2012

Pay your bills in 2012–Mayans did not predict the end

Not that any reasonable person actually thought that the Mayan calendar predicted the end of the world in 2012, but a lot of people think it’s going to happen. This incredibly silly myth arose because the Mayan calendar was based on 13 separate 144,000 day intervals (called baktuns), and the last day of that 13th baktun is December 21, 2012, so, of course, the pseudoscience, myth-loving crowd thought that the Mayans predicted the end of the world. Of course, this fails on so many levels, including that it’s impossible to predict the future and that it’s a silly assumption that the Mayan calendar can’t repeat itself.Read More »Pay your bills in 2012–Mayans did not predict the end

Americans believe in debunked myths–shocking news

According to a Reuters poll, nearly 15 percent of the earth’s population believe that the world will end during their lifetime, while another 10 percent think the Mayan calendar proves that the world will end in 2012. The end of the Mayan calendar, which spans about 5,125 years, on December 21, 2012 prompted a whole field of pseudoscience about the apocalyptic end of the word, sometimes spurred on by some of the junk programs on the History Channel.

What’s worse than all of this is that 22% of Americans believe in an impending Armageddon in their lifetime (the highest rate along with Turkey). This compares to obviously better science educations in France, where only 6% believe in this silliness, in Belgium, only 7% believe, and the United Kingdom, only 8%. The poll also indicated that individuals with lower education or household income levels, as well as those under 35 years old, were more likely to believe in an apocalyptic end of the world. Maybe the History Channel has a broader reach than originally thought.Read More »Americans believe in debunked myths–shocking news

NASA says 2012 Mayan apocalypse is bogus

I would hope that every single reader of this blog would know that the predicted Mayan calendar apocalypse, that some people (including the History Channel, as annoying as that is) will happen in 2012, is nothing but pseudoscientific junk. First of all, the Mayans themselves didn’t make that prediction, it’s based on the “end” of the Mayan calendar. The Mayan calendar just starts again, just like all modern calendars. Those Mayans were brilliant astronomers, which is more than I can say about the current gang of 2012 doomsday prophesiers!Read More »NASA says 2012 Mayan apocalypse is bogus