Year 2012

This year"s achievements range from the discovery of the Higgs boson to Curiosity landing on Mars.2012 has been a good year for scientific advancements and breakthroughs. On July 4th physicists at CERN revealed evidence indicating the discovery of the elusive Higgs boson particle, an important milestone in particle physics. NASA also made history when they landed their car-sized rover Curiosity on Mars in August using their revolutionary new"sky crane" landing system.Elsewhere, a team of researchers succeeded in developing a working brain interface through which a paralyzed patient could move a mechanical arm using nothing more than the power of thought.

Scientists in Japan have also made the list by demonstrating that embryonic stem cells from mice could be coaxed in to becoming viable egg cells, providing a powerful new tool for studying genes and other factors relating to egg cell development. The observation of anelusive sub-atomic particle, known as the Higgs boson, has been heralded by the journal Science as the most important scientific discovery of 2012.  

View: Full article |  Source: EurekAlert.org  

There was no apocalypse on December 21st 2012, so when can we really expect to see the end of days ?Unless we are unlucky enough to be hit by an asteroid or neighboring supernova, the end of life as we know it is likely to be so far in the future that it isn"t something anyone will have to worry about for eons. The Sun still has several billion years of life left in it and when it dies it will become a red giant, scorching the Earth and anything leftliving on it.This might seem like a disturbing thought, but given that it took us far less time to evolve from single-celled organisms to sentient, space-faring homo-sapiens, the chances that we will still be living here as we do now by that time are infinitesimally small.

If indeed the human race does still exist by that time, regardless of what our species might have evolved in to, whatever happens to the Earth will be of no consequence to our survival. New research has aimed to determine whatthe last life forms on Earth will be, and what kind of abodes they will cling to before the Earth becomes sterilized.  

View: Full article |  Source: Discovery News  

It"s December 21st and so far nothing has happened - but will the world end before the day is out ?For most it"s just an ordinary day, for others today marks a date that has been dreaded for years. Ever since it was revealed that the Mayan calendar appeared to end on December 21st 2012, doom sayers have been promoting the idea that this represented not just the end of the calendar but also the end of the world - that the Mayans had predicted the end of days. And here we are, finally, on the day itself, and so far nothing out of the ordinary appears to havehappened.Things have been pretty hectic in run up to the 21st.

Some people have taken to building special shelters to help them weather the apocalypse while others have attempted to reach alleged safe havens such as the French mountain of Pic de Bugarach. NASA has been attempting to emphasize that there is no reason to believe that the world will end on this date and even the modern Mayan people have rejected the idea that the end of their ancient calendar signifies anything other than the end of one cycle and the beginning of another.So is it at all likely that the world is going to end today ? At leastif or when tomorrow comes the matter will be put to rest once and for all. Place your bets now ladies and gentleman, you do not have very long. Whether you"ll live to spend your winnings is anyone"s guess at this stage.  

View: Full article |  Source: Telegraph  

NASA has been bombarded with calls from people who believe the world will be ending tomorrow.With the last day of the Mayan calendar looming, rumors that the world is going to end tomorrow have reached fever pitch. NASA has seen triple the number of inquiries recently thanks to people seeking reassurance over tomorrow"s events and the answer is, as always, that there is nothing to worry about.To help debunk some of the common rumors the space agency has set up a web site to cover the topic. "Our planet has been getting along justfine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012," the site states.

Even the modern day Mayan people have distanced themselves from the concept, the end of the calendar is simply the end of one cycle and the beginning of the other - it was never intended to indicate the end of the world.Click to view NASA"s FAQ on why the world won"t end The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has seen call volumes tripleat times as anxious Americans continue to bombard the agency with inquiries about whether the world will end tomorrow.  

View: Full article |  Source: Independent