Humans must upload their minds to machines or try to move Earth's orbit, warn scientists

In roughly 500 million years, scientists believe humans will no longer live on the surface of Earth; conditions will eventually become so harsh that not even cockroaches will be able to survive. But, there may still be some hope for Earth's inhabitants. Researchers have suggested a number of methods to stave off the impending doomsday, from altering Earth's orbit by launching an asteroid, to uploading our consciousness into machines. If Earth avoids a life-ending event – like self-inflicted nuclear apocalypse or an extinction-sized asteroid – the scientists say humans have less than 500 million years left on the planet. This comes well before the planet is predicted to be'melt' 6 billion years from now, when the sun swells to become a red giant As the sun grows brighter at a rate of roughly 10 percent every billion years, Earth will respond by decreasing its own'warming blanket' of atmospheric carbon dioxide. With less carbon dioxide, the plants eventually all die out, and oxygen will not be replenished.