“We understand now that impacts are a regular facet of life in the solar system, and if you take the extremely long view, close encounters with objects far larger than Tunguska — asteroids that could obliterate regions or even wipe out humanity — are flying around out there and will eventually hit us, 500 or 10,000 or a million years hence.” No one is suggesting that you panic. But there’s always a chance that a hurtling rock could throw a wrench into our plans for existence. (Even among the dinosaurs, there were asteroid deniers.) Thankfully, there is a community of scientists that is trying to come up with a way to save us. From Popular Mechanics: The Asteroid Hunters.