THE DOOMSDAY BOOK: Many Ways the World Can End

THE DOOMSDAY BOOK: Many Ways the World Can End

"Climate change is as great a threat to human kind as nuclear annihilation. Doomsday has come nearer earth": Professor Stephen Hawking at a conference organised by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists at Royal Society in London.

Prophets of doom have predicted that the world will end one day either from man-made disasters or from natural causes. For the believers, it is religious. Whether it is a tsunami or an asteroid, a terrorist attack or a nuclear war, the end of the world seems ever closer. But just what are the chances of civilisations being destroyed, and which method of meltdown is most likely?

The Doomsday book looks at all the burgeoning threats to civilisation, explaining the story and the science behind each one, and provides a clear-headed assessment of how serious they are and what can, and is likely to be done about them. Covering ecological crises, such as water shortages and habitat destruction, the dangers of nanotechnology and superplagues, and the cataclysmic effects of a super-volcano or a new ice age, Joel Levy's book is scarily engrossing.

Examining the fate of ancient civilisations and explaining the lessons they can teach us, the Doomsday book explores the likelihood of our survival when disaster hits.

Various religions have their own conception of the Doomsday, and they all have a common thread. Trinath Mishra, an Indologist, has given introduction to Joel's book and tries to explain how this has been viewed in religions, particularly Hinduism.