Earth may end in May, but not this May

If you are reading this, SURPRISE!, the Earth didn’t end yesterday. When are people going to stop getting their science from the Bible? Probably not in my lifetime I am guessing.

In reality the Earth probably has 5 billion or so years left. It’s demise will more than likely occur when the Sun reaches it’s red giant phase, and it’s radius will be extend into Earth’s orbit. Humans will be long gone way before that though. As the Earth gradually heats we will probably evolve into other life forms that can deal with the elements until eventually all the water evaporates and the elements become to harsh for any life forms to live.

Personally I’m not too worried. If lucky I only got 50 or so years left, and in 150 years everyone I ever knew will be gone too. The atoms that make up my body will probably make up many more things before they go back to where they came from, a star.

That reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Lawrence Krauss.

“Every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. And, the atoms in your left hand probably came from a different star than your right hand. It really is the most poetic thing I know about physics: You are all stardust. You couldn’t be here if stars hadn’t exploded, because the elements – the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, iron, all the things that matter for evolution and for life – weren’t created at the beginning of time. They were created in the nuclear furnaces of stars, and the only way for them to get into your body is if those stars were kind enough to explode. So, forget Jesus. The stars died so that you could be here today.” – Lawrence Krauss