A group of scientists in the 1970s used a computer and their knowledge of changing trends to predict the exact moment that society would collapse in the modern day.
As reported by the Daily Star, the observations was carried out by boffins from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) over 50 years ago.
And according to the results, society will make its collapse at the midpoint of the 21st century - only 18 years away, in 2040.
The researchers studied data patterns in various ways, including population rates, using natural resources and the consumption of energy, in order to make their prediction.
READ MORE - Pregnant local mum says horror fire brought back traumatic childhood memories
The study has been published by Club of Rome, and identifies "upcoming limits to growth" that may well cause the collapse.
Back in 2009, another group of scientists conducted a similar experiment that American Scientist published.
They noted that this models results were "almost exactly on course some 35 years later" - with some assumptions.
The predictions have not been invalidated and seem to be quite on target.
In 2020, the Dutch sustainability researcher Gaya Herrington affirmed the bleak predictions made in the study.
Gaya, who works at multinational accounting firm KPMG, said: "From a research perspective, I felt a data check of a decades-old model against empirical observations would be an interesting exercise."
Gaya investigated the predictions made back in 1972 and compared them to current data trends.
It revealed a worst-case scenario of economic growth coming to a halt at the end of this decade and collapsing around ten years later.
She added: "The key finding of my study is that we still have a choice to align with a scenario that does not end in collapse.
"With innovation in business, along with new developments by governments and civil society, continuing to update the model provides another perspective on the challenges and opportunities we have to create a more sustainable world."
