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What would happen to you if the Earth stopped spinning?

If the Earth stopped rotating, humans would instantly become supersonic tumbleweeds on a path of destruction. But would we live to tell about it?

Anthony Domanico
CNET freelancer Anthony Domanico is passionate about all kinds of gadgets and apps. When not making words for the Internet, he can be found watching Star Wars or "Doctor Who" for like the zillionth time. His other car is a Tardis.
Anthony Domanico

We humans take it for granted that the Earth is constantly rotating. But what if it didn't? What if one day the Earth just stopped spinning? That's what popular curiosity seeker Michael Stevens, aka Vsauce on YouTube, set out to answer with his latest video.

The answer, of course, is simple: we would all die pretty horrifically. You see, were the Earth to stop, everything that isn't Earth would keep moving at the same speed at which the Earth was traveling. All humans not at the poles would essentially become "supersonic tumbleweed," Stevens says, with the destructive power of a super-fast bullet.

If somehow, magically perhaps, you happened to survive that, the winds would gust as fast as those in an atomic bomb, helping to cause massive fires and basically destroying anything in their path. But hey, the folks aboard the International Space Station would probably survive, though they wouldn't have an Earth to come back to.

Learn about these fun (and terrifying) facts and more by watching Stevens' video above. And while you may be having a crummy Monday, just remember: it could be worse!

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The oceans would rise and flood the Earth, but don't worry, you'd be long dead by then. Video screenshot by Anthony Domanico/CNET