It's the End of the World: 8 Potential Armageddons

Oil plumes threaten to choke the oceans and methane gas explosions shoot sky high -- and those are hardly the biggest threats facing the Earth. From cosmic rays to asteroid impacts to the threat of general destruction, our planet may be less safe than you think.

Here are the top eight risks to life as we know it, detailed by scientists and science fiction writers -- and whether it's even possible to save ourselves.

1. A sudden gamma ray burst strikes

2. A deadly mind virus kills us all

3. The North and South Poles flip-flop

4. The universe keeps expanding … and expanding

5. Extreme science experiments go too far

6. Supervolcanoes wipe out the planet

7. Computers take over everything

8. A cough goes round the world READ MORE