Adnkronos (Adnkronos) –
The world will end on November 13, 2026. A study published in the journal Science in 1960 predicted that tomorrow would mark the end of human civilization and the world, due to overpopulation. Sixty-six years ago, a group of researchers used mathematics to calculate the end of humanity, publishing an article titled "Apocalypse: Friday, November 13, 2026," written and authored by the Austrian-American physicist Heinz von Foerster.
In the study published in Science, the researchers analyzed historical demographic data from the last two millennia, then calculated the growth curve of the world population.
According to their projection, the curve would have reached an infinite value in November 2026, which means that by tomorrow, Friday the 13th, the population would have multiplied infinitely, imploding due to overpopulation.
The aim of the study was to draw attention to the issue of overpopulation, which was a hot topic at the time.
The curve hypothesized by scientists met research parameters until the early 90s, but then the world population slowed its growth, sending the curve 'off-axis'.
The population initially increased because the mortality rate declined, but its growth has since slowed significantly. In 1963, three years after the study was published, the fastest growth occurred, exceeding 2 percent per year, while in 2020 it fell below 1 percent.
According to UN estimates, the population peak will occur in the mid-2080s, when the Earth will reach 10,3 billion inhabitants, and then continue to decline.
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