The Universe without gravity

Life with no gravity might sound a fun idea, but as Govert Schilling explains, shutting off this pivotalforce would spell disaster for Earth and beyond

- Govert Schilling

Gravity is a nuisance, don't you think? The gravity of our home planet makes it hard to climb a mountain. It can cause a broken leg if you fall down the stairs. It makes you very much aware of your body mass. And it's the main reason why pigs – or people – don't fly.

Wouldn't it be great to experience no gravity? To effortlessly float around in any direction you wish, like astronauts on board the International Space Station? You wouldn't need stairs anymore, or elevators, for that matter. Then again, as every astronaut can tell you, drinking a cup of coffee would become quite a challenge.

But it's an interesting thought experiment. What would the world, and indeed the Universe, look like if there were no gravity, if we could shut it off completely, or if it had never existed at all?

For one, life on our planet would have been completely different. In a world with no gravity, there's no need for the evolution of wings. Legs aren't really necessary either. And animals could be much larger than blue whales or dinosaurs, as weight no longer puts constraints on body size.

But wait a moment. Life would have a very difficult time existing in the first place, as Earth would have no atmosphere. Only through gravity is our planet capable of retaining that thin layer of breathable gases. Without gravity, the atmosphere – and the oceans, for that matter – would escape into space, and the third rock from the Sun would be as barren as low-mass worlds like the Moon and Mercury.