NASA vs. doomsday theorists: Why the world won't end in 2012

An ancient Mayan calendar supposedly points to Dec. 21, 2012 as our day of reckoning. "Ridiculous," says a NASA astronomer

A New Year's eve reveler holds up a doomsday-inspired sign
(Image credit: Wang Lei/Xinhua Press/Corbis)

Will Dec. 21, 2012 usher in the end of the world as we know it? That's what some doomsday watchers say, pointing to a Mayan prophecy that's generating a lot of hysteria. Such frenzied hand-wringing is unnecessary, says NASA, because the various predictions inspired by Mayan artifacts are bunk. Here's what you should know:

What did the Mayans believe?

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