There's no shortage of end-of-the-world prophecies and hoaxes, but the latest one has a slick twist. Or, some might say, a sick twist.
In fact, just by writing about it, I'm playing into the hands of a big media company that hopes I will write about it, or at least pass the word and a link, so that they can ultimately make money. Rather, I'll try to keep a few people from being frightened.
The story starts with Mike Brown, an astronomer at Caltech who has found more planet-like objects in our outer solar system than anyone.
Just like this reporter, Brown gets a lot emails from people worried the world will end in 2016. So many, in fact, that Brown has come to call them "The 2016 People." He's long assumed they're rather gullible worry warts. His view just changed a little. [End of the Earth Postponed]
The concerns often stem from bogus information about a fantasy planet dubbed Nibiru which, the story goes, will swing into the inner solar system, smack Earth in 2016, and bring an end to it all. (Brown assures us there is no such planet, and no such looming scenario known to science.)
The emails have been increasing of late. And recently one concerned citizen went a step farther and called and left Brown a voice mail: "I've got kids; this really scares the hell out of me. Is there something I should be doing? Is this real?"
In fact, just by writing about it, I'm playing into the hands of a big media company that hopes I will write about it, or at least pass the word and a link, so that they can ultimately make money. Rather, I'll try to keep a few people from being frightened.
The story starts with Mike Brown, an astronomer at Caltech who has found more planet-like objects in our outer solar system than anyone.
Just like this reporter, Brown gets a lot emails from people worried the world will end in 2016. So many, in fact, that Brown has come to call them "The 2016 People." He's long assumed they're rather gullible worry warts. His view just changed a little. [End of the Earth Postponed]
The concerns often stem from bogus information about a fantasy planet dubbed Nibiru which, the story goes, will swing into the inner solar system, smack Earth in 2016, and bring an end to it all. (Brown assures us there is no such planet, and no such looming scenario known to science.)
The emails have been increasing of late. And recently one concerned citizen went a step farther and called and left Brown a voice mail: "I've got kids; this really scares the hell out of me. Is there something I should be doing? Is this real?"
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