<p>As end-of-the-world scenarios go, an apocalyptic collision with an<br><br>asteroid or comet is the new kid on the block, gaining respectability only in<br><br>the last decade of the 20th century with the realisation that the dinosaurs had<br><br>been wiped out by just such an impact.<br><br> <br><br>Now the science community is making up for lost time, with<br><br>worldwide efforts to track the thousands of potentially hazardous near-Earth<br>...