Plot Synopsis

In this series of one-hour programs, HOW TO SURVIVE THE END OF THE WORLD examines plausible doomsday scenarios by exploring six world-threatening events. Using re-enactments and interviews with experts from the fields of space, physics, chemistry, medicine, climatology, biology and disaster anthropology, this series then describes the methods by which humanity would fight to survive against grim odds. Each 60-minute episode focuses on a different end-of-world scenario, including: a zombie apocalypse caused by a killer pandemic of a mutated rabies virus, in which the infectious disease spreads around the world with no cure; a global volcanic cataclysm caused by a black hole slamming into Earth, generating a colossal shockwave that disturbs the magma beneath every existing volcanic system; a frozen planet caused by a strange dark force pulling Earth out of its orbit, taking our planet into the dark and cold of the outer reaches of space; continent-wide storm systems -- including super tornadoes, gamma ray lightning, ball lightning, and a giant hurricane -- that might be initiated by a runaway greenhouse effect on Earth; a water world, in which Earth's land vanishes when a massive volume of water comes from space, forcing people to build immense seawalls to protect entire cities and underwater habitats; and a future world in which nano-technology runs amok.