Skip to main content

WORLDS END IN 2012

There have been countless theories throughout time about how the world will end and how -- ­or if -- life will cease to exist. At the turn of the 21st century, conspiracy theorists claimed that the Y2K bug was only a small part of the impending devastation: The new century would bring about total destruction, and no one would survive. Others believe that Earth is slated for another ice age, which will kill off all living things. And according to astronomers, billions of years from now, the s­un will become a red giant, expanding to a size larger than the Earth's orbit and consuming the Earth in the process. Even if the planet somehow survives, the sun will eventually shrink, becoming a white dwarf and gradually cooling off until it can no longer warm anything in the solar system.In 2006, Mel Gibson released a movie about the Mayan civilization. "Apocalypto" follows one man's journey from slavery back to his family. During the course of the movie, a young woman prophesizes that a man will bring an end to the Mayans and wipe out their civilization. In the real world, some theorists don't believe a man will be the end of the Mayans -- instead, a celestial event will be the cause. The Mayan calendar even gives us a date for this theoretical event: Dec. 21, 2012.

How did the Mayans develop a calendar that could predict the end of the world? How does the Mayan calendar work? Do the Mayans really believe we have only four years left on Earth, and if so, why is Dec. 21, 2012, doomsday? Read on to find out if the end is near.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tzolk'in Calendar

The Tzolk'in Calendar The Tzolk'in calendar was the first one used by the Mayans . Most calendars used throughout Mesoamerica consisted of 260 days. The Tzolk'in, or Sacred Round, calendar followed suit. One theory for its length is that 260 days is the length of pregnancy , and the calendar was based on that [source: Maya Mystery School ]. Another states that it was the length of time to cultivate corn. It's more likely that it was based on numbers. Numbers had great significance in the Mayan culture. For example, the number 20 signifies the number of digits a person has -- 10 fingers and 10 toes. The number 13 refers to the major joints in the human body where it's believed disease and illness enter and attack -- one neck, two shoulders, two elbows, two wrists, two hips, two knees and two ankles [source: Garcia ]. The number 13 also represented the levels of heaven where sacred lords ruled the Earth [source: Tzolk'in Calendar ]. It's these numbe...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mayan Numbers and Math

Mayan mathematical system-1-20 Mayan Numbers and Math Along with their advances to the calendar -- like the Tzolk'in, the Haab, and the Long Count -- the Mayans also created their own math system. They used a series of dots and bars to signify numbers. One dot equaled one unit while one bar equaled five units. A shell symbol signified zero. In a system similar to the one we use now, the Mayans used place values to designate large numbers. However, the similarities end there. Mayan math - 27Mayan math - 29 Their place values are vertical, where ours are horizontal. For instance, we write the number 27 horizontally -- the number 2, then the number 7 to the right of it. The Mayans, however, would write 27 vertical­ly -- their symbol for 7 (a line with 2 dots over it) would be on the bottom, and the symbol for 20 (a dot on the line above) would be directly over it. The same applies for other numbers, like 29.
Post a Comment
Read more

electric water bender

Don’t give up on this trick! It works best on very dry days and probably not at all on warm humid days. You’ll also need very clean dry hair and a clean plastic comb (ie no styling products in your hair or on the comb). Try it when the conditions are right and you will be amazed! 1. Set up a system to catch the running water from a tap so that you don’t waste it (use it to water plants later, for example). 2. You’ll need to experiment with the tap until you get a smooth stream of water that does not break up. You might need to elevate your cup if it’s not tall enough. 3. Once you have your smooth stream working, comb your clean hair vigorously to charge the comb. 4. Now carefully bring the comb as near as you can but without touching the stream of water and watch what happens. what's going on? If you were lucky, the stream would have bent when you brought the comb nearby. Combing your hair generates a static electric charge on...
Post a Comment
Read more