comet and asteroid impacts or violent solar storms. At the time of this writing there are more than 175 books listed on Amazon.com dealing with the 2012 doomsday. The most popular topics are the Mayan calendar and spiritual predictions that the disaster in 2012 will usher in a new age of happiness and spiritual growth. Quite a few authors are cashing in with manuals on how to survive 2012.
As this hoax spreads, many more doomsday scenarios are being suggested, mostly unrelated to Nibiru. These include a reversal of the Earth’s magnetic field, severe solar storms associated with the 11-year solar cycle (which may peak in 2012), a reversal of Earth’s rotation axis, a 90- degree flip of the rotation axis, bombardment by large comets or asteroids, bombardment by gamma rays, or various unspecified lethal rays coming from the center of the Milky Way Galaxy or the “dark rift” seen in a nearby galactic spiral arm. A major theme has become celestial alignments: supposedly the Sun will align with the galactic center (or maybe with the Milky Way Dark Rift) on December 21, 2012, subjecting us to mysterious and potentially deadly forces.
Unlike most pseudoscience stories, there seems to be no factual core on which the Nibiru- 2012 hoax has been constructed. This is different from, for example, the claims of aliens and a crashed UFO at Roswell, New Mexico. The alien stories are a fabrication, but the core fact is that an instrumented balloon did crash in Roswell on July 7, 1947. There is no similar factual core to Nibiru—just dubious “predictions” from psychics, or the Mayans, or Nostradamus. The rest is pure fiction.
I answer questions from the public submitted online to a NASA website, and over the past two years the Nibiru-2012 doomsday has become the dominant topic people ask about. Many are curious about things they have seen on the Internet or TV, but many are also angry about supposed government cover-ups. As one wrote “Why are you lying about Nibiru? Everyone knows it is coming.” Others are genuinely frightened that the world will end just three years from now. My frustration in answering questions piecemeal motivates this “Twenty Questions” format to organize the facts and shine a skeptical light on this accumulation of myths and hoaxes.
1. What is the origin of the prediction that the world will end in December 2012?
The story started with claims that Nibiru, a supposed planet discovered by the Sumerians, is headed toward Earth. Zecharia Sitchin, who writes fiction about the ancient Mesopotamian civilization of Sumer, claimed in several books (e.g., The Twelfth Planet, published in 1976) that he has found and translated Sumerian documents that identify the planet Nibiru, orbiting the Sun every 3600 years. These Sumerian fables include stories of “ancient astronauts” visiting Earth from a civilization of aliens called the Anunnaki. Then Nancy Lieder, a self-declared psychic who claims she is channeling aliens, wrote on her website Zetatalk that the inhabitants of a fictional planet around the star Zeta Reticuli warned her that the Earth was in danger from Planet X or Nibiru. This catastrophe was initially predicted for May 2003, but when nothing happened the doomsday date was recalculated (a standard procedure for doomsdayers) and moved forward to December 2012. Only recently have these two fables been linked to the end of the Mayan long-count at the winter solstice in 2012—hence the predicted doomsday date of December 21, 2012.
2. The Sumerians were the first great civilization, and they made many accurate astronomical predictions, including the existence of the planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. So why should we not believe their predictions about Nibiru?
Nibiru is a name from Babylonian astrology sometimes associated with the god Marduk. Nibiru appears as a minor character in the Babylonian creation poem Enuma Elish as recorded in the library of Assurbanipal, King of Assyria (668–627 BCE). Sumer flourished much earlier, from about the 23rd century to the 17th century BCE. The claims that Nibiru is a planet and was known to the Sumerians are contradicted by scholars who (unlike Zecharia Sitchin) study and translate the written records of ancient Mesopotamia. Sumer was indeed a great civilization, important for the development of agriculture, water management, urban life, and especially writing. However, they left few astronomical records and they most certainly did not know about Uranus, Neptune or Pluto. They also had no understanding that the planets orbited the Sun, an idea that first developed in ancient Greece two millennia after the end of Sumer. Claims that Sumerians had a sophisticated astronomy, or that they even had a god named Nibiru, are the product of Sitchin’s imagination.
3. How can you deny the existence of Nibiru when NASA discovered it in 1983 and the story appeared in leading newspapers? At that time you called it Planet X, and later it was named Xena or Eris.
IRAS (the NASA Infrared Astronomy Satellite, which carried out a sky survey for 10 months in 1983) discovered many infrared sources, but none of them was Nibiru or Planet X or any other objects in the outer solar system. Briefly, IRAS cataloged 350,000 infrared sources, and initially many of these sources were unidentified (which was the point, of course, of making such a survey). All of these observations have been followed up by subsequent studies with more powerful instruments both on the ground and in space. The rumor about a “tenth planet” erupted in 1984 after a scientific paper was published in Astrophysical Journal Letters titled “Unidentified point sources in the IRAS minisurvey,” which discussed several infrared sources with “no counterparts.” But these “mystery objects” were subsequently found to be distant galaxies (except one, which was a wisp of “infrared cirrus”), as published in 1987. No IRAS source has ever turned out to be a planet. A good discussion of this whole issue is to be found on Phil Plait’s website. The bottom line is that Nibiru is a myth, with no basis in fact. To an astronomer, persistent claims about a planet that is “nearby” but “invisible” are just plain silly.
4. Maybe we should be asking about Planet X or Eris, not Nibiru. Why does NASA keep secret the orbit of Eris?
“Planet X” is an oxymoron when applied to a real object. The generic term has been used by astronomers over the past century for a possible or suspected object. Once the object is found, it is given a real name, as was done with Pluto and Eris, both of which were once referred to as Planet X. If a new object turns out to be not real, or not a planet, then you won’t hear about it again. If it is real, it is no longer called Planet X. Eris is one of several dwarf planets recently found by astronomers in the outer solar system, all of them on normal orbits that will never bring them near Earth. Like Pluto, Eris is smaller than our Moon. It is very far away, and its orbit never brings it closer than about 4 billion miles. There is no secret about Eris or its orbit, as you can easily verify by googling it or looking it up in Wikipedia.
5. Do you deny that NASA built a South Pole Telescope (SPT) to track Nibiru? Why else would they build a telescope at the South Pole?
There is a telescope at the South Pole, but it was not built by NASA and it is not used to study Nibiru. The South Pole Telescope is supported by the National Science Foundation, and it is a radio telescope, not an optical instrument. It cannot take visible light images or photos. You can look it up on Wikipedia. The Antarctic is a great place for astronomical infrared and short-wave-radio observations, and it also has the advantage that objects can be observed continuously without the interference of the day-night cycle. I should add that it is impossible to imagine a way in which an object can be seen only from the South Pole. Even if it were due south of the Earth, it could be seen from the entire southern hemisphere.
6. There are many photos and videos of Nibiru on the Internet. Isn’t that proof that it exists?
The great majority of the photos and videos on the Internet are of some feature near the Sun (apparently supporting the claim that Nibiru has been hiding behind the Sun for the past several years). These are actually false images of the Sun caused by internal reflections in the lens, often called lens flare. You can identify them easily by the fact that they appear diametrically opposite the real solar image, as if reflected across the center of the image. This is especially obvious in videos, where as the camera moves, the false image dances about always exactly opposite the real image. Similar lens flare is a source of many UFO photos taken at night with strong light sources such as streetlights in the frame. I am surprised that more people don’t recognize this common photo artifact. I am also amazed that these photos showing something nearly as large and bright as the Sun (a “second sun”) are accepted together with claims made on some of the same websites that Nibiru is too faint to be seen or photographed except with large telescopes.
One widely reported telescopic photo shows two views of an expanding gas cloud far beyond the solar system, which is not moving; you can see this from the fact that the stars are the same in both pictures. A sharp-eyed reader on my website identified these photos as a gas shell around the star V838 Mon. Wikipedia has a nice write-up and a beautiful photo of it from the Hubble. Another high school student was initially impressed by posted images of a red blob that were said to be of Nibiru. Then he worked out in his Photoshop class how to make just such pictures starting from scratch. One video posted in summer 2008 on YouTube shows a guy standing in his kitchen claiming that one of the objects discovered by NASA’s x-ray telescope is Nibiru. What is his evidence? That since this false-color x-ray image released by NASA is blue, this must really be a nearby planet with an ocean. This would be hilarious if it were not used to frighten people.
7. Can you explain the fact that the area at (5h 53m 27s, -6 10′ 58″) has been blackened out in Google Sky and Microsoft Telescope? People suggest that these have been blackened out because those are the co-ordinates where Nibiru is located at present.
Several people have asked me about this blank rectangle in Orion in Google Sky, which is a presentation of images from the Sloan Digital Survey. This can’t be a “hiding place” for Nibiru, since it is a part of the sky that could be seen from almost everywhere on the Earth in the winter of 2007–08 when much of the talk about Nibiru began. Plus, that would contradict the claims that Nibiru was hiding behind the Sun or that it could be seen only from the southern hemisphere. But I too was curious about this blank rectangle, so I asked a friend who is a senior scientist at Google. He replied that he “found out that the missing data is due to a processing error in the image stitching program we use to display the Sloan survey images. The team assures me that in the next run through, this will be fixed!”
8. If the government knew about Nibiru, wouldn’t they keep it a secret to avoid panic? Isn’t it the government’s job to keep the population at ease?
There are many objectives of government, but they do not include keeping the population at ease. My experience is that sometimes parts of the government do just the opposite, as in the frequent references to various terrorist threats or warnings about driving accidents on long holiday weekends, which are no more dangerous than any other time. There is a long history of associating bad things with political opponents (older readers will remember the “missile gap” in the 1960 election, younger ones will note the many current references to who is or is not keeping the U.S. safe from terrorists). Further, social scientists have pointed out that many of our concepts of public panic are the product of Hollywood, while in the real world people have a good record of helping each other in a time of danger. I think everyone also recognizes that keeping bad news secret usually backfires, making the issue even worse when the facts finally come out. And in the case of Nibiru, these facts would come out very soon indeed.
Even if it wanted to, however, the government could not keep Nibiru a secret. If Nibiru were real, it would be tracked by thousands of astronomers, amateurs as well as professionals. These astronomers are spread all over the world. I know the astronomy community, and these scientists would not keep a secret even if ordered to. You just can’t hide a planet on its way into the inner solar system!
9. Why does the Mayan calendar say the world will end in 2012? I have heard that they have been pretty accurate in the past with other planetary predictions. How can you be sure you know more than they did?
