The meteorite that crashed into Russia's Ural Mountains on Friday left thousands of broken windows and more than 900 injured people in its wake.
It also left us with a renewed appreciation of our precarious place in the universe. Scientists say that intergalactic rock of the kind that fell over Russia is common; another, larger rock, the asteroid 2012 DA14, came within 27,350 kilometres of Earth (a near miss in galactic terms) on Friday.
Would it be possible for an asteroid strike to wipe out life on Earth? And, if so, what are the chances?
The meteor that entered the Earth's atmosphere on Friday weighed around 10 tonnes and most likely had a diameter of around tens of metres. Read Tony Hallam's Catastrophes and Lesser Calamites to learn how, 65 million years ago, a rock about 15 kilometres large crashed into the Earth, triggering multiple volcanoes and throwing up dust clouds that caused a perpetual night for 10 years. Dinosaurs were extinct within a few thousand years.
Could the same happen to us? In short, yes, says Donald Yeomans in Near Earth Objects. While Nasa's Near Earth Object Program scans the skies, it's thought that we still know nothing about many near-Earth rocks that are large enough to end civilisation if they strike our planet. On the up side, such strikes are thought to occur only once every 500,000 years.
About 40,000 tonnes of space rock fall to Earth every year, most in the form of harmless dust and small meteorites that leave behind only a beautiful trail in the night sky. The Field Guide to Meteors and Meteoritestells you everything you need to know if you fancy a bit of meteor spotting.
If you're more the armchair type, though, you may prefer an asteroid-based adventure of the literary kind. The sci-fi legend Arthur C Clarke's The Hammer of God is set in 2109 and tells the story of a space captain tasked with pushing a giant Earth-bound asteroid off course and saving the human race.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5