ANCHORAGE, AK – Scientists say they have detected a slowing of our planet’s rotation, and predict the Earth will stop spinning altogether in as little as three years!

The slowdown will lead to steadily longer days and nights and could cause everything from disastrous floods and earthquakes to mass starvation.

“This is by far the most serious and immediate problem now facing mankind,” declared geophysicist Joseph Jankowski, who first observed the phenomenon.

Scientists have long believed the Earth’s rotation is slowing. It’s estimated that three billion years ago, a day zipped by in about 13 hours, while now one full rotation of the Earth on its axis takes 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.091 seconds.

Old theories held that the effect was gradual, with the length of an Earth day increasing just .002 seconds per century.

But now new sophisticated measurements show that changes in the Earth’s rotation have become more dramatic than ever before.

“By summer of 2011, a day will lengthen to 38.6 hours,” revealed Prof. Jankowski.

And according to his chilling calculations, the Earth’s rotation will wind down to a dead stop by January 16 of the year 2013.

Incredibly, this will result in permanent day on one side of the globe and permanent night on the other!

“Those individuals unlucky enough to end up on the dark side of the Earth will find themselves in a grim, cold world of eternal blackness,” said the expert.

“Virtually all plant life – which depends on photosynthesis – will die within a few short weeks, leading to a halt in farming and the worst famines the human race has ever experienced.”

But life will be no picnic for survivors on the bright side of the globe, the scientist added.

“Imagine a spinning top slowly running out of momentum – before it stops it begins to wobble.

“The same thing will happen to our planet, causing the continental plates to slosh about wildly.

“The result will be massive tidal waves and earthquakes in which billions will die.”

What’s more, year-round daylight will throw the lifecycles of insects and birds out of whack. “The effect will snowball, disrupting the entire ecosystem,” said the professor.

“This could lead to mass extinctions all the way up the food chain.”

Several other scientists have cautioned against panic, calling for calm until the phenomenon can be “studied thoroughly.”

But Prof. Jankowski warned: “Governments around the world must begin planning for this inevitable catastrophe right now!”