Is the world really coming to an end in 2012? The answer frighteni- ngly is 'maybe', according to the Bible, the I Ching, the Mayans, meteorologists and vulcanologists. Apocalypse 2012 is cheerful sceptic Laurence E Joseph's investigation into the 2012 Doomsday phenomenon. Journalist and science writer Laurence E Joseph is our incisive and witty guide unravelling the religious, astrological and mystical prophecies behind the potentially earth-shattering events of 2012. And at the core of this book is Joseph's investiga- tion into the growing number of scientific researchers trying to figure out why conditions around our planet are becoming so bizarre. His adventures include: / Hooking up with the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement whose cheerful motto 'Live Long and Die Out' is now available as a tattoo. / Meeting the scientists who are trying to figure out why the present state of the sun is so worrisome -- is it just going through a phase or is something major going on? / Visiting Yellowstone National Park to see whether the seething supervolcano could soon stop civilisation dead in its tracks./ Exploring the possibility of a terrorist attack that could plunge the whole Northern Hemisphere into the equivalent of a nuclear winter.