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Many theoretical physicists believe the universe could end someday – and the process is likely to have already begun.

While no one knows for certain how it will happen, there are three leading theories dubbed the big crunch, the big rip and the big freeze, that could lead to our demise.

Now a Munich-based group, called Kurzgesagt, has put together a video explaining how exactly these theories will bring to end the world as we know it.

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The 'big rip' his would start once the pull of the universe's expansion gets stronger than gravity. Galaxies would tear apart, followed by black holes, planets and stars

They claim all humanity will either slowly decay into radiation, completely vanish after collapsing in on itself or be ripped apart as the universe's expansion speeds up.

In the 'big rip' scenario, dark energy could be warping the universe's scaffolding causing galaxies to tear apart first, followed by smaller black holes, planets and stars.

This, according to Business Insider, would take place once the ever-increasing pull of the universe's expansion gets stronger than the gravity holding galaxies together.

The universe could eventually expand at the speed of light, and when this happens, the forces holding substances together would break down.

As a result, the universe will be empty, holding only single particles that are unconnected to anything else in existence.

Several years ago, researchers said the universe is expanding at a rate comparable to a rollercoaster, after they mapped the galaxies for the first time as they were 11 billion years ago.

Dr Mat Pier from the University of Portmouth explained that the universe's growth when it was young was slowed by the effects of gravity.

But in the past five billion years it has begun to rapidly expand because of a mysterious force which scientists have called dark energy.

Another potential end to the universe could be through something nicknamed the 'big crunch'.

This could happen if, instead of expanding, matter in the universe decreases over time, causing gravity to become the dominant force.

Gravity would cause the universe to shrink. The result would be colliding stars, galaxies and planets as the universe collapses in on itself.

And the process could already be taking place somewhere in our cosmos and is eating away at the rest of the universe, according to theoretical physicists.

The mind-bending concept has been around for a while, but last year researchers in Denmark claimed they have proven it is possible with mathematical equations.

Another potential end to the universe could be through something nicknamed the 'big crunch'. This could happen if  matter in the universe decreases over time, causing gravity to become the dominant force

This violent process is called a 'phase transition' and is similar to what happens when, for example, water turns to steam or a magnet heats up and loses its power.

According to something known as the Higgs theory, a phase transition such as this took place one tenth of a billionth of a second after the Big Bang, causing a shift in the fabric of space-time.

During this transition, empty space became filled with an invisible substance that we now call the Higgs field.

Some elementary particles interact with this field, gaining energy in the process, and this intrinsic energy is known as the mass of a particle.

By using mathematical equations, researchers at the University of Southern Denmark have discovered that the Higgs field could exist in two states, just like matter can exist as a liquid or a solid.

In the second state, the Higgs field is billions of times denser than what scientists have already observed.

In the 'big crunch', gravity would cause the universe to shrink. The result would be colliding stars, galaxies and planets as the universe collapses in on itself

If this ultra-dense Higgs field exists, then a 'bubble' of this state could suddenly appear in a certain place of the universe at any time, similar to when you boil water.

The bubble would then expand at the speed of light, entering all space, and turning the Higgs field from the state it is in now into a new one.

The final scenario – and the most likely to take place according to current physics knowledge - humanity could either see a 'big freeze' or 'heat death'.

In this scenario, matter would slowly decay into radiation as the universe expands.

After trillions of years, even the atoms making up the remaining matter would start to degrade and disintegrate.

Stars would dissolve, black holes would evaporate and eventually even light particles would vanish.

Ultimately, further advances in fundamental physics are required before it will be possible to know the ultimate fate of the universe with any level of certainty.

The final scenario – and the most likely to take place according to current physics knowledge - humanity could either see a 'big freeze' or 'heat death'. In this event, matter would slowly decay into radiation as it expands