“What If?” Serious Answers to Slightly Crazy Science Questions

Even a 1 mph speed boost would make things pretty weird.

If all viruses disappeared, the world would be very different — and not necessarily for the better. But what exactly would happen?

To find out, Gizmodo reached out to a number of geologists, paleontologists, and evolutionary biologists.

There are roughly 7 billion people on Earth, with a total weight of approximately 800 billion pounds (363 billion kg). What if we all jumped at once?

Vastly extended life spans would bring dazzling opportunities—and daunting risks.

The planet’s spin is not to be messed with if you like life on Earth pretty much the way it is.

What would happen to our planet if the mighty hand of humanity simply disappeared?

If the force of gravity just got switched off one day, floating off into space would be the least of your worries.

Yes, the Air Force actually once wanted to do this.

A Q&A with the one scientist brave enough to figure it out.

Experiments in evolution are exploring what would happen if we rewound the tape of life.