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At one time or another, just about everyone has talked about the end of the world. But what does this phrase really mean? Does it mean the end of the human race? The end of planet Earth? The end of our Sun and solar system? And if the world were to actually end, how and when would it happen? People have been asking these questions for thousands of years. Many religious prophets have predicted the end of the world. Science-fiction writers have created lots of end-of-the-world stories. Scientists, too, talk about natural events that could destroy human life or planet Earth. Some end-of-the-world events are dramatic. Imagine an asteroid slamming into Earth, creating a massive explosion. Other scenarios don't involve a single, catastrophic event. For example, global warming is changing the planet and threatening people, plants, and animals. It might not bring about the end of the world, but it might change life as we know it. In this book, we'll look at these scenarios and many more—everything from Mayan prophecy to nuclear disaster to the end of the universe. We'll find out which scenarios to ignore and which ones to really worry about.
At one time or another, just about everyone has talked about the end of the world. But what does this phrase really mean? Does it mean the end of the human race? The end of planet Earth? The end of our Sun and solar system? And if the world were to actually end, how and when would it happen? People have been asking these questions for thousands of years. Many religious prophets have predicted the end of the world. Science-fiction writers have created lots of end-of-the-world stories. Scientists, too, talk about natural events that could destroy human life or planet Earth. Some end-of-the-world events are dramatic. Imagine an asteroid slamming into Earth, creating a massive explosion. Other scenarios don't involve a single, catastrophic event. For example, global warming is changing the planet and threatening people, plants, and animals. It might not bring about the end of the world, but it might change life as we know it. In this book, we'll look at these scenarios and many more—everything from Mayan prophecy to nuclear disaster to the end of the universe. We'll find out which scenarios to ignore and which ones to really worry about.
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
Ron Miller has worked as a freelance writer and illustrator for more than 30 years. Many of his illustrations appear in magazines like Astronomy and Scientific American. He has also worked on motion pictures and created postage stamps. (One of his stamps is attached to a spacecraft headed for the planet Pluto!) He has also written short stories and novels and has even created a comic book.
Reviews-
October 1, 2011
Gr 6-9-Is our planet doomed? "The simple answer is yes," writes Miller. The only question is whether the end will come from a giant asteroid or errant black hole, a supernova's gamma ray burst or our Sun's transformation into a red giant. But these are, most likely, distant future possibilities; the human species is far more immediately vulnerable. The author devotes most of his presentation to a selective tally of our possible ends, from religious and pseudoscientific predictions (including the supposed Mayan apocalypse "scheduled" for December 21, 2012) to an array of more feasible pandemics, ecological breakdowns, nuclear conflagrations, supervolcanoes, and other natural catastrophes. He also tucks in references to prominent end-of-days novels and films, and takes his eschatological narrative to the universe-ending "Big Crunch" before closing on a perversely optimistic note. Capped with generous annotated lists of multimedia resources and illustrated throughout with dramatic photographed or digitally rendered disasters, this title may not be as earnestly thorough as Jim Willis's Armageddon Now: The End of the World A to Z (Visible Ink, 2006) or as gleefully alarming as Philip C. Plait's Death from the Skies! (Viking, 2008), both of which are aimed at older readers, but it makes intriguingly disquieting reading nonetheless.-John Peters, formerly at New York Public Library
Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
The Horn Book Guide
"Compelling."—The Horn Book Guide
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