NASA

The world may not end on 21 December 2012, as predicted by some doomsayers, but one thing is certain: Earth won't be around forever. Astronomers at the Extreme Solar Systems II conference here, who study the birth and evolution of planetary systems, are also coming to grips with the ultimate fate of planets like our own. And although Earth's own future isn't too bright, it looks like our planet could possibly reincarnate as a new world.