Researchers say universe may end sooner than anticipated

The universe may end sooner than anticipated, researchers suggest.

The laws of thermodynamics dictate that warm things cool and cool things warm, ultimately leaving a uniform near-vacuum everywhere. Even dead stars eventually decay.

It had been thought there was time: 10^1100 years, a number so insanely huge that if you multiplied the age of the universe by the number of atoms in it, you’d still be nowhere near.

But new research suggests that white dwarfs, dead stars that are believed to be the longest-lasting objects, will evaporate in a mere 10^78 — or one million trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion — years. So best to get started on any career plans you may have been putting off.