10 Catastrophes That Could Cause the Extinction of Our Species

Yes, really. We could be living in a simulation. Our entire universe could be a bunch of 1s and 0s. And it could get shut down.

Perhaps alien scientists created our simulation to study evolution, or observe how advanced civilizations self-destruct (which could happen if Trump gets the nuclear codes). Or perhaps we’re the subjects of a middle school project being conducted by a 12-year-old for biology class.

The point is that if our universe is simulated, then someone could turn it off. Maybe the science experiment is over, or the middle-schooler has completed her assignment. Or maybe a clumsy nerd in a computer lab trips over a cord and spills coffee on the computer’s hardware. In a flash — too fast for us to even realize — our entire universe could vanish into a digital oblivion.

According to Elon Musk, there’s a “one in billions” chance that humanity is not in a simulation. And he might be right. There are some surprisingly compelling arguments for why the “simulation hypothesis” might be true. But until we look up at the sky and see the words “My name is Fred. I am your simulator” flashing above us, we might never know for sure.