Calendars exist for keeping track of the passage of time, not for predicting the future. The Mayan astronomers were clever, and they developed a very complex calendar. Ancient calendars are interesting to historians, but of course they cannot match the ability we have today to keep track of time, or the precision of the calendars currently in use. The main point, however, is that calendars, whether contemporary or ancient, cannot predict the future of our planet or warn of things to happen on a specific date such as 2012.
I note that my desk calendar ends much sooner, on December 31, 2009, but I do not interpret this as a prediction of Armageddon. It is just the beginning of a new year.
10. What is the polar shift theory? Is it true that the Earth’s crust does a 180-degree rotation around the core in a matter of days if not hours? Does this have something to do with our solar system dipping beneath the galactic equator?
A reversal in the rotation of Earth is impossible. It has never happened and never will. There are slow movements of the continents (for example Antarctica was near the equator hundreds of millions of years ago), but that is irrelevant to claims of reversal of the rotational poles. However, many of the disaster websites pull a bait-and-switch to fool people. They claim a relationship between the rotation and the magnetic field of Earth, which does change irregularly with a magnetic reversal taking place, on average, every 400,000 years. As far as we know, such a magnetic reversal does not cause any harm to life on Earth. A magnetic reversal is very unlikely to happen in the next few millennia, anyway. But the 2012ers falsely claim that a magnetic reversal is coming soon (in 2012 of course) and that this is the same as, or will trigger, a reversal of Earth’s rotational poles. The bottom line is this: (a) rotation direction and magnetic polarity are not related; (b) there is no reason to expect a reversal of magnetic polarity any time soon, or to anticipate any bad effects on life when it does eventually happen; (c) a sudden shift in the rotational pole with disastrous consequences is impossible. Also, none of this has anything to do with the galactic equator or any of the other nonsense about alignments that appears on many of the doomsday websites.
11. When most of the planets align in 2012 and planet Earth is in the center of the Milky Way, what will the effects of this be on planet Earth? Could it cause a pole shift, and if so what could we expect?
There is no planet alignment in 2012 or any other time in the next several decades. As to the Earth being in the center of the Milky Way, I don’t know what this phrase means. If they are referring to the Milky Way Galaxy, we are some 30,000 light years from the center of this spiral galaxy. We circle the galactic center in a period of 225–250 million years, always keeping approximately the same distance. Concerning a pole shift, I also don’t know what this means. If it means some sudden change in the position of the pole (that is, the rotation axis of the Earth), then that is impossible, as noted above. What many websites do discuss is the alignment of the Earth and Sun with the center of the Milky Way in the constellation of Sagittarius. This happens every December, with no bad consequences, and there is no reason to expect 2012 to be different from any other year.
12. When the Sun and the Earth line up on the galactic plane at the same time with the black hole being in the center couldn’t that cause something to happen, due to the fact that the black hole has such a strong gravitational pull?
There is a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy, and like any concentration of mass it exerts gravitational force on the rest of the galaxy. However, the galactic center is very far away, approximately 30,000 light years, so it has negligible effects on our solar system and Earth. There are no special forces from the galactic plane or the galactic center. The only important force that acts on the Earth is the gravitation of the Sun and Moon. As far as the influence of the galactic plane, there is nothing special about this location. The last time the Earth was in the galactic plane was several million years ago. Claims that we are about to cross the galactic plane are untrue.
13. I am scared about the fact that the Earth will enter the Dark Rift in the Milky Way. What will this do? Will the Earth be swallowed up?
The “dark rift” is a popular name for the broad and diffuse dust clouds in the inner arm of the Milky Way Galaxy, which block our view of the galactic center. The entire “galactic alignment” scare is ridiculous. Late in December the Sun is always approximately in the direction of the center of the Galaxy as seen from the Earth, but so what? Apparently the scaremongers have decided to use these meaningless phrases about “alignments” and the “dark rift” and “photon belt” precisely because they are not understood by the public. As far as the safety of the Earth is concerned, the important threats are from global warming and loss of biological diversity, and perhaps someday from collision with an asteroid or comet, not the pseudoscientific claims about 2012.
14. I have heard that the Earth’s magnetic field will flip in 2012 just when the strongest level of solar storms in history is predicted to take place. Will this kill us or destroy our civilization?
Near solar maximum (which happens approximately every 11 years), there are many more solar flares and coronal mass ejections than near solar minimum. Flares and mass ejections are no danger for humans or other life on Earth. They could endanger astronauts in deep space or on the Moon, and this is something that NASA must learn to deal with, but it is not a problem for us. Large outbursts can interrupt radio transmissions, cause bright displays of the aurora (Northern and Southern Lights), and damage the electronics of some satellites in space. Today many satellites are designed to deal with this possibility, for example by switching off some of their more delicate circuits and going into a “safe” mode for a few hours. In extreme cases solar activity can also disrupt electrical transmissions on the ground, possibly leading to electrical blackouts, but this is rare.
The last solar maximum occurred in 2001, so the next one was predicted for around 2012, 11 years later. However, the most recent solar minimum was unusual, with a period of a couple of years with almost no sunspots or other indications of solar activity, so scientists now guess that the next maximum will be delayed, perhaps to 2013. However, the details of the solar cycle remain basically unpredictable.
It is true that the Earth’s magnetic field protects us by creating a large region in space, called the Earth’s magnetosphere, within which most of the material ejected from the Sun is captured or deflected, but there is no reason to expect a reversal of magnetic polarity any time soon. These magnetic reversals happen, on average, only once in 400,000 years.
15. I am confused about a report on the Fox News website that in 2012 a “Powerful Solar Storm Could Shut Down U.S. for Months.” They referred to a report from the National Academy of Sciences that was commissioned and paid for by NASA. If nothing is going to happen as a result of the event in 2012, why would NASA allow such nonsense to be reported?
NASA is pleased with the National Research Council report on heliophysics. As noted, this report includes a worst-case analysis of what could happen today if there were a repetition of the biggest solar storm ever recorded (in 1859). The problem is the way such information can be used out of context. There is no reason to expect such a large solar storm in the near future, certainly not in 2012 specifically. The reference to “the event in 2012” illustrates this problem. There is no prediction of an “event in 2012.” We don’t even know if the next solar maximum will take place in that year. The whole 2012 disaster scenario is a hoax, fueled by ads for the Hollywood science-fiction disaster film 2012. I can only hope that most people are able to distinguish Hollywood film plots from reality.
16. All my school friends are telling me that we are all going to die in the year 2012 due to a meteor hitting Earth. Is this true?
The Earth has always been subject to impacts by comets and asteroids (as has the Moon, as you can see because it has no atmosphere to erode the impact craters), although big hits are very rare. The last big impact was 65 million years ago, and that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Today NASA astronomers are carrying out the Spaceguard Survey to find any large near-Earth asteroids long before they hit. We have already determined that there are no threatening asteroids as large as the one that killed the dinosaurs. All this work is done openly with the discoveries posted every day on the NASA NEO Program Office website, so anyone can see that nothing is predicted to hit in 2012.
17. If Nibiru is a hoax, why doesn’t NASA issue a denial? How can you permit these stories to circulate and frighten people? Why doesn’t the U.S. government do something about it!
If you go to the NASA home page, nasa.gov, you will see many stories that expose the Nibiru-2012 hoax. Try searching nasa.com under “Nibiru” or “2012”. There is not much more that NASA can do. These hoaxes have nothing to do with NASA and are not based on NASA data, so we as an agency are not directly involved. But scientists, both within NASA and outside, recognize that this hoax with its effort to frighten people is a distraction from more important scientific concerns, such as global warming and loss of biological diversity. We live in a country where there is freedom of speech, and that includes the freedom to lie. We should be glad there are no censors. But if we will use common sense we can recognize the lies. As we approach 2012, the lies will be come even more obvious.
18. Can you prove to me that Nibiru is a hoax? There are so many reports that something terrible will happen in 2012. I need proof because the government and NASA are keeping so much from us.
Such questions should be put to the doomsday advocates to prove that what they are saying is true, not to NASA to prove it is false. If someone claimed on the Internet that there were 50-foot tall purple elephants walking through Cleveland, would anyone expect NASA to prove this wrong? The burden of proof falls on those who make wild claims. Remember the often-quoted comment from Carl Sagan that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
However, I think that astronomers have reached the point where we can offer extremely strong arguments that Nibiru does not exist. A large planet (or a brown dwarf) in our solar system would have been known to astronomers for many years, both indirectly from its gravitational perturbations on other objects and by direct detection in the infrared. The NASA Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) carried out the first allsky survey in 1983, and several subsequent surveys would also have seen Nibiru if it were there. Further, if a large mass passed through the inner solar system every 3600 years, we would see its disruptive effects on the orbits of the inner planets, and we don’t.
But don’t take my word for it. Just use common sense. Have you seen Nibiru? In 2008 many websites said it would be visible to the naked eye in spring 2009. If a large planet or brown dwarf were headed for the inner solar system in 2012, it would already be tracked by thousands of astronomers, both professional and amateur, all over the world. Do you know any amateur astronomers who are watching it? Have you seen any photos or discussion of it in the big popular astronomy magazines such as Astronomy or Sky & Telescope? Just think about it. No one could hide something like Nibiru if it existed.
19. What about the scary ads for the new film 2012? They tell us to look at these Internet sites to verify the doomsday threat.
The pseudoscientific claims about Nibiru and a doomsday in 2012, together with distrust of the government, are being amplified by publicity for the new film from Columbia Pictures titled 2012, to be released in November 2009. The film’s trailer, appearing in theaters and on their website, shows a tidal wave breaking over the Himalayas, with the following words: “How would the governments of our planet prepare 6 billion people for the end of the world? [long pause] They wouldn’t. [long pause] Find out the Truth. Google search 2012.”
The film publicity includes a faux scientific website for “The Institute for Human Continuity”, which is entirely fictitious. According to this website, the IHC is dedicated to scientific research and public preparedness. Its mission is the survival of humanity. The website explains that the Institute was founded in 1978 by international leaders of government, business, and science. They say that in 2004, IHC scientists confirmed with 94% certainty that the world would be destroyed in 2012. This website encourages people to register for a lottery to select those who will be saved; a colleague submitted the name of her cat, which was accepted. According to Wikipedia, creating this sort of fake website is a new advertising technique called “Viral Marketing,” by analogy with computer viruses.
20. Is it possible that the influx of questions you describe is part of some kind of campaign for a book or movie, in the hopes that the volume of denials is taken as more “evidence” that there is a conspiracy?
