頂級天文學家警告90年內可能世界終結

頂級天文學家警告90年內可能世界終結
Top astronomers warn the world could end within 90 years
Two leading astronomers will put forward their stark predictions for mankind at the finale of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
兩位主要的天文學家們將在愛丁堡國際科學節，提出他們的嚴格預測有關人類在最後階段。
19 April 2011 10:28 GMT
Translation by Autumnson Blog

Bleak outlook: Professor John Brown will speak during the debate. Pic: © STV
前景暗淡：約翰布朗教授將在辯論中發言。圖：©超視

The end of the world is nigh. That's what top astronomers will claim during a debate to end the 2011 Edinburgh International Science Festival.
世界的終結就在眼前，那就是頂級天文學家們將在辯論結束時聲稱的，於2011年愛丁堡國際科學節。

Lord Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal, believes civilisation has only a 50 per cent chance of surviving to 2100 without suffering a man-made catastrophe.
英國皇家天文學家馬丁里斯勳爵相信，到2100年文明只有百分之五十的倖存機會而沒有遭受人為的災難。
And the Astronomer Royal for Scotland, Professor John Brown, has an equally bleak outlook, fearing a random event from outer space is the most likely cause of our demise.
而蘇格蘭皇家天文學家約翰布朗教授也有同樣黯淡的前景，擔心一宗來自外太空的隨機事件，是我們的終止的最可能原因。
They will take to the stage to put forward their stark predictions in the discussion "Fire in the Sky: Cosmic Threats to Earth".
他們將在台上提出自己的嚴格預測，在“天空之火：宇宙對地球的威脅“的討論中。
Despite having widely differing views, these two titans of astronomy between them offer global warming, over-population, terrorism, an asteroid falling to earth and a solar blast as potential reasons to panic.
儘管有各種不同的意見，這兩位天文學的巨人在他們之間提供全球變暖、人口過多、恐怖主義、一顆小行星墜落地球和一太陽爆炸，作為恐慌的潛在理由。
Prof Brown told the Scotsman: "The threats Lord Rees and myself will be talking about are dangerous in different ways.
布朗教授告訴該蘇格蘭人：“我自己和里斯勳爵將談論的威脅，在不同的方式中都是危險的。
"Asteroids fall to earth on average 10-100 million years apart. It's been 65 million years since the last one, so one could happen next week to 60 million years from now.
“小行星落地球平均相距一千萬至一億年，自對上那次它已經是六千五百萬年了，所以未來一次會在下星期至六千萬年後發生。
"The probability in our lifetime is very small, making it low risk, high consequence.
“在我們有生之年的概率是非常小，使它低風險、高後果。
"There's more risk of a solar blast than an giant asteroid falling, but it would not have such high consequences."
“太陽風爆有更多的風險比起小行星降下，但它不會有這麼高的後果。“
Lord Rees said: "We can't rule out by mid-century a global political realignment heading to a stand-off between new superpowers, that could be handled less well or less luckily than the Cuban missile crisis was.

"Moreover, al-Qaeda-style terrorists might some day acquire a nuclear weapon.

"If they did, they would willingly detonate it in a city, killing tens of thousands of along with themselves, and millions would acclaim them as heroes."

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/244294-top-astronomers-warn-the-world-could-end-within-90-years/

Auchinlay at Edinburgh Science Festival 2011
Auchinlay狗展隊在愛丁堡科學節2011
2011-04-18