This superconducting magnet can do more
than just attract paper clips.
It could unlock energy sources that could
free humans from fossil fuels.
And you are about to take this miracle
of science and swallow it whole.
Wait, what?
In 2021,
a team of MIT researchers created
a magnet strong enough to recreate
the same nuclear fusion reactions
that happen in the Sun.
Over the next few years,
the tests these scientists perform could
determine the future of our planet.
The energy emitted from this magnet
could revolutionize our power grid
and reduce our carbon emissions.
So making this cutting-edge technology
into your next meal would be pretty selfish.
But if you had the power of the Sun
inside your stomach,
Just pinch your nose and relax.
One swallow, and voila.
The measure of magnetic strength.
That souvenir magnet on your fridge
comes in at 0.001 teslas.
But the one floating in your gut
measures a record-breaking 20 teslas.
How are you feeling now?
Your body already generates a magnetic field
produced by the electrical currents in your nervous system.
Doctors even use these currents to map brain functions.
Researchers have found
that outside exposure to weak magnetic fields
can affect chemical reactions in your cells.
So having this magnet inside of you
could radically alter your DNA.
For starters,
magnetic waves have the potential of repairing cell damage faster.
Imagine if your body could heal from cancer before you knew you had it.
But this comes at a price.
With these powerful waves
pulsating through your brain,
could you even tell which way is up?
Every magnet contains two opposite forces where the charge is the strongest.
We call these points the poles.
These poles carry an opposite charge to the other,
usually referred to as the north and south poles.
So with this magnet inside you,
your head would become the north pole,
and your feet would become the south.
The fields coming out could align you with the Earth’s magnetic field.
Now you could navigate anywhere by instinct.
Forget your phone's GPS.
Your senses would be as strong as
birds and whales that migrate worldwide
using those same magnetic fields.
Now, while you might be in tune
with the natural world,
your other senses could be completely rattled.
The electric pulses in your nervous system
could be disrupted entirely,
making it difficult to move.
Your brain contains a mineral known as magnetite, made up of iron oxide.
Your brain tissue could rip apart
as these minerals swirl toward the north pole in your head.
So if this mineral could gather in clumps,
Well, while your sixth sense could be heightened,
you probably wouldn't be able to magnetize
other metallic objects just by touching them.
Just don't go swallowing anything magnetic.
The metals could be drawn to the poles
inside your body and rip through your organs.
That experiment,
like your life,
would be short-lived.
And if you got near something as strong
as an MRI machine,
which uses a magnetic field to take images
inside the human body,
the waves from the machine combined
with what is sitting in your stomach
could rip your body apart.
It would be really easy to see what's inside you then.
OK, well, that would be the case if you gulped down a huge magnet.
Now, if you ate a smaller magnetic strip,
you might be able to use your magnetic field to levitate like a high-speed train does.
And then while the rest of us are stuck in traffic,
you could be zipping around the world.
So what if, instead of that world-changing magnet,
you poured yourself some liquid mercury instead?
Step away from the magnet
and get your shot glass
because that's a story for another WHAT IF.