— JOPLIN, Mo. - The classic Maya were gifted scientists with a
keen sense of the heavens, says astronomer Mark Claussen. They
understood the moon's phases and detected a slight wobble of the
Earth's axis. But these days the Maya are more commonly known
for predicting the end of the world on Dec. 21, 2012. Its a
piece of apocalyptic lore dismissed by Claussen, of National
Radio Astronomy Observatory near Socorro, N.M., as well as his
brother, Sam, who teaches a class in Mayan civilization at
Missouri Southern State University. “The Mayans never predicted
such a thing,” said Sam Claussen. The doomsday date, he said,
merely marks the end of the 20th cycle of a long-count calendar
associated with the Maya. “Think of it like an odometer in your
car turning to zero,” he said. “When that happens, does the car
explode or quit running? Of course not.” Mark Claussen visited
his brother's class this week to talk about the Maya, their
astronomy and apocalyptic visions. Among the latter theories: A
rogue planet called "Ni