I ask myself the same questions every day, as the volume of mail I receive about Nibiru (along with various alignments and pole shifts) keeps increasing—now more than 20 per week. Clearly there is money to be made from people’s fear about an approaching doomsday. Many websites are selling books and tapes about Nibiru or even “survival kits.” It is all very sad, given the many real issues such as global warming and the financial collapse on which our attentions should be focused. In the final chapter of a new astronomy book (The Hunt for Planet X) Govert Shilling writes: “There is plenty to do for the debunkers—the archaeologists and astronomers who take a long and skeptical look at the tidal wave of Nibiru nonsense and explain with scientific precision what is wrong with this cosmic fairy-tale. They will have their work cut out in the next few years. And on December 22, 2012 there will be a new pseudoscientific cock-and-bull story making the rounds and the whole circus will start all over again, because no matter how many new celestial bodies are found in our solar system, there will always be a need for a mysterious Planet X.”
About the author
Dr. David Morrison is the Director of the NASA Lunar Science Institute and Senior Scientist in the NASA Astrobiology Institute. Dr. Morrison received his Ph.D. in astronomy from Harvard University (where Carl Sagan was his thesis advisor) and has spent most of his career working in planetary science and astrobiology. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the California Academy of Sciences. He is recipient of the Dryden Medal for research of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Sagan Medal of the American Astronomical Society for public communication. Morrison is a leading skeptic and proponent of improving science education and literacy. Asteroid 2410 Morrison is named in his honor.
This article can be found in
volume 15 number 2
2012 — The End of the World Again?
this issue includes: A NASA Scientist Answers the Top 20 Questions About 2012; Large Hadron Collider: Will Physicists Destroy the World? Pro & Con; Why Atheism & IQs Are Rising; Skepdoc on Chiropractic; Coriolis Effect Myth; Thetis Lake Monster…
BROWSE this issue >
This issue is sold out.
An excellent article. Thank you.
I’ve read that migratory birds might be unable to effectively navigate during a magnetic pole switch or at least that their migratory patterns could be affected in potentially adverse ways. It certainly wouldn’t be the inter-species biological catastrophe purported by many websites, but it wouldn’t occur without significant effects to some animals.
I am hoping when you say “severe solar storms associated with the 11-year solar cycle (which may peak in 2012),” that you are speaking of the folks whose views need debunking. The current situation is that we should be on our way up from the bottom of the approximately 11-year cycle. But the spots are staying very low in number, causing folks to begin to think we might be having another Maunder Minimum situation. [Now, don't all you conspiracy nuts get excited about this.] I’m really just stating that there is precious little possibility that the new sunspot cycle COULD peak in 2012.
What a fantastic article! It should really be a must-read for everyone. I’m an astronomy student from Chile and I’ve been asked countless times, by friends or younger siblings, about what will happen on 2012. There is really a LOT of people who believe all this nonsense, with absolutely no scientific background or explanation. What really surprises me is the lack of curiosity of some people, the lack of plain, cold-headed thinking. The facts make it absolutely clear that all this 2012 and Nibiru stuff is nothing but a myth.
I hope you don’t mind if I translate this article to spanish and e-mail it to a few people, so that they can finally open their eyes and relax about their 2012 worries!
Once again, thank you for a great article!
So proof is needed to prove a paranoid “theory” is not true but no proof is required to believe them in the first place?
Belief doesn’t require proof, nor even truth. Belief needs no basis in reality.
penitent-
“belief doesn’t require proof, nor even truth. Belief needs no basis in reality.”??? what does that mean and how is it related to anything?? the 2012 theory is an overhyped THEORY, not fact. i remember June 6th, 2006, when it was supposed to be the end of the world. I also remember 2000, and many other days where the world was supposed to end. Just the same,if the government already knows all of this, then why do we continue to build and better our cities if we are just going to lose it in the end? all i know is, december 21st, 2012, will be just another winter day.
Lol I know its been a year but your comment made me laugh. Belief has everything to do with this. People believe the world is going to end in 2012, there are no facts to support this. That is exactly what “believing” is.
There may not be facts, but there are way to many coincidences going on. Research why people think the world will suffer catastrophes and you might just start worrying yourself.
Are you serious? Mary, Mary, quite contrary. That quote by penitent is one of the most rational and logical responses about this topic. Millions of people in the world say that there is a god up there in the sky, but I have yet to see a radar image or hubble photo which proves this to be true. The same applies to Nabiru, or planet X, or The Great Spaghetti Monster, as well. Belief does not require hard, factual proof for the majority of the population, as unfortunate as that is. That is why educated people such as Michael Shermer make websites and zines like Skeptic: to help you debunk what isn’t true, and are fictional, and to nudge you in the right direction, that is to say, one that is not full of bullshit.
Thanks very much for publishing this very important article on the web. I hope many people can read it and come back down to earth.
We are on earth. Do you even know this guys credentials or background?
credentials at the link below: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/research/2007/morrison.html
I want to know more about these 50-foot tall purple elephants walking through Cleveland. Why is NASA hiding this from us?
You have discovered one of the most basic tenets of a conspiracy. Make a claim that cannot be confirmed because there is no physical evidence, then claim the lack of evidence is proof of a conspiracy. It’s a perfect machine.
Since NASA has not reported the existence of purple giants, a rogue planet, or the existence of giant space squid, they must be hiding their existence from the public.
I am also very worried about these elephants, have there been any other reports or are they being hidden from us. Have they entered any rooms.
I have heard that people often miss seeing an elephant when it is in a room. Is Cleveland a room, is Cleveland perhaps a portal to a purple elephant hole.
I particularly appreciated Dr Morrison’s comments regarding paying attention to real issues such as loss of bio-diversity and the manipulation of populations by promoting fear. As for the movie 2012 when I watched it I assumed it was made by fundamentalist christian amateur film makers who had by some biblical miracle stumbled upon a significant enough production budget to entertain their own fantasies of Armageddon. In other words it is mind numbing rubbish. Thankfully the 2012 film spared us from images of arabs driving cars with 666 numberplates but it was not far removed.
Thank you for a great article.
Am I the only one who saw the purple elephant analogy as a juvenile comeback to a question he has no answer for. Sorry Morrison, but that kinda makes you lose some credibility.
no it doesn’t.
Ben, you should really sit down and analize this entire thing, first it was 2000, then it was 2006, later it was 2009… and we still are here.. doesn’t that give you a clue that this is a hoax? the analogy to the purple elephants was not juvenile but perhaps your attitude towards this irrational belief is
is that all you can say ben what are your credentials are they for NASA? upload them then i’ll see whos theorys/answers i’ll beleive unless you are of course a Dr at NASA who has a comet that is named in your honour…
I know a few people that have observed those purple elephants – but they require the assistance of a quart or more of ‘Old Rotgut’ to bring them into focus. They also report they have the ability to disguise themselves as PINK elephants – and a few as 6 foot tall rabbits named Harvey.
Thanks for a great article. My stepson is going crazy about the movie (he did the same thing with ‘The Blaire Witch Project’) and I’ll point him to the article. It may not convince him, but it may educate him a little when yet another profit-fueled disaster delusion does not take place.
Thank you. I have spent two days researching this. But, I did find the NASA website which is interesting.
I too applaud you on a truly excellent debunking of this insane and irrational Doomsday story.
I have read some of Sitchen’s Books, and while I find them to be quite entertaining I also recognize them as the pseudo-science fiction that they are.
That having been said, I do find it worrysome that after all the recent revalations about the lies, data manipulation, data destruction and un-scientific cherry picking of other so-called ‘scientificaly proven’ test results, you continue to mention ‘Global Warming’ as if it WERE in fact ‘scientificaly proven’, when you mention it in your article 2 or 3 times as something people should really be worried about.
Do you not see the contradiction inherent in Debunking the Nibiru 2012 Doomsday fantasy and at the same time putting forth the Global Warming doomsday fantasy as fact in the same article? Or is it really too much to ask that a ‘Scientist’
be Scientificaly consistant and logical?
Learn how to spell CONSISTENTLY, and stop watching Fox news! Science doesn’t prove, but provides evidence that suggests. Scientists overwhelmingly confirm that the evidence suggests global warming is a legitimate phenomenon and that human activity is a significant factor. Of course you can find a few fringe scientists who do not support the consensus (right wing tokens), but you can also find some who argue that the Earth is flat…
Why has nobody asked about the intense gamma rays that shoot out along the galactic equator which we will be passing through on the date? And you can’t deny the ancient petroglyphs depicting the last time this particular event occured 10000 years ago. I don’t think everybody is going to die but i do think a lot of people will from the radiation. Russia is already building a massive shelter at yumantau (not that that would really help) so im curious of the timing. I would believe this guy as much as id believe the soap in my shower. Because we all know how reliable NASA is and how much they havent fucked up in the last 50 years. and to blazeeagle the 2000 event has been analysed and found to be mathematically miscalculated. the actual date was supposed to be 2012. There is too much coincidence in the whole thing for it to be passed off as a conspiracy theory. nobody that has the right to comment on the subject has said its a doomsday. its just an unknowable and scary event for modern humans
“There is too much coincidence in the whole thing…”
None of this is coincidental. Most of it was purposely done or presumed that it will occur on 2012 in order to perpetuate the armageddon hoax. Have you ever thought about that before? That one person said “IT WILL HAPPEN ON THIS DAY” and people copy-catted that person to the point that everyone believed it.
It is interesting though that you trust doomsdayers before you would trust NASA. I’m not sure where you got your information on the galactic equator bombarding us with gamma rays…
Since when did assumptions and Russian secret facilities (which people believe is a nuclear test facility given its proximity to a nuclear lab) still don’t amount to credible evidence.
If you would have read the article maybe you would have seen Carl Sagan’s famous quote, “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.”
“and to blazeeagle the 2000 event has been analysed and found to be mathematically miscalculated. the actual date was supposed to be 2012.”
Yeah… and 2001… and 2016…. and 2036… and and and…..
Funny how no-one figured out 2000 was a “mathematical miscalculation” until AFTER the date had passed, huh?
Here’s a task for you… next time you’re out on a clear night, go look for the “Galactic Equator”… take a camera with you, and post what you find online somewhere – if memory serves, you’ll find it somewhere in the vicinity of Uranus…
You seem to have stepped out of the bounds of reality. Shane! Come back Shane!
If 2012 is all a scam, why does it seem that many governments are preparing for some devastating up coming future events?
