What? Yellowstone Supervolcano? Me Worry?

Thermophiles enjoying a Yellowstone hot spring.

At first, yes, the reports of hundreds of earthquakes in Yellowstone National Park had me worried. I know that every 600,000 or so years for the last couple million years running, this thing had blown up in a big way, well, a huge way, to the tune of the equivalent of thousands of Mt. St. Helens in one massive eruption. Worst-case scenarios involve a new ice age and massive problems with world agriculture for years because of all of the ash in the air. 

But I took heart that the sources in this Time magazine article didn't think it was quite ready to blow up in such apocalyptic fashion. It could erupt, yes, but it isn't likely to take out the world climate - not just yet. I recommend you get there this winter and take in the park's wintertime splendor - it could blow up anytime in the next 50,000 years or so.