Scientists Have Figured Out How The Universe Will End Scientists say they've figured out how the universe will eventually end - not with a bang, but with a bubble. A recent paper says the end will come with a subatomic phenomenon called an "instanton". The instanton will create a tiny bubble that will expand at the speed of light, swallowing everything in its path. So how much time do we have left? Plenty - the paper's authors calculate the lifespan of the universe somewhere in the ballpark of 10 quinquadragintillion years - that's a 1 with 139 zeroes. Our solar system will be long gone before the bubble gets us. Do you think the "Higgs bubble" is real? If the universe was ending at the end of the month, what would you do?