1. Seed Banks being stored underground
2. Books and Art being moved underground
3. Large underground bunkers being built
It’s all been happening recently, and perhaps the reason for the “world recession” is because the elite have been spending all the money preparing for this up coming event?
I never believed the Nibiru theory, but I still think there is more to 2012 then we are all led to believe and will not be at ease until the year comes and goes with out incident.
How would storing seeds, art and people underground save you from a PLANET colliding with Earth?????
You’re an IDIOT, no planet is colling and earth isnt ending, but changes are occuring and the Nibiru theory says the causes are bc of an oncoming planet/brown dwarf will have gravitational effects. You are obviously on this site to seek reassuance, sad to say there may not be any.
where can i get in touch with you on 12.22.2012?
Which “books and art being moved underground” would that be then?
No, really Jeff. I’ve read about that. Oh wait… That was a sci-fi.
Actually seeds are being stored partly with FAO and UN. Monsanto also has their diabolical hands on these. Look it up.
You would think that all the wealthy spending money building giant complexes would have a positive impact on the economy rather than a negative one.
With this failure in mind, I suggest you go back and “recalculate” to fit your facts to a more watertight, albeit bogus, theory.
And when 2012 passes without incident and you forget all about it on January 1st, 2013 (or December 22nd, 2012 for that matter), what will you be afraid of next?
2012!!! In this year something will occur. Something from space will have deep impact here on earth. Why did the mayas building piramides. They did this to protect them self from disaster coming from space with help of the aliens. And is true that 2012 the same thing will happend again like before and they know why 2012 the calender end. These last days you can spot allot of UFO’s. They come to warn us. They want to help us, make contact, but because we people are so cruel, they won’t come nearby then watch us from the sky.
are you on crack ?
James, the reason the goverment did and is still doing all of those things is fairly simple, nuclear weapons.
In case we get nuked all the stuff we need will be safe under gound, well they hope it will be safe underground.
This could be wrong but it is far more likely than them preparing for the end of the world.
As an indication of the commitment of a “believer” to the concept, one of our better-known Skeptics should make Mr. Sitchen an offer, very publicly: “Mr. Sitchin, I offer you a legal contract, the terms of which call for me to pay you $10,000 now if, on December 22, 2012, you will pay me one million dollars in return.” If he truly believes, he’ll think that the world will end before he has to repay, and should jump at this chance. If he doesn’t believe, he wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole.
This approach could apply to other “believers” too, with appropriate adjustments of the amounts to fit the situation. ;-)
He’d take the 10k and skip town.
I am just curious as to all these strange weather that the world has been having like the tonados,floods,earthquakes, and the erupting of volcanoes.
That’s not strange weather, kido. Those things have been happenining for millions of years! The only reason you think it’s strange is because news casters dwell on disasters more now than ever. But there are no more or less natural disasters occuring now than in any previous century or mellenia.
That and as the world population increases and population density rises the odds of severe weather striking populated areas also increases.
hate to break it to you but in the last fifty years earthquakes have been steadily increasing in magnitude the 1960 Earthquake of Valdivia reached 9.5 magnitude and earthquakes have been increasing in occurence here is a list
Date
Location
Name
Magnitude
May 22, 1960
Valdivia, Chile
1960 Valdivia earthquake
9.5
March 27, 1964
Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA
1964 Alaska earthquake
9.2
December 26, 2004
Indian Ocean, Sumatra, Indonesia
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
9.1–9.3
November 4, 1952
Kamchatka, Russia (then USSR)
1952 Kamchatka earthquakes
9.0[2]
March 11, 2011
Pacific Ocean, Tōhoku region, Japan
2011 Tōhoku earthquake
9.0[3][4][5]
November 25, 1833
Sumatra, Indonesia
1833 Sumatra earthquake
8.8–9.2 (est.)
January 31, 1906
Ecuador – Colombia
1906 Ecuador-Colombia earthquake
8.8
February 27, 2010
Maule, Chile
2010 Chile earthquake
8.8
January 26, 1700
Pacific Ocean, USA and Canada
1700 Cascadia earthquake
8.7–9.2 (est.)[6]
July 8, 1730
Valparaiso, Chile
1730 Valparaiso earthquake
8.7–9.0 (est.)[7]
November 1, 1755
Atlantic Ocean, Lisbon, Portugal
1755 Lisbon earthquake
8.7 (est.)[8]
February 4, 1965
Rat Islands, Alaska, USA
1965 Rat Islands earthquake
8.7
July 9, 869
Pacific Ocean, Tōhoku region, Japan
869 Sanriku earthquake
8.6 (est.)
October 28, 1707
Pacific Ocean, Shikoku region, Japan
1707 Hōei earthquake
8.6 (est.)
August 15, 1950
Assam, India – Tibet, China
1950 Medog earthquake
8.6
March 9, 1957
Andreanof Islands, Alaska, USA
1957 Andreanof Islands earthquake
8.6
March 28, 2005
Sumatra, Indonesia
2005 Sumatra earthquake
8.6
August 13, 1868
Arica, Chile (then Peru)
1868 Arica earthquake
8.5–9.0 (est.)[9]
December 16, 1575
Valdivia, Chile (Kingdom of Chile)
1575 Valdivia earthquake
8.5 (est.)
October 20, 1687
Lima, Peru (Viceroyalty of Peru)
1687 Peru earthquake
8.5 (est.)
May 24, 1751
Concepción, Chile (Kingdom of Chile)
1751 Concepción earthquake
8.5 (est.)
November 11, 1922
Atacama Region, Chile
1922 Vallenar earthquake
8.5 [10]
February 3, 1923
Kamchatka, Russia (USSR)
1923 Kamchatka earthquakes
8.5 [11]
February 1, 1938
Banda Sea, Indonesia (Dutch East Indies)
1938 Banda Sea earthquake
8.5
October 13, 1963
Kuril Islands, Russia (USSR)
1963 Kuril Islands earthquake
8.5 [11]
September 12, 2007
Sumatra, Indonesia
2007 Sumatra earthquakes
8.5
as have tidal waves like the japanse sunami and the pakistan floods here is another list increasing as we get closer to modern day.
1960s
In 1966, the flood of the Arno River killed dozens of people and damaged or destroyed millions of masterpieces of art and rare books in Florence, Italy.
In 1965 Hurricane Betsy flooded large areas of New Orleans, USA, for up to 10 days, drowning around 40 people.
The North Sea flood of 1962 kills almost 330 people along the coasts of southeastern England, Germany, and southern Denmark. 318 of the deaths occurred in Hamburg, Germany and many millions of pounds worth of damage was done.
In 1960, flooding from a tsunami (caused by the Great Chilean Earthquake) affected the towns of Riñihue, Riñihuazo, Los Lagos, Antilhue, Pishuinco, and Valdivia (all in Chile).
[edit] 1970s
In 1974, the dying Cyclone Wanda triggered major flooding in Brisbane, Australia killing 6 people and leaving hundreds homeless.
In 2 July 1975, many areas of Romanian Cuverture Charpatinas (e.g. Buzau, Prahova County), were struck by major flooding.
In August 1975, the Banqiao Dam in China breaks apart under excess rainfall and damage from Typhoon Nina, drowning about 26,000 and caused the lives of another 140,000 in resulting epidemics.
[edit] 1980s
In the winter of 1983, the Pacific Northwest of the United States saw one of the worst floods on record for that region, and some states recorded their wettest winter ever. Damage estimates are as high as $1.1 billion.
In 1982, the river Jucar in Spain breaks the Tous Reservoir, flooding the surrounding land in a deluge of 16,000 m3/s of water, and killing 30 people.
During the 1980s, the Great Salt Lake reached record high water levels due to a large amount of rain and its lack of an outlet. Places such as Saltair were inundated.
The South African town of Laingsburg was basically destroyed on January 25, 1981, when 104 of its 900 inhabitants died during a flood that swept threw the town and left only about 25 houses standing
[edit] 1990s
The 1998 Yangtze River Floods left 14 million people homeless, killed hundreds, and left billions of pounds worth of damage.
Bangladesh was flooded in 1998, with millions of people affected and hundreds killed.
The Red River Flood of 1997 (also called the Red River of the North Flood of 1997 in the United States) occurred in April and May 1997 along the Red River of the North in North Dakota, Minnesota, (USA) and Manitoba (Canada). It was the most severe flooding of the river since 1826.
The worst flood in Polish history hits the country in July 1997, killing 65 and causing extensive damage to Wroclaw and Opole.
July 1996 saw severe floods in Central Honshū, Japan.
A dying typhoon hits Kyushu, Japan, in September 1996, causing severe floods in that region.
On May 8, 1995, severe floods cause extensive damage in Louisiana, USA.
The summer of 1993 was unusually wet for the USA, causing flooding in the southwest.
March 1993 the “No Name” storm, silently brought major flooding to Citrus County, FL
The Great Flood of 1993 was one of the most destructive floods in United States history.
In Alaska, USA, from May to September 1992 it was unusually wet, causing the 100 year flood. Snow melt only made the floods worse.
January 1992 saw severe floods in South America, most notably Brazil.
[edit] 2000s
In November 2009, record-breaking amounts of rain were dumped on Cumbria, England and Cork, Ireland, causing minor floods in Cork and major floods in Cumbria. During the floods, waters reached a UK record 8 ft deep in Cockermouth, Cumbria.
In June 2009, minor flooding hit parts of Sheffield City Centre in Sheffield, England. Waters reached only about half a foot deep as the River Don broke its banks, but considerable damage was still caused.
The 2008 Indian floods affected several states in India between July 2008 and September 2008 during an unusually wet monsoon season. The floods caused severe damage, and killed an estimated 2404 people.
The 2007 Africa Floods was one of the worst and most destructive floods in recorded history on the continent of Africa with 14 countries affected.
Between late May 2007 and early August 2007, severe 2007 United Kingdom floods hit most of the United Kingdom, with the most affected area in the country being Yorkshire. The city of Sheffield (in Yorkshire) was the worst affected city in the country, a months worth of rain fell on the city in just 18 hours on 25 June 2007, bursting the banks of the River Don in that city. There were also fears that the Ulley Reservoir in Sheffield would fail, if it did it would have killed hundreds. 6 people were killed across the country.
The 2007 Hunter Floods inundated large areas of the cities of Maitland and Newcastle in Australia in June 2007, claimed 11 lives and forced the evacuation of 4,000 people in Central Maitland.
Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Sabah suffered floods between December 2006 and January 2007. It killed hundreds and forced 100,000 people to be evacuated in Johor alone. Floods hit the country’s capital Jakarta in January 2007, killing 80. It was the worst flood in Malaysia for over 100 years.
Ethiopia saw one of its worst floods ever in August 2006.
The Mid-Atlantic States flood of 2006 in the eastern United States is considered to be the worst in that region since the flooding caused by Hurricane David in 1979.
Korea (both North Korea and South Korea) saw one of its worst floods ever in May 2006.
In November 2005, in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, many villages were isolated due to heavy rains caused by low-pressure areas in the Bay of Bengal.
Record rain across eastern Europe in August 2005 caused very severe flooding.
80% of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA was flooded due to the failure of several levees in August 2005 during Hurricane Katrina. 1,076 people also died because of the hurricane.
Flooding in Mumbai, India, in July 2005 left over 700 dead. Some areas went under 5 m of water.
One of Canada’s most devastating floods occurred in southern Alberta in June 2005. The flooding affected many major metropolitan areas including Calgary. 4 deaths resulted from the three-week flood.
In January 2005, flooding on the rivers Eden, Kent, Derwent, Greta and Cocker as well as others in Cumbria, England, flooded about 2,000 properties and caused in excess of £250 million of damage. It was the worst flood in the history of the region of Cumbria (but it was beaten by the Cumbria flooding of November 2009).[2]
The Boscastle flood, 2004 on the 16 August in the village of Boscastle, Cornwall, United Kingdom, caused much damage to buildings in the Valency river valley. Further flooding took place in surrounding valleys, and in the town of Camelford.
In 2002, the 2002 Glasgow floods hit Glasgow, Scotland, causing severe damage.
In 2002, the 2002 European floods hit Central Europe, causing major damage.
In June 2001, floods from Tropical Storm Allison killed over 30 people in the Houston, Texas, area.
The 2000 Mozambique flood, caused by heavy rains followed by a cyclone, covered much of the country for three weeks, killing thousands, leaving the country devastated for years afterwards.
[edit] 2010s
in June 2011 flooding in China affected more than 4.8 million people, with 100,000 evacuated and 54 reported dead.
2011 Brazil floods of January are consider the worst in the country’s history. As of Jan. 18, the floods have taken about 700 lives and 14,000 people are homeless mainly due to landslides.
The 2010-2011 Queensland floods are some of the worst the country of Australia has ever seen.
The November 2010 Colombia floods and associated landslides killed 138 persons. 1.3 million were left homeless.
In November 2010, many areas of Cornwall, UK, were struck by floods. The worst hit area was the town of Par.
On August 4, 2010 at 9:25 am EST a major thunderstorm producing large hail and winds in excess of 60 mph (97 km/h) advanced at the leading edge of a cold front moving across the American Midwest, causing a flash flood that struck Louisville, Kentucky and portions of the surrounding Kentuckiana region.
On July 26, 2010, heavy monsoon rains flooded most of Pakistan in the 2010 Pakistan floods.
In May 2010 until August 2010 flooding in China affected more than 230 million people – with 15.2 million people evacuated and thousands dead.
In May 2010, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk informs the Sejm that ongoing flooding is “the worst natural disaster in the nation’s history
Hey Cindy, please don’t pay any mind to the general negativity of some of the comments here…
It is because of Global Warming we are having such extremes in weather patterns. The frequency of the planet is increasing.
The Global Warming that is being experienced here is not unique to the Earth. Every planet in our Solar System is going through the same thing.
The Universe is evolving. So too is our Solar System. Since we are all a part of this living organism called Earth, we are evolving along with everything else.
The readers that leave negative or ignorant comments regarding the 2012 prophecy, are doing themselves and others a great dis-service. I think the best you can do is research the TRUTH regarding the 2012 prophecy.
The prophecy regarding 2012 has been told by ancient cultures thousands of years ago. Cultures separated by great distances. All speak of a time when the darkness will end, and a New World will begin. This date is Dec. 21, 2012.
Please don’t get me wrong. This ‘prophecy’ does have scientific backing.
You may also want to research terms such as: Sacred Geometry and The Fibonacci Sequence.
All things in life follow these two principles. WITH NO EXCEPTIONS.
What is occurring now on this planet is a natural process. We are evolving into the next and final stage of Human Evolution.
The rulers of the world understand what is going on. They know that the only way to control our evolution is to keep the population mired in FEAR. They know that by keeping the general population in fear, this is the reality that will be created through this process.
This is why movies about Armageddon and 2012 Doomsday prophecies are so heavily promoted in the media. They want the polarized energy that this type of situation creates.
This is also why we are not hearing anything about the TRUTH behind the 2012 prophecy on the mainstream news or media etc.
It is easy to promote a feeling of fear or apprehension in people about something they know little about. And this is what they are currently doing.
The earth is approaching the end of several very long cycles. But these changes are nothing to fear. They are to be embraced no matter how difficult they might at first appear to be.
I invite everyone to research the truth regarding 2012.
Cheers!
Dex
There will always be a new prediction date for the end of the world. But think of it. Sure, maybe you can say the world MAY end soon because of nuclear cotastrophe, or whatever the big threat may be, but that’s logical. I remember when a teacher told me that Planet X was going to crash in to the world in (I can’t remember) 03 or 05. I just thought, what a fucking idiot. And guess who was right?
It’s like predicting your own date of death. Unless you’re going to kill yourself or someone told you they are going to come shoot you, or have a terminal illness, any claim to be made is false.
Thanks for this enlightemning article. The “Winter Solstice” deadline for destruction should always start alarm bells ringing. The obvious question begs: Does this imply two waves of destruction, or will the Southern hemisphere be spared? The doomsdayers answer to that would be “interesting” to say the least.
Thanks for the article!
I’m thinking about the following. While internet becomes more and more conductive for fast spreading of ideas, hoaxes and memes viruses – the resistance of the medium should compensate. So, the role of the Science and Education and weight of those in the Internet should increase proportionally with the conductivity increase, otherwise we’ll come to new Middle Ages sooner or later. Why? Any new hoax (under unlimited conductivity) will be causing panic, crises etc and governments will start regulation of the medium. But the right way is to increase the role of Education (studying of the scientific method, epistemology etc) in school – not to have so many people believing into analogs of flying kettles – even among educated Engineers.
Hoaxes, conspriacys, myths vs “proper” scientific methods: it remains an easy step to argue from authority and to wrongfully lable so many pioneer researchers as “junk scientist”. Indeed that is exactly how we as a human race contrived the notion the earth was flat and our solar system remain a geocentric view.Exploration of truth and knowledge and what is percieved reality allowed many great thinkers (here is my arguement of authority) like Einstien to uncover a fresh way to view thoughts. Remian in a box and become static or open up to the greater possbilties. Fractals, uncertainty principle, junk DNA…so many unanswered and exciting horizons…why condem an hypotheisis before the prove is in the pudding….leave your box and open your mind.
You shouldn’t open your mind to the point where your brain is in danger of falling out! While it’s absolutely true that scientific leaps (Einstein, Schrodinger, Darwin, etc.) often meets with resistance initially, opponents are responsible for saying “But what about…?” and “But wouldn’t that mean…?” and so on. Someone who is truly in search of the truth, who is confronted with such questions, will honestly face them and either find answers to them or, eventually, give up the theory. Have the proponents of 2012 disaster done that? I think the answer to why is clear…they are out to sell books or movies, or have some other vested interest (possibly just personal satisfaction at being noticed and listened to). They are not on an honest search for truth.
Here are necessary freedoms including freedom of speech are coming into play.
Nobody should be able to restrict a scientist (as it had been in the Middle Ages) – to freely publish any crazy unproved idea. But it will be up to the scientist’s reputation. And if it is a real scientist – he will publish the hypothesis in a scientific journal in a proper form (Abstract, …), together with the method and procedures – how to test it and which future observations might disprove the hypothesis (show the falsifiability of the hypothesis).
And non-scientific public (what I’ve mentioned above) must clearly understand (from the school) the boundary between the real science and speculations in yellow press, and should know – where to search – for serious and reliable information.
Hoaxes, conspiracies, myths – are rather on the cultural/spiritual side of the human being activity, the same as religion, where falsifiability, testability etc are not necessary. Scientific method with it’s necessary steps and strict format of ideas presenting to the public (in a respectful or not so scientific journal rather than home pages or blogs) – should be clearly demarcated.
This does not mean, although, that a real scientist can’t publish a crazy idea in her blog. Again – it’s up to his/her name’s reputation. But an hysteria (about next date of the end of the world, a big comet arriving or a financial bubble coming tomorrow) can be justified (and so – attention to it is undertaken by organizations and people) – only based only on a respectful source, and such source for scientific information – is scientific magazines/journals only. General public must know this. As well as the “falsifiability”/”testability” terms. That way there will be much less waves of hoaxes in today’s very powerful info medium.
I must have been living in one of those underground bunkers because this is the first I’d heard of this ‘Nibiru disaster’. Quite simply, it’s up to the propagators of the idea to produce valid, testable evidence to support the claims; it’s not up to NASA, the government, me or anyone else to disprove it.
While I’m happy to believe that there are things that various governments would prefer we didn’t know, usually for reasons of security or military secrecy, they’d find it very difficult to hide a planet sized body on a collision course with Earth – especially one close enough to hit within a couple of years. Somebody outside the establishment would leak it in no time flat, and plenty of amateur astronomers would find it within hours.
Basic rule with any of these things is the burden of proof; it’s up to you to prove it IS, not up to me to prove it isn’t. Or, to put it more simply – put up or shut up!
Your right, I believe in Nibiru when I can go outside at night and see it for myself. I mean, I love stories about Ancient Astronauts and you must keep an open mind.
But please, Let’s use our Common Sense. Religion has let us astray for millenia,with believing silly things, which are simply impossible.
So, lets stick to science and nothing else!!!
And see you at 2013-01-01
Roland
(from the Netherlands)
I don’t know. I still believe that 2012 is coming. I mean, every year from 1 to 2010 has come and gone, so why was 2012 canceled?
I thank you Dr. Morrison for your extrondianry work. I have already predictd 2012 will be the beginning of a new world, not the end.
I do 100% agree that the this is nothing more than a social scare, but something above did catch my attention. Question # 9 I believe, you wrote:
Why does the Mayan calendar say the world will end in 2012?
Forgive me for being curious, but I don’t think I saw an actual answer to that and I would really like to know what your interpretation is.
thanks!
