What If

What If is a compilation of well-researched, science-based answers to some of the craziest hypothetical questions you can imagine.

What are the consequences on Earth if the Sun goes dark without warning? Interestingly, there are actually a few benefits in this situation.

For one, solar flares wouldn’t pose a risk to us anymore. The geomagnetic storms that follow solar flares disrupt Earth’s magnetic field. In 1859 one such storm sent strong currents through telegraph wires. The extra energy started fires and obliterated communications. The problem is, we have a lot more wires now, and another storm like that would be devastating to our modern world. Without a Sun, this hazard is no more!

Also, we would save a lot of money in many different places if our Sun were gone. Take the bridges we use to cross rivers and lakes. Without a Sun, the water freezes so think we can just drive on it. And that means we don’t have to spend money to maintain all those bridges anymore, saving an estimated $20 billion in repairs each year!

We’d also spend significantly less on trade. Because of our Sun, we have time zones. These differences in time across the world make it hard to conduct business internationally. If we had no Sun, we would all be in the same time zone and have no problem communicating. The global economy would soar with that kind of cost reduction!

All this sounds like fun and games until you realize that without a Sun everybody on earth freezes and dies. It’s probably better we keep the Sun around.

Do you remember the last time a cold kept you home from work or school? Although a day off is nice, having a sore throat and fever is no picnic. Wouldn’t you do whatever was necessary to eliminate the chances of ever getting a cold again? Well, the science doesn’t really check out on this being a good idea. The common cold thrives by spreading from person to person. If we quarantined everyone for a couple of weeks, however, we could starve the virus and it would die. Sadly, two weeks is enough time for society to collapse entirely. Before we get there though, let’s look at the medical implications of this scenario. People with weaker immune systems sometimes carry the cold virus for years. They’d need a lot longer time in quarantine to eradicate this sickness completely. Economically, this decision is devastating to humanity. Our overall annual economic production is roughly $80 trillion. If all industrial activity halted for two weeks, we’d lose trillions of dollars. And practicality takes the cake for why this is a bad idea. Evenly dividing the world’s land area…