Melissa Lafsky

The end is nigh? Maybe for the financial system. But in times of seeming-apocalypse, it's helpful to inject our anxiety with a dose of the bigger picture. In other words, the world won't end if Morgan Stanley goes under, but it will end if solar flare activity brings another Ice Age, or if a collapsed star blasts us with enough radiation to make Hiroshima look like a Roman Candle. Astronomer, lecturer, and blogger Phil Plait's new book, Death From the Skies gives a witty and detailed look at how the Earth could really go under—and when we should start getting really worried. (The good news: It likely won't be for a couple million years, if ever.)