Dave
Are you kidding? The Mayan calendar does not predict the world will end in 2012. Go back and read the answer to question 1. And then read the answers to all of the questions again too.
check this link:
http://www.bible.ca/pre-date-setters.htm
according to this, since 1979, I survived no less than 90 Apocalypse. So… guess what, Mayans? I’m not afraid of your fancy 2012!!!
If somebody will try to convince you that the end of the world will be in (any date here) then ask them to sign a deal stating that you will become a rightfull legal owner of everything they have on a day right after “the end”. If they really believe it, there’s no risk for them, but they only want you to buy their books or DVDs. Unfortunatly it’s been used the other way – more & more people buy stuff they can’t afford (and don’t really need) on credit with 1st payment delayed till 2013, believing they will not have to pay it.
The world will not end on December 21,2012 the Mayan Calendar predicts it will but it won’t, just because we say its going to end means its going to end. I will feel really bad for people who kill themselves because they think it will end it will be a normal and regular day like any other day… :)
A great article which we fully support.
… Noah Dawkins
Besides all of this stuff, which can’t be proven either way in most cases, I’d like to know how the stones where cut at Puma Punku. I know it has little to do with the end of the world but i have yet to see Sceptic come up with anything decent about it.
I too would love to hear some arrogant writer from Skeptic Magazine explain Puma Punku. I mean, they know everything right? With a modicum of critical thinking skills that you could develop at any research institution, they’ve achieved an air of certainty rivaled only by God. Neigh, surpassing God! Mysteries begone! We have… “The Skeptic.” Ooo! They could have their own series of infomercials, sure we can sell “Certitude,” I can see it now! “Boom, mystery begone!” That’ll be the tag-line. In a few months we can sell, “New and improved, Certitude Plus!” I know what you’re thinking, perhaps an infomercial series is too pedestrian… Yeah, these people get paid big bucks to overlook all sorts of evidence! Perhaps we should start building temples to honor them? But that will never happen, because they have more “knowledge” than “understanding” and temples are rarely built to honor those with simply knowledge. They are more frequently built to honor those who demonstrate wisdom. Suffice it to say that the Skeptic will avoid scrutinizing Puma Punku at all costs because it would require humility and rabid skepticism rarely begets humility.
Oh, but lest I forget, pay no attention to the overwhelming evidence of water erosion on the walls of the enclosure surrounding the Sphinx, that’s a figment of your imagination, you’ve probably been munching peyote buttons like the unenlightened sheep you are. Silly sheep, don’t you know that enlightenment and certainty are only to be found in books? Don’t you know that time flows just as you perceive it, through your fleshy vehicle with its flawless sensory apparata? [Sorry, "apparatuses" is a stupid word, I refuse to use it.] Pay no attention to those megalithic granite and diorite blocks that appear to have been cut by modern CNC machines 17,000 years ago! Those were cut laboriously by master artisans the likes of which the world has never known over a thousand years using petrified pine needles from a bygone prehistoric era… and chewing gum… I told you to stay away from those peyote buttons sheep! Listen to the scientist who is paid the most or is featured on FOX News or USA Today or… Myth Busters. Oops, I left out the Skeptic, my bad the Skeptic, but that’s it! Above all, pay absolutely no attention to conflicting data, especially the sort that you can, see, hear, and touch for yourself!
I am not associated with “Skeptic,” and I would agree that sometimes the magazine comes across as a bit arrogant – particularly when it comes to preaching an absolute based on the absence of evidence.
However, they do a great service in discrediting people who come up with solutions based on no real evidence – meaning talking to the dead, psychic powers, speaking to God (or “high level government officials,” or “angels,” or other higher powers that speak ONLY to certain individuals….and you have to take their word for it).
When it comes to the Sphinx – this is a riddle indeed. It’s age is indeed controversial, and SKEPTIC has not commented on the controversy, as far as I know. While there is a “hard line,” the hard line has been brought into question by good evidence – and it is the nature of SCIENCE to be FLUID – to be able to change when new better evidence is brought to light.
The mystery of Pumapunku is also a mystery – but it is silly to challenge SKEPTIC to discuss it. The writers at SKEPTIC discuss FACTS. This mystery is based on an absence of facts. However, I will say this: there is a sad belief that ancient man was not as smart as modern man. Pumapunku has been carbon dated after 400 A.D. (probably 600-1000 A.D.). Even if you believe that it is much older…what is so unbelievable about humans creating such a thing? It is IMPRESSIVE…but they had humans who were smart back then, regardless of the era! What is so “unbelievable” about a human with an I.Q. of 170 developing stone carving techniques? The humans who built that structure were JUST AS INTELLIGENT as humans are today. Take our most intelligent engineers and scientists – and it is probable (and LIKELY) that the humans who built Pumapunku were just as intelligent. They may not have had the same access to technology – but they could have easily developed their own technology that has since been lost. This has likely happened MANY times throughout history – and it does not require ALIENS or some other advanced civilizations.
I am a scientist, by the way…and I am a long-time reader of SKEPTIC. I have written them with corrections in the past, and they have thanked me for my contribution. I LOVE for SKEPTIC to publish things that I can refute, because I love intelligent debate. However, resorting to incredible ideas (i.e. ALIENS, Atlantis, or whatever) is not a good strategy.
I did not say that you were suggesting ALIENS were involved, by the way. I realize that you did not say that. However, the implication is that it is impossible for ancient humans to develop advanced technology – and I suggest that is ridiculous. Intelligent humans have existed throughout history – and humans are quite capable of great feats without the help of other advanced civilizations.
i really don’t know how to respond too people informing others that the world will end in 2012. anyway, the only thing i can do is to tell a joke: two men walking about in the village park, holding placards saying “repent for the world will perish tomorrow”. they talk to every person who would care to listen. when the sun went down, one said to the other…”ok, friend. time to go home. see you again here tomorrow at the same time”.
i hope i delivered it right. english is not my primary language. cheers!
This is all junk! I’m a researcher whose been heavily involved in finding the “truths” about 2012 for many years now. Now I may have only possibilities about 2012 and what will happen. This much I do know for a fact. NASA and our United States gov’t has been lying for many many years, about several subjects. Lets take a look at Roswell for one. They have already been discovered lying about that. They have in fact been in contact with several species of ET’s foreign to our own planet. This is all factual information. All of this started in the 1950′s. They have contracts with some of these races, from everything from weapons aquisition, to borrowing and experimenting with humans for genetics purposes (thousands have already disappeared), others tagged and kidnapped from time to time as a tool for medical purposes, ect. I know what many of you are saying. This guy is crazy, right? Wrong! I am not and I am being 100% honest with all of you. This is real, it is happening, and I know my information is very credible. I’ll even go one step further. I’ve peronsally spoken to people at very high levels of our gov’t, and I do specify high levels, that have verified all of this info as factual. So before you shoot me down and say I’m just looking for attention, think about it. Why wouldn’t they tell you the truth? Why are they keeping it to themselves? There are answers to these questions. Prevent mass panic? Prevent breakdown of social services, religious centers, financial systems, ect. The gov’t and NASA doesn’t want to tell the public, because they’re afraid that it will cause the entire eco-system and life as we know it, to crash and burn. They’re going about the daily routine and lives as we know it, without saying a word. When late 2011 arrives, the gov’t will go underground with there families into what they call DUMBS, or underground military bases, and wait out the storm. These bases are huge, and have been under heavy construction since the early 1980′s. If you don’t believe me, check into it. Look at Denver Airport underground base. You will find the answers starting with that.
Nice story you have there, all you need to do now is show 100% evidence for it. :)
“Extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence.”
It would be easier for me to believe in “angels” if the angels would talk to me…and not just to “certain special people.”
Similarly, it would be easier for me to believe these things if these “people in high levels of the government” would speak to me…and not just to “certain special people” like yourself.
This type of argument requires a 100% belief in your honesty…and the honesty of the “special government people.” It is not very scientific.
show us more factual information and fewer question marks and references to “factual information”.
On #8 where you say “…or warnings about driving accidents on long holiday weekends, which are no more dangerous than any other time.” I did find an article from the National Safety Council regarding 2010 Labor Day Traffic Fatalities which, if I interpreted it correctly, noted a roughly 15% increase in traffic fatalities over Labor Day weekend than in comparison times (similar length weekends before and after the holiday weekend) see http://www.nsc.org/Documents/LaborDay2010.pdf (The National Safety Council does appear to be a for profit organization)
Anne, as far as I can see, the document you refer does not answer the question of whether it is more dangerous to drive on Labor Day or not. It simply states that the number of accidents is higher on Labor Day. This could be due to increased traffic, in which case the risk for each driver to suffer an accident is not higher (see “Holiday comparison” on page 2).
When I say “accidents”, I mean fatalities…
this is a great article. thanks for posting. i hope people read it carefully and consider its content as much as they consider all the 2012 doomsday hype. but i doubt they will. people that believe that BS clearly stop thinking at some point and just “believe” whether they know and accept it or not.
Come 2013, we will know the fools from the rest. They will be the ones begging their neighbors to give them back all their stuff, up-to-their-eyeballs-deep in debt from a massive, year long spending spree and maxing out all credit cards on the assumption that the world will end and they’ll never have to pay it back. Doomsday is an idea built on the average person’s fears and gives them comfort in “knowledge.” Who else expects a chain of ads telling you to buy “You can take it with you!” robes? I might buy one just for kicks.
P.S. My parents watched the movie “2012″ and asked me, while laughing, “Is this supposed to be a comedy?” They’re both engineers.
i’ll have to say it’s a great article. You’ve told about all the hoax n myths and i totally agree these are myths and a pure imagination of some dumb minds and nothing to do with real world but you may never know there are millions of more possible events that can destroy earth and humanity.
From which i feel the most dangerous one is a nuclear war
Didn’t the world already end in 1000ad, 1984, or was it 2000 (y2k), or was it 2001 because it didn’t happen in 2000. The real fear is in not knowing how dum people will act or what harm dum people will do as we get closer to this date.
Im probally not qualified to coment,cause I’m just a concretor,but what the hell. the article made for some good reading and the coments had me laughing quit hard at times. I think a lot people are a bit paranoid.
Here in Australia the skeptics didnt believe Dingos ate babies. Now they know they do. Lindy Chamberlin went to jail for this extraordinary claim. She was accussed of murdering her daughter,while being surrounded by witnesses.
