How technology will definitely end the world, one way or another

Most of us don’t want to go back to a time when there was no technology. However, that doesn’t mean that technology is always beneficial. There are several discoveries that may cause significant damage to our world and the population – especially as humans don’t always take the safe or careful approach. Here are some ways that technology could lead to the end of the world:

We Cause a Nuclear Holocaust from the Swipe of a Smartphone Screen

Most smartphones these days have capabilities that even the government a couple decades ago did not possess. It is not too farfetched to think that bombs will get smaller and more deadly than ever; even the size of a smartphone. The phones themselves could also be used as a remote for bombs. Because almost everyone owns a smartphone, authorities aren’t likely to detect this type of bomb trigger.

Event without the smartphone as a catalyst, the odds for the annihilation of the human race increase as more and more nations develop nuclear weapons technology. Obviously, the resulting radioactivity and nuclear fallout from a war could impact the environment for decades. One thing is likely though – if anyone of us did survive, it wouldn’t take long for a new model of smartphone to appear on the post-apocalyptic market.

Fighting Dirty: Biological Warfare

Every year or two, there are public health bulletins about the newest virus or bacteria running amok: SARS, Bird Flu, MRS, and the potential for a resulting epidemic. Worldwide plagues like the black plague have happened before so it’s not unheard of. However, a bigger concern is biological warfare. Weaponized anthrax, smallpox, or other agents could be used to wipe out millions of people. So far, a number of nations have agreed to dispose of their biological stockpiles. But if an unhappy faction got a hold of even a small amount, it could get ugly.

Nanobots Take Over

Tiny robots that can do scientific tasks sound like science fiction. However, nanobots do exist. But what if someone programmed the nanobots to do something destructive? What about the doomsday scenario that is called “grey goo” where the nanobots consume everything and cause the end of the world? If this scenario occurs, then it can happen in a heartbeat. It seems likely the nanobot revolution will not be televised.

Robots Flip the Script

The Terminator movies focus on a reality where the robots have taken over the world. We have programmed robots to do many tasks and are even trying to get the robots to think for themselves as well. Robots that can think may decide they can do a better job of running things than humans. We may end up living out the Terminator Skynet scenario.

Computer Takedown

Everything is done by computer now – there is nothing we like more than finding clear, high speed internet when we are away from home to complete our tasks. If hackers create an orchestrated effort to take down the world’s computer infrastructure, we would be in serious trouble. Banks and companies would crash; people and governments would not be able to function. Most people have no paper records – a computer crash would cripple everyone. It is not impossible to think that smartphones could start planting viruses through calls without us knowing it. With the lines between smartphones and computers blurring, it is becoming easier that every for people to track, steal or destroy people’s information.