What If Gravity FAILED?

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1 year ago

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00:00In the mid-1660s, Isaac Newton famously observed an apple falling from a tree in an orchard at

00:06his home. It's a moment in time said to have ultimately formed the basis of Newton's theory

00:12of gravity. But of course, gravity has been a guiding force in the universe since the beginning

00:18of time. In reality, it isn't something that can be switched on or off. But hypothetically,

00:25what would happen if gravity failed? Could life, could anything, hope to survive?

00:35Gravity, in simple terms, is when objects, based on their mass, gravitate towards each other.

00:40Minuscule atoms are brought together by gravity, as are entire galaxies.

00:46Objects made of smaller masses gravitate towards those made of larger masses,

00:50which is why we as humans, and as small clumps of matter, gravitate towards the Earth,

00:55something much larger. The Moon is also attracted to the Earth, which is about 81 times heavier

01:01than it. Earth, in turn, gravitates towards the Sun, which is 109 times its diameter,

01:07and about 333,000 times as heavy. The Sun and solar system form part of the Milky Way,

01:14a collection of hundreds of billions of stars, planets and moons that are all held together

01:20by the gravitational pull of a supermassive black hole at the centre. And that's called

01:25Sagittarius A-Star. Ultimately, gravity is what caused the very universe itself to mould into

01:32being. The attraction between gaseous matter formed the stars, and the stars soon gravitated

01:37towards each other to form galaxies. Therefore, gravity is not only the thing that keeps humans

01:44from floating away, but also the invisible force that created and allows the entire universe to

01:49exist. So, what would happen if it suddenly stopped working? First off, to put any anxious

01:56minds at ease, let's be clear that the very idea of gravity failing is impossible. Gravity's not

02:02like a star that will one day simply cease to exist. It is here for good. But let's say,

02:07hypothetically, that a switch was turned right now, and gravity suddenly ground to a halt.

02:12While you may have images in your mind of all of us excitedly floating through the air,

02:17pulling somersaults like astronauts on the International Space Station, nothing could

02:22be further from the truth. In fact, the failure of gravity would be the most dangerous and

02:27destructive thing to have ever, ever occurred. Let's start by addressing everyone's primary

02:33question. What would happen to you specifically? Well, initially you would begin to float like

02:39an astronaut, but it would be far from fun. You'd suddenly lose your footing on Earth's

02:44terra firma, and begin travelling in a straight line, directly towards the clouds. There wouldn't

02:50be long to enjoy or despair over the peculiar feeling of weightlessness though, because you'd

02:56already lose consciousness pretty quickly. Everything not firmly planted on the ground

03:02would also instantly start to float, meaning that the Earth would suddenly emit all kinds of debris

03:08into the sky, including billions of animals, insects, planes, trains and automobiles. Things

03:15more firmly planted to the ground like trees, mountains and well-built buildings wouldn't take

03:19off quite so quickly, but everything else would gain momentum and shoot off into the great beyond.

03:25But it's not just animals and objects that would disappear. Without gravity, the very atmosphere

03:30of Earth would also break apart, exposing us and everything else to the harsh vacuum of space.

03:37And that is definitely not a good thing. Individually, our bodies are held together by

03:42gravity, and without it, our internal organs would go haywire. Due to being exposed to the

03:48emptiness of space, we'd also suffer ebullism, when gas bubbles form in our bodily fluids,

03:54including in our blood and the membranes of our eyes. All in all, the exceptional pain would be

04:00almost instant and literally unbearable. Luckily, we wouldn't feel too much of it though, because

04:06we'd be out cold in about 15 seconds, thanks to the sudden lack of oxygen. And if you think

04:12holding your breath could grant you a few extra seconds to plan a potentially life-saving strategy,

04:17think again. Without expelling the air from your lungs, the oxygen inside would quickly expand and

04:23rupture your organs anyway, forcing air bubbles into your heart and brain, and ensuring an equally

04:30quick death. Either way, our bodies would fail, and everyone would die, through asphyxiation and

04:37or the unprecedented reduction of pressure. Within minutes, maybe even seconds, the planet would be

04:43surrounded by billions of floating corpses, and all life on Earth would be unequivocally dead.

04:49Along with the now non-existent atmosphere, Earth's water would likely briefly boil off

04:55and float in globules towards the sky. Every lake, ocean and river in the world would suddenly start

05:01to drift upwards, taking with it every species of marine life. It would certainly be a magnificent

05:07event to behold, but it would also leave our planet as a barren and liquid-free wasteland.

05:13But the bigger picture is even bleaker. While losing all life on Earth is obviously tragic,

05:19the full extent of the carnage would be unimaginably colossal. We are but a speck

05:25on the interstellar map, after all. Our nearest cosmic neighbour, the Moon, wouldn't last long,

05:31given that it would also have nothing to anchor itself to. Our only satellite would randomly

05:36divert off towards parts unknown, never to be seen again, leaving Earth entirely isolated in the

05:42growing abyss, but only for a brief moment. Because it's not as though the Earth itself would last

05:48long either. Our planet, like our bodies, is held together by gravity, from the internal pressure of

05:54the core to the precise geology of the crust. If gravity up and left, the molten metals inside the

06:00Earth would quickly force their way to the now completely desolate surface. Within minutes,

06:06the Earth itself would begin to spectacularly break apart. The ground would crumble and entire

06:12sections would break off, eventually leading to the planet scattering into individual pieces,

06:17drifting through space, disintegrating as they go. Before long, the only proof of our

06:22home planet ever existing would be rapidly diminishing random chunks of unrecognisable

06:28rock. The Sun and every other star in the universe would soon follow suit. Stars are

06:34basically gigantic balls of energy held together by their cores. So, with gravity gone, they,

06:40like the Earth, would also lose all structural integrity. The intense pressures put onto a star's

06:46core would build and build before bursting at the seams, resulting in titanic, inconceivable

06:52explosions that would reverberate across what's left of the known universe. It would clearly be

06:57an incredible sight to see, but as it would ultimately steal every star from the universe,

07:03nothing would survive to see it. And what's left of the universe itself? It would become an

07:08exceptionally lonely place, with every object in it having exploded, dissolved, or been destroyed in

07:14some way, leaving just empty, endless darkness. Without gravity, the infinite number of expelled

07:20clumps of matter would eventually dwindle down into fundamental atoms, without anything binding

07:26them together, or any hope of creating new galaxies. Suffice to say, gravity is an immeasurably

07:32important, basic building block for creation, and the continued existence of absolutely everything.

07:39Without it, all life in the universe would quickly die, planets would collapse,

07:44and stars would burst into magnificent spectacles of light before dimming,

07:48extinguishing, and leaving the universe as a dark and empty void of utter nothingness.

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