Not With a Whimper, But a Bang?

We aren't the only ones concerned about nuclear disasters. National Geographic’s “Doomsday Dashboard” uses Twitter feeds to see which "end-of-the-world scenario" has people the most worried.

Last time we checked, nuclear war/radiation came in third, with fifteen percent of the Twitter chatter.

The Doomsday Dashboard is inspired by National Geographic’s television program “Doomsday Preppers.” The show follows Americans who are busily preparing for the end of the world. The “preppers,” as they are known, have a broad range of fears for the end of life as we know it: some are getting ready for financial collapse, others for a major climate shift.

Preston White says that he is “preparing to survive a catastrophic nuclear accident.” White worries that the radiation from Fukushima will soon arrive in the United States. Furthermore, he fears that the radiation has already altered the genetic makeup of seeds, society’s source of food. And so White has collected over 30,000 seeds, and is building what he hopes will be a radiation-proof group of tents in which to grow food.

You’ll have to check out the show to see how National Geographic’s experts come down on White’s chances of survival in the case of a nuclear disaster. But whether or not his seeds are the solution, White has one thing right: a nuclear accident would have horrible consequences.

To see what fears are dominating the Twitter feeds today, click here.