Megacatastrophes: Nine Strange Ways the World Could End, By David Darling and Dirk Schulze-Makuch

The Doomsday Book – nervous readers look away now!

The astronomer/astrobiologist duo of Darling and Schulze-Makuch explain in entertaining detail strange ways in which the world could end.

Nano-technology could lead to the world being engulfed by "grey goo". Or we might create a "planetary mind" using information technology which could then crash, leaving us zombified. Or we might already be holograms in a simulation, on which somebody could pull the plug. Or a nearby star could go supernova. Our old friends Hostile Aliens and Asteroid-With-Our-Name-On-It are also here. A curiously pleasurable trawl through horrible catastrophes, this will help you get your everyday problems into perspective.