What If

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.

ByJeff 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.

ByJeff Harder

Would you still be inclined to step up to the altar with your partner for life? Would you plod along on the same career path? You might not if we realize the dream of ageless, healthy human life.

ByRobert Lamb

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?

ByJulie Douglas

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?

ByMelanie Radzicki McManus

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.

ByChris Opfer

What could happen if we poked one of these sleeping giants? There are two scenarios. One is good. One is very, very bad.

ByChris Opfer

Your vacation would be ruined, and that's not all.

ByChris Opfer

Climate change and industrial activity are wiping out large sections of the world's largest rainforest.

ByChris 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.

ByChris Opfer

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?

ByDebra Ronca

Solar flares disrupt Earth's magnetic field when they hit the planet, causing issues with power and GPS. But if a major solar flare hit Earth, the consequences could be catastrophic.

ByLaurie L. Dove

Neanderthals are long gone, but they live on in the DNA of some modern humans. If they were still alive today, the differences (and similarities) between us and our ancestors would be astounding.

ByLaurie L. Dove

If you don't recycle, you should. If you do recycle, you should do more. And what if everybody in the world started to recycle? At the very least, it would help us attack that enormous plastic patch in the middle of the ocean.

ByLaurie L. Dove

It's a strange thing to think about, but have you ever wondered what would happen if the ozone layer suddenly wasn't there? Here's a hint: Getting a bad sunburn would be the least of your problems.

ByLaurie L. Dove

Remember learning about photosynthesis when you were a kid? Let's pretend for a moment that this vital process could somehow permanently stop. How tough would it be to continue to live on this Earth?

ByLaurie L. Dove

Doesn't matter whether you love seeing bees buzz around the garden in the spring or you hate it: Bees are vital to our existence. So what would happen if they all went away? The way we eat would change forever.

ByLaurie L. Dove

Our early ancestors, enjoying the effects of rotten fruit, had stumbled onto something big. How did alcohol serve as a nutrition source and, some believe, help motivate hunters to take up farming?

ByGallagher Flinn

There'd be some sacrifices. But bird-people society would have its advantages: interchangeable parents, sophisticated gardening skills and a close relationship with trees.

ByGallagher Flinn

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

ByGallagher 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?

ByKaren 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?

ByAlia Hoyt&Karen Kirkpatrick

吨的行星有一个以上的月亮。见鬼,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?

ByKaren 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.

ByKaren 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?

ByKaren Kirkpatrick&Jennifer Walker-Journey