Below freezing waters?

Check.

Insulated swimsuit?

Hey, wait.

What are you doing?

Ok, smart guy,

but what if

you jumped into a pool of liquid methane?

Maybe you can handle

diving into icy cold water,

but hold off on jumping into this lake.

It's not as harmless as it looks.

Beneath this sheet of ice lies methane gas.

But it may not stay there long.

Known as thermokarst lakes,

these bodies of water

emit the greenhouse gas

during the summer

and trap it underneath

the frozen water in the winter.

Remnants of the Ice Age,

these pockets of methane

are released by permafrost thawing,

brought on by global warming.

So, these lakes

are freshwater mixed with methane.

But if you dipped your toes

into liquid methane,

As usual, let's set the scene.

You won't stumble across

any methane pools unless

you're on Saturn's moon, Titan.

But if you were to make

a pool for liquid methane,

the temperature would need

to be well below freezing.

First,

you'd need a large indoor pool area,

where you can control the ventilation

and the temperature.

After all,

our planet has never been colder

To turn methane gas into a liquid,

you'd have to cool it,

and everything around it,

And if it gets warmer,

it will turn from non-flammable

liquid methane into a time bomb.

Remember,

methane is one carbon atom

and four hydrogen atoms.

And methane is the main ingredient

in natural gas,

which many people

use to heat their homes.

You'd need to create a way

to safely burn off the methane gas

escaping from your pool.

If you didn't,

you'd release more greenhouse gas

into the atmosphere.

So, assuming you cooled

the methane just enough

to keep it liquid,

If you're planning to dog paddle

through liquid methane,

you're going to need

a solid workout plan.

You're going to need Fitbod.

With its ability to create

a customizable fitness program,

Fitbod is the app

that keeps adapting to you

and your changing fitness levels.

Since I'm getting ready to swim

a few laps in liquid methane,

I'm going to work on my core.

And Fitbod gives me options

that keep my workouts fresh

and varied.

It's like having

an in-home personal trainer.

By analyzing algorithmic data,

Fitbox is scientifically proven

to make each workout

better than the last.

And you don't need equipment,

or even more than 3 days a week

o start seeing results.

Starting at only $9.99 a month,

Fitbod is your first step to achieving

your fitness goals,

whether you're at home

or on the run.

Build the momentum you need

to carry your fitness journey

through the rest of the year with Fitbod.

Because if I'm not working

on the muscles responsible

for my legendary breaststroke,

I'm not making it out of this liquid.

When you make that jump

one thing is certain.

You're going to sink,

and probably fast.

With its low viscosity,

or, uh, gooiness,

and low surface tension,

even the smallest bug

would fall right through

the surface of liquid methane.

And liquid methane has low density.

So as you swim,

every stroke will have less force

than if you were treading water.

If you want to practice beforehand,

you could try jumping

into a thermokarst lake.

But even that

won't prepare you for the dark cold

of a methane pool.

If you're determined to do this,

you're going to need

some serious protection.

You'll risk permanent injury

or even dying

from the extreme cold temperature.

Frostbite starts at temperatures

below 0 °C (32 °F).

Depending on wind conditions,

it can occur in about five minutes.

And,

if your eyes aren't carefully protected,

you could get corneal frostbite.

Just imagine two ice cubes

where your eyes used to be.

And you're not going to want

the liquid methane

near your face either,

although methane isn't toxic.

But a high concentration

of methane gas

can displace all the oxygen around.

So just a small mouthful

of liquid methane thawing out

inside your lungs

could suffocate you to death.

This gas isn't something to be taken lightly.

Did I mention that methane gas

is 84 times more potent

than carbon dioxide?

And that a study by

the Environmental Defense Fund

found that

In nature, methane gas has no odor.

To alert us to this dangerous gas,

mercaptan is mixed with methane,

giving it the "fragrant scent"

we all know and love.

So while you might suffocate,

freeze, or sink in liquid methane,

at least what the rescuers find,

whatever's left of you,

won't reek too bad.

But the same wouldn't be true

if you were fall into something else.

Like what if you fell

into a pool full of saliva?

Blech.

Oh geez, really?

Well, that's a story for another WHAT IF.