(a species of owlet moth (Noctuid)) Some caterpillars, after they emerge from their egg, can increase their weight by 25,000 times.

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A guide to global catastrophes

Geohazards expert Bill McGuire (author of A guide to the end of the world and Surviving Armageddon) explores why he believes past global catastrophes point to a disastrous future. Natural events on an unprecedented scale could bring humanity to its knees, so what is being done to help us survive Armageddon?

With greater media coverage, we are all becoming increasingly aware of the extraordinarily destructive power of natural disasters.

Fortunately for most, the television or newspaper is as close as we will get to these life-threatening events.

But is it possible for a disaster to terrorise the whole planet? Could a super volcano kill people on the other side of the planet? Is the destructive force of a mega-tsunami or a cataclysmic earthquake enough to rock the world? What would happen if a giant asteroid hit Earth? And is climate change actually taking place?

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