A5: Doomsday is the most horrible thing I can imagine. I can't think of anything worse.

A6: When Dec 21 finally dawns and you open your eyes and see the world, you will better understand that the world is always there for you and there are so many beautiful things to treasure. The sun will rise again and it will strengthen your faith in the world and your respect for life. Why bother to believe in rumors such as this? Just enjoy your life.

Master Yancan was talking to Tang Yue.

Alexey Nikolaev, 24, is a PhD student of hydrography at the Admiral Makarov State Maritime Academy in St Petersburg, Russia. He has invented a clock that runs backward and tells people how many days they have left to live.

A1: There have been repeated warnings of an impending doomsday throughout human history. I think that there will likely be a global change in people's lives, but life will definitely continue.

A2: It's probable that there are extraterrestrial civilizations somewhere that have a higher level of technological development than humankind. When we approach them, we will be destroyed.

A3: For me, it will be an ordinary day. But a long time ago, the thought occurred to me that too many people spend their time trying to solve problems that are inconsequential in terms of their overall happiness.

I started to ask people: "Would you live your life differently if you got up in the morning and went into the kitchen where you had a clock that didn't show how many hours you had left before you finish work, but told you how many days you had left in this world"! With this in mind I was inspired to start making this type of clock.

I also created an application for mobile phones called The Clock of Life where any human being can see that his or her life is not endless and they should appreciate and enjoy this precious moment. Every 24 hours, the clock shows that you are one day closer to passing over. On Dec 21, I will probably be preparing for the upcoming Christmas.

A4: Everything in this world is temporary, so we should do our best and let it be.

A5: Wars and famine are more terrible than any doomsday. In today's world, around 1 billion people are hungry and there is always a war going on somewhere.

Alexey Nikolaev was talking to He Na.