A science storytelling workshop aimed at curious youngsters took place during the Oxford Literary Festival.

The event was organised by Science Oxford alongside science journalist Emma Young, who showcased entries from her What If? collection at Pusey House Chapel in St Giles, Oxford.

Francesca MacLennan, who oversees science education and outreach at The Oxford Trust, which funds Science Oxford, welcomed Ms Young before she guided participants through imaginative scenario-based questions and remarkable scientific discoveries.

The session explored quirky thought experiments such as what would happen should oceans become fresh, whether buildings could be built from rubies, and how dogs might function with antennae.

Ms MacLennan remarked that Science Oxford delights in tackling big questions, so encountering Emma Young’s What If? book series—which tackles numerous extraordinary scientific dilemmas—was a pleasure. The children present were thoroughly engaged by the range of subjects and keen to discover the answers. They also raised many further intriguing questions. Their continued collaboration with the Oxford Literary Festival demonstrates how reading can support scientific learning and offers an enjoyable method for nurturing scientific curiosity and motivating the next generation of researchers.

The talk included amusing facts about our planet, the human anatomy, and wildlife.

Queries drawn from Ms Young’s publications sparked both laughter and fascination, including inquiries about what would occur if one were unable to pass wind and what would happen if the body stopped producing mucus.

She explained that an average person creates as much as four cups of mucus each day and emits gas between eight and fifteen times daily, illustrating this for the young listeners with a demonstration device.

Additional hypothetical scenarios covered crossbred animals such as the pizzly bear (a blend of grizzly and polar bear), the liger (resulting from a lion and tiger pairing), and the geep (a hybrid of goat and sheep).

Ms Young’s third volume in the series, titled What If Pigs Could Fly?, will be published in June 2026.

Young attendees also posed their own inquiries like what would occur if humans could detect sound travelling through air and what life would be like without toenails.

This marked the sixth successive year that Science Oxford and the Oxford Literary Festival have worked together.

Ben O’Donnell, who leads the children and young people’s strand at the Oxford Literary Festival, noted that welcoming Emma Young to the festival this year was tremendous fun, especially as it allowed them to extend their partnership with Science Oxford for the sixth consecutive year, motivating young people through excellent science and children’s literature.

The 2026 Oxford Literary Festival runs until Sunday, March 29, at venues across Oxford.