What If

Income inequality contributes to societal ills. Would mandating equal paychecks for all improve the situation or lead to work-shirking and massive government?

By Gallagher Flinn

When it comes to eating certain questionable foods — like unrefrigerated potato salad — most of us know to stay far away. But what about moldy bread? If you cut the offending areas off, is it a risk worth taking or a ticking time bomb?

By Karen Kirkpatrick

Say a guy mistakes "the Pill" for a breath mint. Is he going to have any lasting side effects if he takes one? What about if he took it regularly?

By Alia Hoyt & Karen Kirkpatrick

Tons of planets have more than one moon. Heck, Jupiter and Saturn have more than 50 each, and they seem to be doing just fine. So why is it that the idea of a second moon for Earth has scientists throwing up red flags?

By Karen Kirkpatrick

Double the suns means double the suntan, double the solar energy and double the awesome sunsets, right? Well, not exactly. Having two suns might sound fun, but it would probably make for a pretty different environment here on Earth.

By Karen Kirkpatrick

We all know what Viagra does and why men use it — not to mention how much money this particular prescription drug has made over the years. But does it improve sexual health for women, too?

By Karen Kirkpatrick & Jennifer Walker-Journey

The Earth is a pretty stalwart planet, having survived billions of years of punishment at the hands of asteroids and other cosmic bodies. But could it withstand more than 7 billion people jumping up and down in unison? Do we even want to find out?

By Karen Kirkpatrick

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?

By Gallagher Flinn

If minerals make up so much of the Earth, why would we ever face shortages? The availability of the resources we use to create products often depends more on our priorities than the planet's supply.

By Gallagher Flinn

Assuming we got to keep the sun, how bad would be for travelers to not have these little guiding lights? And what else might have changed in history without stars?

By Gallagher Flinn

People would look underground for water and maybe just stay there to escape the fiery hell on Earth's surface. But could humanity really last without the seas?

By Gallagher Flinn

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?

By Laurie L. Dove

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

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

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

A small amount of household bleach, while it sounds gross, probably won't harm you. But what happens if you drink more than that?

By Nathan Chandler & Jeff Harder

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

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 & Sascha Bos

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

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