Albert Einstein once said: “The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” So what’s to be done with questions that seem too weird to ask but still come to us at night while we’re trying to fall asleep? That’s right: these are the most interesting ones!

Bright Side prepared serious scientific answers to 10 absurd hypothetical questions that might torment you in the wee hours of the night so that you can stop losing sleep.

1. What would happen if the Earth lost oxygen for 5 seconds?

2. What would happen if you opened the door of a plane while it was in flight?

It is surely the worst thing you could experience during a flight. All passengers sitting close to the exit would be ejected into the sky. The temperature onboard the aircraft would quickly plummet, and the plane might begin to break apart. To save your life you would have about 15 to 20 seconds to put on your oxygen mask. And even if you managed to do it, your chances of survival would be still negligible.

But don’t be afraid! Fortunately, this situation is totally hypothetical. There is no chance you would be able to open the door (unless you have superhuman strength). Why? The air pressure would stop you from making such a big mistake. At cruising altitude the inside of the plane is at a pressure of about 0.7 or 0.8 atmospheres, which is equivalent to about 5-5.4 kilograms (11-12 pounds) of force per square inch. This is what you would need to overcome! So, in this case the worst thing that could happen to you is getting arrested as soon as the plane lands.

3. What would happen if the moon suddenly disappeared?

4. What would happen if all of the Earth’s insects vanished?

It’s hard to believe, but without disgusting insects the world would fall apart. And here is why:

5. What would happen if the world started spinning twice as fast?

We know what you’re thinking — in this case our day would last 12 hours instead of 24. That’s true! But there are many not so obvious and even surprising effects.

6. What would happen if you didn’t shower for a year?

It’s easy to figure out that this is a really bad idea! But nevertheless let’s imagine what could it result in:

7. What if humans were twice as intelligent?

8. What would happen if you shot a gun in space?

9. What if you ate only one type of food?

The symptoms of deficiencies differ depending on which food you’re eating:

The only food enriched with all the nutrients humans need is mother’s milk. Technically, even adults could survive on human milk. However, it would be a real challenge to find a woman ready to provide it.

10. What would happen if you fell into a volcano?

It’s surprising, but this question required more scientific investigation than you might expect. There is no doubt you would die, but how — that is the question!

The temperature in a volcano is 4 times hotter than in your kitchen oven at its full capacity. Inside you’d quickly burst into flames and burn to death. However, scientists say that lava’s high density and resistance wouldn’t allow you sink into it and a person would likely smack onto the surface of a lava pit. It’s also believed that there is a possibility of being able to briefly walk on some types of lava, of course, wearing professional heat-protective clothing (do not try this yourself!).

What are your own and personal ’what if’ questions? Do they come to you at night or at some other time? Share them in the comments and we will answer them next time to calm your mind!

Illustrated by Sergey Raskovalov for BrightSide.me