The news dispersed on the network that the supercomputer predicted the end of the world in 2050. We decided to check if this is so.

The news of the predicted death of mankind was published by dozens of Russian news editions: ""News", "Gazeta.ru", "Moscow 24", "Notebook", "Russian newspaper", "RIA Novosti" - Almost everything with reference to the British tabloid Daily Star. Some were noted publications, specializing in the news science And technology. Users of social networks wrote about this - Twitter, Facebook And VK.

The program for computer modeling by World One was developed by a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a digital computing pioneer and the founder of the system of system dynamics Jay Forrester Back in the early 1970s. Then the very forecast was made that the Russian media presented as news in November 2022.

The team of researchers from MIT, Forrester's students, conducted experiment: Scientists have loaded data on human civilization in development into the computer (population, environmental pollution, the number of natural resources, etc.) since 1900. The customer and sponsor of the study was "Roman club" - a non -profit organization where Enter Scientists, economists, businessmen, former heads of state and other influential people. The results of the experiment were set out in the book "Growth limits".

Again, the forecast was actively spoke in 2018, when the ABC channel published on YouTube The report, which was removed and shown in 1973. In it, the journalist demonstrates the schedules built by the program and comments on them. So, he really says that the state of the planet will become critical by 2020, the standard of living will drop to almost zero, and environmental pollution will be such that it will begin to kill people, as a result of which the population of the planet will be reduced to a level below 1900. By the way, in 1900 the population composed 2 billion people, which is quite far from the death of mankind. And yes, the reporter notes that if nothing changes, by 2040–205, "a civilized life, which we know it, will cease to exist." This is a rather gloomy forecast, but it is clear that in this phrase we are not talking about the complete extinction of mankind or the end of the world, but only about the end of the usual civilized life with its comfort and consumption standards. Most likely, it is on this video that the articles in the Daily Star and other media are based, since they use quotes that are very close to what the ABC journalist says.

However, it is worth noting that this is only one of the 12 possible development scenarios that researchers Received During the experiment. That is, in fact, they did not make any unambiguous “forecasts” or “predictions”, but only calculated the options for how life on Earth will develop depending on various conditions. The most gloomy scenario, which was disassembled in the media, is likely, according to the computer program, if there are no significant changes (that is, if humanity does not radically review its lifestyle or does not make any technological discoveries that can change the development of civilization and its relationship with the environment).

After 30 years, the authors of the initial study decided repeat It, adding relevant data to the program. In the adjusted results, there is still nothing about the end of the world and the complete extinction of humanity. According to them, the reduction in the population is really likely - against the backdrop of the economic crisis. But this does not mean the death of mankind that the media scares. 

Modern scientists and researchers in general See Some coincidences of what was “predicted” in 1973, with actually occurring events. But despite the fact that they are not positive, almost none of them speaks of the death of mankind, the end of the world and other apocalyptic prospects. As for the reduction of the population, it is enough to note that factWhat just, in mid -November 2022, an eight million -dollar resident was born on Earth. 

Thus, the media not only issued the information of the 1970s for the news, but also incorrectly interpreted it or specially used clickbeat headings about the death of mankind and the end of the world, while in the study in question, there were no such categorical forecasts. 

Photo on the cover: ABC

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