Not that this has anything to do with end times but I thought it might be given some thought to how things can be blown out of proportion.If we just assume something without solid proof, sometimes it really does make an ass out of u and me.
Who knows for sure, maybe after being flogged with gamma rays we all might become supermen and women! Thanks
This is my first read on Doomsday, and I am certainly no scientist or astronomer. It just makes me wonder why people who support the idea of a Doomsday such as this, spend so much time arguing about it, instead of living it up. If there is significant proof of it, there would be no point in trying to convince everyone else of a “Doomsday”. Similarly, the exact reason why scientists don’t waste their time trying to prove something that has 100% solid facts (aka, Doomsday being fictional).
Could it be possible that we are looking out for the wrong signs for a disaster (eg infrared heat waves as planets etc). I myself dont believe anything will happen in 2012, but all I’m saying is that there is a POSSIBILITY that we don’t even have or we’re not using the right equipment when searching for these signs. They could be invisible to the naked eye like many things are, and even invisible to the equipment we currently have. Who says we’re at the peak of technology? Who says there aren’t things we haven’t discovered? It could be a disaster waiting to hit us, and we don’t even know it’s coming! I’m just throwing this out to see what you guys think. Your views on this will be helpful :)
I can’t wait for 2012 to come… so we move on to another end of the world date…. hummm maybe 2020.
Easiest way to deal with these doom-mongers is to lay cash on the table.
Offer a substantial bet that they are wrong – say, $10,000 (you can raise the money on your home).
When the sun rises on 22nd December 2012, pop round with a bottle of champers and collect your winnings.
What usually happens, though, is that they refuse point blank to back up their faith and trust in their knowledge. But the plus side is that waving around a few dollars usually shuts them up.
There IS doom, but only in this context, “those who do not know history are DOOMED to repeat it.”
I have read all the comments and the 20 questions and answers, Dr. Morrison, I would like to add that everybody will have their own opinion on this subject, but maybe we should do what we all should have done at the beginning of this chaos and that is to go on our knees and ask God. He is the ONLY one that knows, NO ONE else’s opinion means anything, as they are guessing and do not know for sure.
End of the world is coming, that is a fact.
You will all die, someday, that is a fact.
Lets stick to the facts people, even if you did know for a fact (which you don’t) that the world will end 21/12/2012, what can you do about it.
Here is a suggestion “Get God in your life” that is the only way you will get through this. Hidding underground will only take you closer to Hell.
if you’re telling people to stick to what they know then you should not be preaching about the lord, which is backed up by near ZERO scientific evidance, and is full of flaws and things that are wrong. We know via charles darwin that god did not create the humans and animals….. Turning water into wine can be done by any miscreant, including myself, it never specified a time period in which jesus supposedly did this. I don’t mean to slam on christianity, because the ideals and the spirit that, not just christianity, but alot of religeons around the world, is extremely good, and it can help people when they most need it, however, believing blindly that the bible is the word of the lord and that everything in it is a given fact, believeing that god knows everything and that if you are bad you go to hell, is no worse than 2012 conspiritors
FACT : The bible is the number #1 best-selling book in history
FACT : The concept of hell was used by the catholic church to scare citizens into donating money and devoting their life labouring for the catholic church
Just saying………………………
All predictions about the end of time, dooms day and comming of Christ were wrong. All future ones will be untrue too, I will never believe in anyone who will predict about the comming of Christ, Dooms day or Judgement day, not even an angel because the Bible (Jesus) said it clearly.
“Mark 13:32 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father”
I think that all those who predicts about the end time does it for FAME!!
Hi Pete,
You say that the world will end on 21 December 2012.
I’ll bet you £10,000 that you are wrong. We’ll each put into an Escrow agreement to see fair play.
My faith against your faith.
What’s it going to be?
Hi Tony,
I am not saying the world will end on 21/12/2012. As a christian I believe exactly what Stanley A. Komoras says above.
What might have misslead you was my statements, so let me explain:
End of the world is coming, that is a fact. – It is going to happen, as it says in the bible, so no matter how long from now, but it will happen.
You will all die, someday, that is a fact. – It is going to happen, as everybody I have ever known or will ever meet will die someday.
Mark 13:32 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father”
I also agree with him that it is to again some sort of sick FAME. If Jesus does not know the day or hour when He will come, who are we, as mere mortals to predict this.
Faith is not a competition, it’s a heart condition, so I will not enter into what you call “My faith against yours”
If you have faith in the Lord and Saviour, my brother that makes me extremely happy to know that I will see you in heaven one day. Keep the faith and may God bless you so much that you would not be able to contain it.
Hi Pete,
You said: “Lets stick to the facts people, even if you did know for a fact (which you don’t) that the world will end 21/12/2012″
I am sorry I appear to have completely misunderstood you on reading that as I thought that you clearly said that the world will end on 21/12/2012.
It’s an easy one to make, I suppose.
The bet’s off, then. Never mind. If you are a bit skint, we’ll call it a “gentleman’s bet” on a handshake then, shall we? Make it one for pride or bragging rights only, eh?
Seriously, though, we all know that there are few certainties in life – except for death, the end of the universe and income tax. We all know that the world will end – probably in a few billion years but possibly sooner if we either nuke the place ourselves, the sun becomes a red giant or we get hit by some cataclysmic piece of cosmic debris. Disasters that have practically wiped out life on Earth have happened on many occasions in the past and are statistically quite likely to happen again in the future. Nothing new there then.
And you say that faith is not a competition… (and then launch into a tirade against Islam because a blogger claims that Islam is the best religion in the world). However, I wasn’t necessarily proposing a competition in the offering a wager.
I am merely expressing how much faith I have got and how much I am prepared to live by and rely on my faith. Even to the point of risking all worldly goods and placing myself in material (but not necessarily spiritual) poverty for the remaining 13 months that we’ve all got left (allegedly).
Given the challenge, I would have expected you to do the same. Maybe to show that the God of Abraham is prepared to tweak the laws of physics he has created just to help you along a little? Or perhaps your faith isn’t as strong as it should be?
Faith is pretty straightforward, really. You take a step on firm ground and it doesn’t give way. The sun rises every morning. We get wet in the rain. The seasons come and go. We get old (hopefully) before we must leave this very great city and should not be offended when so asked (Marcus Aurelius). Happens every time.
And you know what?
The real magic and uplifting thought is that there is so much to marvel, love and enjoy in the world around us but sadly, we often miss it because our attentions are being fixed elsewhere by mcguffins that pop up to distract us from time to time.
Anyway, shan’t keep you any longer and I’m sure you have plenty to do yourself before the World ends.
Hi Tony,
Ha ha ha ha ha Well stated, did not take any offence to your comment about “Or perhaps your faith isn’t as strong as it should be?” My faith is well and very strong, to the extent that I am a home cell leader in my church, and minister to the youth once a month at our TIC (Teens in Christ) gathering and constantly studing the Bible.
I cannot take a bet “gentlemans agreement” with you if I agree with you, that will be silly. I am however glad to hear that your faith is so strong, that is a rare thing these days, as I believe people seem to have lost the plot a little, due to many events in their lives.
What country are you from,? I live in Sunny South Africa.
We must definitely stay in touch as your views on religion fasinates me. I do agree with a lot of your statements, but hope, as all christians do, that we will not be around for another few billion years.
There is so much to marvel, love and enjoy, that I agree with.
Regarding “(and then launch into a tirade against Islam because a blogger claims that Islam is the best religion in the world). I get rather frustrated with these people that think they have the answer to religion and not relying on what God’s word clearly states. I am doing self study on The book of Revelations and among other things Jewish, Islamic and Hindu religions. And, as I am from Africa I am rather interested in the religions of the different African cultures as well. So my statement was based on actual biblical facts that can be found on any religious website (if you would like to read up on it, let me know and I will give you the link.)
Stay well, hope to hear from you again..
Unless next fourth of July is celebrated with ICBM’s instead of fireworks, there is no plausible explanation for the world coming to and end, or even being severely harmed, in 2012. To all those who claim strangely high frequencies of disasters, warfare, cosmic events, etc. these are nothing unusual. They only seem to be concentrated in recent times because recent events are fresher in public memory, media is more sensationalist and pessimistic than ever, and those who would profit from people believing in an apocalypse like to point out such things without having hard data to support them. (Or, if they do have data, they don’t compare it to anything. For example, citing the high number of earthquakes in the past year becomes meaningless as soon as you point out that there were just as many the year before, or in the case of warfare, that the numbers are actually decreasing over the years.) Any who cite the Mayans as predicting the 2012 apocalypse have been misinformed, most likely through no fault of their own. First of all, the Mayan calendar ends in 2012 in the same way that ours ends on Dec. 31: it simply means that a new unit of time is beginning, not that time is ending. Furthermore, modern day Mayans do not, as far as I know, support the 2012 apocalypse theory. I will not even address the Nibiru theory as I find it completely ridiculous. There is no theory of a 2012 apocalypse that is consistent with current observations, and even if there was, it would be up to those who created it to support it with verifiable fact, not up to NASA or the government to refute it. Thus, it will be no more likely that the world would end on Dec. 21. 2012 than it was that it would end today.
Well, mabey the world WILL end in 2012. there have been so many disasters in the world and NO ONE is doing ANYTHING to PREVENT global warming. the GOVERNMENT EVERYWHERE IS FAILING.people are so focussed on WAR and GUNS and NO ONE CARES ABOUT WHAT WE ARE DOING TO OUR PLANET. i agree with what dld said in the 2nd bullet of 52. we have had too many 8.0 and 9.0 earthquakes past few years if not months and many tsunamis which one destroyed sendai prefecture but now has been cleaned and under repair. We have seen large category 4 and 5 past few 7 years and now our second hurricane irene which became a close to category 4 but was a 3 i our strongest stomr this hurricane season WOW!!!. Global economy sucks Wall Streets plugging in fake numbers on the dow jones index chart to show, “oh look we fixed our bad week from 8/20/2011 to 8/27/2011 by watching our chart drop 90* straight down and it happens to loose only 800 points (shrugging ok lets face it someone made a mistake calculating numbers so they plugged in fake one LIKE DOES THAT MAKE SENSE???. Not to mention Katrina took 4 months to get to. China is killing their own people only supporting rich, america wont testify against china’s wrong doings? The political idiots on CNN and washington during the great Muslim Revolution called te young generation muslim terrorist when all they want is to fight for freedom not to mention the Muslim world despises both alqaueda and taliban how does that work CNN tell me how does your biased bull explain how the muslims that want peace and how many rather would hunt down the talibans and alqaude now their realizing how evil these organization are? now look at the pockets of anti american organization popping up all over the world including inside united states because of the shenannigans were being put through? Jobless is rising from so called 9% to 10% again which in my own word its more than that because um what about those like me that are in staffing company waiting for jobs t open up? All we do is fill positions they dont explain those WITH PARTIME JOBS only explain the full time workers being worked to death. THE WORLD IS DESTROYING ITSELF AND IF THINGS KEEP GOING THE WAY THEY ARE, THE WORLD AS WE KNEW IT WILL BE NO MORE.
