What If
What if you never aged? What if dinosaurs were alive today? Explore the hypothetical with these and more 'what if' scenarios.
How Safety Coffins Eased Grave Fears of Premature Burial
Does Marie Antoinette Still Roam the Halls of Versailles?
Is Scattering Someone's Ashes Technically Considered Littering?
Chainsaws Were Originally Invented to Help With Childbirth
Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of These Debunked Conspiracy Theories
What's the Fascination With Number 23?
How Nostradamus Works
The Tower: The Most Intimidating Tarot Card
Indigo Children: New Age Trend or Undiagnosed ADHD?
How Ben Franklin Helped Ignite the Jersey Devil Hysteria
From Bigfoot to Nessie: 7 Legendary Cryptids That'll Keep You up at Night
Does the Jackalope Really Roam the State of Wyoming?
Is the Mystery of Namibia's Fairy Circles Finally Solved?
Water 'Witches' Pit Science Against Folklore in Search of Groundwater
What's Really Going on at the 'Dog Suicide Bridge'?
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Maybe it's mistrust of the U.S. government and health-related industries, as well as Lyme's insidious nature, that makes this idea catnip for conspiracy theories. But what's the truth?
Some scientists say it's possible we're all just part of a computer simulation controlled by a superior set of beings. But how would we know?
Humans have only been bipedal for a sliver of history. What if we returned our spines to their original position and quit walking upright? What would that world be like?
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In the classic film "Cool Hand Luke," the title character gulps down 50 hard-boiled eggs in less than an hour. Is this a trick you can (or should) try at home?
By Debra Ronca
The core of our planet is about as hot as the sun. Could it ever cool down? That's one thing you don't want to happen.
By Chris Opfer
A helium shortage threatens more than just the balloon industry. Way more. Here's what at stake should we run out of this gas — which is a real possibility.
By Chris Opfer
What could happen if we poked one of these sleeping giants? There are two scenarios. One is good. One is very, very bad.
By Chris Opfer
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Welcome to Yellowstone, a natural wonderland that's home to stunning vistas, vibrant plant and animal life ... and a massive and potentially devastating supervolcano.
By Chris Opfer
Your vacation would be ruined, and that's not all.
By Chris Opfer
Sans gravity, would we all just bounce up and down like astronauts on the moon? No. It would look a little more like a Michael Bay movie.
By Chris Opfer
Our planet's path around the sun defines life on Earth. What would happen if it changed?
By Chris Opfer
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Climate change and industrial activity are wiping out large sections of the world's largest rainforest.
By Chris Opfer
If you've found yourself screeching while a bug scuttled through your kitchen, you're not alone. But we need bugs more than they need us.
By Chris Opfer
A world without cows would be a world without burgers, right? Yes, and to beef eaters that's bad news, but it would also be a world with less methane. So would losing all cows be worth it?
By Jeff Harder
Your dog just swallowed a plate full of chicken bones. Is he really in serious danger? The short answer: yes. Find out why you need to get him to a vet immediately.
By Jeff Harder
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Figuring out how to deal with rising sea levels isn't some kind of purely academic exercise. It's happening. So how do we deal with it, especially if the sea rises a foot in our lifetime?
By Jeff Harder
Earth's magnetic field has flipped many times before, and scientists say it will flip again (though probably not in our lifetime). While it might not be catastrophic, a major change in the magnetic field would present a special set of problems.
You would probably be pretty freaked out if you ate uranium, right? Well, if you've ever eaten a potato or turnip, you may already have done so. How does your body deal with this radioactive substance?
By Jeff Harder
Feel like drinking a nice, big glass of embalming fluid? We didn't think so. But what would happen if a living person poured into his or her body something meant for the insides of the dead? Nothing good.
By Jeff Harder
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A small amount of household bleach, while it sounds gross, probably won't harm you. But what happens if you drink more than that?
Yes, you can eat marijuana, but turns out it can provide a much different -- and possibly more potent -- high than when you smoke it. Read on to find out ingested marijuana's effects on the body.
By Jeff Harder
Let's say you like chicken nuggets. You really like chicken nuggets. You like chicken nuggets so much that it's the only food you'll eat. What does that do to your health? Nothing good, it turns out.
By Jeff Harder
Ready to paint your room, but want to do something a little different? How about painting the walls with your favorite nail polish? Read on to find out why this may not be the most practical (or healthy) idea.
By Jeff Harder
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Sure, Saturn's luminous rings are a cosmic marvel, but did you know that Earth once had rings? If we still had them today, what would they look like?
China's government imposed mandatory IUDs and mass sterilizations, among other measures. That's some serious micromanagement. Was it necessary to avert a population disaster?