Does the universe have a ‘self destruct’ button - which could wipe us all out instantly?

With celebrities dying left, right and centre, and politics degenerating into a bitter slanging match which has divided Britain, many people aren’t too fond of the year 2016.

But it could be worse… much worse.

German science channel Kurzgesagt explains how our entire universe might be erased, instantly - like when someone presses a self-destruct button.

The problem is the Higgs field which permeates our universe - scientists are unsure if it’s in a stable ‘ground’ state.

And if it’s not, it would be incredibly bad news - meaning that the entire universe would be devoured instantly, and the rules of physics and chemistry would no longer work.

Kurzgesagt says, ‘Everything in our universe tries to move to its ground state, where it’s completely stable and has as little energy as possible.

‘We think all the fields have reached their vacuum state - with the possible exception of one. If the Higgs field is in a false vacuum - it would be like a piece of wood soaked in petrol, waiting to set the universe on fire.

‘This could happen at any time, and without warning. If at any point this so-called vacuum decay occurs - a sphere of the new, stable Higgs field, or true vacuum grows at the speed of light in all directions, like setting a sea of petrol on fire, the size of the universe.

‘The sphere devours everything it comes into contact with. The bubble will continue to grow forever, deleting everything in its way. Whatever it touches is eliminated from existence.