I AM JUST A CONCERNED 11 YEAR OLD WHO KNOWS THAT HER VOICE ALONE WILL NEVER BE HEARD. BUT IF WE ALL JOIN TOGETHER, WE CAN AND PROBABLY WILL MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.
THANK YOU…
you make alot of valid arguements however, you’re taking a very pescimistic view to things… I am only going to defend one point you made, as your arguements are arguements of very naive people, which is not an insult, as all people are naive in some way.
The topic im going to adress is joblessness…..
I should start by saying, I am unemployed… i know the frustrations of trying to find a job… and knowing that atleast 100 other people apply for nearly every job i apply for, does diminish my hope of succesfully searching for a job. However, this is not linked to a depression of economy, and is only barely linked to the economy… Some people argue with valid points, that thanks to the recession there is not such a demand for bussiness, and therefore bussinesses can’t afford to continue, which is true to an extent, but the route cause of both the recession and the unemployment numbers, are down to the shear number of people alive in individual countries. Most countries in the world populate in an increasing amount, due to new medicine, more babies survive, people live for longer, etc. This is good for human rights and recourses and happiness, however, this increase in population provides a huge negative effect on the economy, doing serious damage to living standards ( having to build more houses), benefits systems (everyone has to have less so that people recieve equal benefits), jobs (higher population = more people to apply for work), food shortages (more mouthes to feed)… the food shortage scare leads to more money being put in to genetic engineering of fruit/veg and also researching how to produce food more quickly, factory farming being a big one….. the problem is, with the population increasing, it is beggining to get impossible to uphold all human and animal rights, as well as allowing everyone to live normal lives.
I agree with factory farming, and I disagree with anyone who tells me it is immoral, factory farming conserves energy, protecting the environment, alot of the time helping the animals to not be ill, conserving money, and producing a much higher output of meat, if factory farming was used more commonly, the price of meat would fall as the supply increased matching the demand, if animals where bred in captivity and forcefull bred, it increases the population, combined with FF (factory farming), It is impossible to allow animals to be free range, purely for the wellfare of the animals, is immoral as it increases the price of meat and therefore contributes towards malnutrition and poverty in humans…..
as i have very poorly demonstrated, the problems of humanity are not one problem, they are linked with, near enough every other proble, and finding a solution to one, creates more problems in another, and unfortunately, sometimes the governments cannot foresee a negative, and so adjust themselves in that way and are surprised when this error comes up, but at the end of the day, we are all human, we cannot be perfect alot of the time. Countries are all in dept with each other because they each seek to perfect themselves and perfect human knowlage or law of science.
There is always more than meets the eye and im not saying the government is perfect and trying their hardest to correct things, but just because we see one thing as a bad thing, others may not. I choose to take the positive message of not being able to find a job, the positive message being people actually want jobs now, unlike a few years ago where everyone just scrounged off of benefits….. perhaps this is all just a master plan devised by the government in order to make people want to work, then in another year or so they will release a flow of money that ends the recession and everyone is working, with only the people who need benefits, on them. and if that is the case i applaud the ingenuity (although i doubt it is, i just made up the idea on the spot). As with the FF, a little suffering is a small price to pay for partially solving the problems of humanity.
if you had a choice between having your cat’s whiskers plucked, or having it’s eyes cut out (with anasthetic)…. would you choose the whiskers?…. a small amount of pain or a life of blindness? sorry to spoil your innocence but this is the way the world works.
Hey 11 year old kid.. a few things for you to consider, first off, you seem really smart! a very intelligent individual..
Fact#1:
Global Warming is not something we can do anything about.
Fact#2:
Global Warming is being caused by the fact that the sun is HOTTER than it usually is. This can be attributed to the fact that the frequency of our Solar System is increasing.
The people that rule our lives (the elite), want us all to believe that Global Warming is a man-made phenomenon.
It isn’t.
Global Warming is not unique to the Earth. it’s happening to every planet in our Solar System. But our ‘rulers’ want us to think that it’s OUR fault. Don’t be fooled!
Please do some research on the Earth Frequency Rising.
The government is not failing. It’s doing what it was designed to do. MAINTAIN CONTROL. They do this by using economics, the military, and religion. Watch ‘The Zeitgeist’ on Youtube. Very informative.
Remember, those in power will do anything in their power to stay in power. And this is what they’ve been doing for over 100 years… If you look at the ruling class, the bloodlines go way back.. they’re all related!! do the research.. it’s all there.
The extreme weather will increase.. it’s supposed to. This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius! A time of change from darkness into light – A Golden Era! Embrace it! We are going through growing pains right now.. but we will emerge into a very new, and very different world.
Cheers kid!
Dex
the most difficult – to prove the simple things. Thanks to the scientists that take the time to educate the masses of people.
I am a hundred percent Maya,it really makes me laugh all the crazy people that think that the end of the world will be dec-21-2012.my ancestors never said that the planet and humans are going to be destroy,our calendar is going to end and is going to start a new one,that’t it.simple…
On the topic of The shifting of the Magnetic Poles:
Michio Kaku, the Henry Semat Professor of theoretical physics in the City University of New York College and renowned author of books on principles of physics, seems to disagree with your expert on the timing of the shifting of the poles,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPLjnqS8UeY
Here he’s seen stating, blatantly, that the scientific society has accepted that the pole shift could occur AS SOON AS two thousand and twelve, no scientists that I’ve heard of have decided to disagree with him and hence challenge him on that statement.
Is this NASA scientist really more qualified than the intellectually famous Kaku, and behind him the support of the science community?
we are around 26,000 light years away from the galatic centre, our earth wobbles up and down in fact the whole solar system does, every 26,000 years the solar system is in line with the galatic plane, the next one is dec 2012, now at the centre of our galaxy there is a super massive black hole, for lack of a better word it burps now and then sending shockwaves like a ripple effect through the galatic plane, this galatic superwave spreads out and the magnetic influence, can push interstella dust futher into our solar system, this can fuel the sun and make it more active that it usually would be, so we could get bigger and more, sun flairs and coronal mass ejections i am not saying anything bad will happen, but these ripples have a large magnetic influence and as no one was around 26,000 years ago to document this, one cant say either way if there is other things this superwave might cause like pole reversal, earthquakes and volcano eruptions. i would love to see your proof or documentation to say on 2012 we wont be going through the galatic plane this does not happen millions of years apart but every 26,000 years also through the earths life time there has been many pole shifts, right now magnetic north is changing more quickly than it used to, the earths magnetosphere is weakinig and we have the southern atlantic anomoly which would suggest a pole shift is all ready starting, ok this will prob take over 300-10,000 years before it really starts but who knows, i would suggest you research your facts and back it up with documented proof as you say a lot of things which just dont hit the mark.
It was interesting reading about the common questions and answers, there are many reasons why something could happen or not happen, its up to the person reading to make thier own choice, but if goverments knew something was going happen, wouldn’t they ask people to write pages on why its impossible nothing will happen in 2012 ?
This is soo true I was unsure of what I belived in 2012 I never really belived it but this made me NOT belive in it more because this is true its probably just Hollywood trying to make WEAK minded people kill themselves in beliving such a thing will happen noone really knows but this article is like common sense .
i dont think so… the bible says that one day god’s kingdom will come to earth… but with no specific date and those who believe in the son of god will come with him to paradise and those who are left will stay in earth and be destroyed and that’s when mankind will end…. i believe that that day will come BUT i won’t believe that it would happen in 2012
wow….
the Bible says, infact Jesus said no one knows the day or the time when the end shall come but He left with us signs to the begining of the time…….like rumours and real wars, catastrophies and natural desasters, hate among relations, selfishness, power hunger and many of the sort, among which Nibiru and the like fall. this is just the begining of the time……which means the real thing is very very scary. ofcourse the creator of the universe knows where it itches and hurts most.
Do you realize that those “signs” were just as relevant a 100, 500, 1000 and 2000 years ago as today.
the world will not end on December 21st, 2012 sorry folks but your going to have to go to work in January.
Somethin’ will boom in 2012….but the world doesn’t come to the end yet……based on the analisys given above ,it’s true that those signs are pointing to the disaster made by human themselves.The Day will come after all man on this world have completely left their faith to God…meaning those particular man doesn’t live on any religous faith.Infact the only faith that remain is only for the “something” that exist claiming he/it is the only GOD that will save the world…..then the Day will definately come…
…..believe me….we will be working the next day after celebrating new year of 2013…….Just make sure ,we are not one of them who ruins our world by our own hands…..
He keeps on saying to look up to wikipedia. wikipedia is not a reliable source because Wikipedia is not considered a credible or authoritative source.
This is especially true considering anyone can edit the information given at any time.
Hmmm this the mayan calendar seems to be getting everone of there time is it coz 2012 comeing up Hmmm well yes but the ppl are wrong it not when the end of the world LoL dont wrong that way off no 2012 is when i belife the the mayan come back and tell us everthing so play forget about the end of the world in 2012 be happy lost ppl are coming back the mayan LET GET THE PARTY STARTED WOOP WOOP WOOP WOOP :) :) :) LOOOOL
The end of the world will be when there is peace on Earth and we are still a long way from that.
U KNOW, I REALLY SCARED WHEN I HEARED THAT 2012 IS THE END OF THE WORLD.. BUT ON THIS ARTICLE, NOW I CAN CALM MYSELF .. THANKS
Wow….I have seen presentations bla bla bla..and was searching for a good fact to believe on Worlds end on 2012. Thanks for the explanations…
Some times i was thinking why a sudden change on whether coming near to 2012… Earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, Sunami… All troubled last 4 to 5 months for several countries. But now i feel it is just normal weather changes :P.
Thanks for the answers that made our eyes open :). But definitely the world will be ending very soon by polluting the earth BY US and not because of any alignment changes, solar storms. We pollute and we only will suffer :D Lets try to GO GREEN…
Comments closed.