What The If?

In honor of the announcement that NASA has chosen SPACE-X to build the Artemis lunar lander... and also in honor of Philip’s receiving his second shot of the Pfizer vaccine, we present this encore presentation! (Shh, what I really mean is that this shot has knocked me out good and I’ve got VAX HANGOVER and am stuck in bed until it passes. Don’t get me wrong, PRAISE SCIENCE for the vax! And... enjo...

Got an IF of your own? Want to have us consider your idea for a show topic? Send YOUR IF to us! Email us at feedback@whattheif.com and let us know what's in your imagination. No idea is too small, or too big! --- Want to support the show? Click a rating or add a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app! itunes.apple.com/podcast/id1250517051?mt=2&ls=1 Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe a...

Got an IF of your own? Want to have us consider your idea for a show topic? Send YOUR IF to us! Email us at feedback@whattheif.com and let us know what's in your imagination. No idea is too small, or too big! --- Want to support the show? Click a rating or add a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app! itunes.apple.com/podcast/id1250517051?mt=2&ls=1 Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe a...

(Producer's note: What the if... you uploaded the wrong episode? Haha well today I found out. Nonetheless that previous episode was a great one, but here's the new one. Enjoy, and keep on Iffin'! -- Philip) Today's show was inspired by our listener and Super IFFer Charlie who wrote in from Knoxville, Tennessee and asked: "I thought how weird it would be if humans never had language to communicate...

A NOTE ABOUT THIS SPECIAL REBROADCAST: In commemoration of the one year anniversary of the start of the pandemic, and in honor of our amazing new Co-IFFer, super host Gaby Paniccia, we proudly present Gaby’s debut appearance on the show. One year ago this week… it was a scary time, with so much uncertainty, and with science as our only hope of grasping what was happening. Matt had seen a livestrea...

A note about this special rebroadcast: Philip & Matt, always known for their keen eye for FASHION (just go with me on this…) found themselves fifty-three weeks ago observing that the newly minted PANDEMIC was going to change the way we comb our hair… and everything about WHAT WE WEAR! Listen to our innocence as we pondered whether this LOCKDOWN might last a few… WEEKS? Maybe a few months? A precio...

Our listener, and Super IFFer Supreme, Bill from Virginia asks: “WTIF we saw the return of the mysterious "Sleeping Sickness" that followed the 1918 pandemic?” Wake the IF! Join us as we imagine an outbreak in NEW YORK of this enigmatic pathogen that makes you very, very, very, very, sleepy. Sleepiness attacks THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS! What could possibly go wrong? — Got an IF of your own? Want...

Today's IF was sent to us by our awesome listener and Super IFFer Ruud Smit! Ruud asks us: "What the if our eyes could only see neutrinos?" Join Philip, Matt and Gaby on this incredible adventure into a world where creatures have eyes that are MILES, KILOMETERS, even KILOMILES long! What in the world (and on WHAT world?) would it be like to have NEUTRINO VISION? — Got an IF of your own? Want to ha...

Terraforming via MOLE? Join documentary filmmaker Philip Shane, NYU Historian of Science Matthew Stanley, and Rockefeller University virologist Gaby Paniccia as we take a fantastic journey to learn the magical wonders of biology... up close... and in living AUDIO color! --- Like the show? Share your love for the IF by dropping a review on Apple Podcasts! itunes.apple.com/podcast/id1250517051?mt=2&...

Welcome to our new WTIF show, where we use SCIENCE to build up -- and break down -- fabulous SCI-FI and FANTASY worlds! This week, we struggle to hear each other when we visit the gigantic city planet of CORUSCANT, the VERY NOISY capital of the STAR WARS galaxy. Hosted by documentary filmmaker Philip Shane, NYU Historian of Science Matthew Stanley, and Rockefeller University scientist Gaby Panicci...

This week on What The If? We have a very special guest, Jo Marchant. Jo has written multiple books like Decoding the Heavens and the Shadow King. She has a new book out called "The Human Cosmos: A Secret History of the Stars"! Check it out at https://www.jomarchant.com Jo comes to our show with the question: What the IF we couldn't see the stars!? Would the cosmos even exist? Would Galileo have ev...

Space JUNK! Space is just a JUNKYARD for ancient remnants of alien civilizations! Need a spare part for your FTL drive? Head on out into space, and get yourself to the scrap yard Oumuamua may have came from! — Got an IF of your own? Want to have us consider your idea for a show topic? Send YOUR IF to us! Email us at feedback@whattheif.com and let us know what's in your imagination. No idea is too...

Every week, we DIVE into the human body, navigating our submersible, the good ship IF! Join documentary filmmaker Philip Shane, NYU Historian of Science Matthew Stanley, and Rockefeller University virologist Gaby Paniccia as we take a fantastic journey to learn the magical wonders of biology... up close... and in living AUDIO color! This week, we pilot the good ship IF into a VIRUS and we attempt...

The network of the ancients! Take a ride through history, to the days of the inventors of astrology, and get CONNECTED to the ancient Babylonian World Wide Web! Before the dot com bubble was even a thought! — Got an IF of your own? Want to have us consider your idea for a show topic? Send YOUR IF to us! Email us at feedback@whattheif.com and let us know what's in your imagination. No idea is too s...

Prepare for battle, Trojans! It's time to gather your weapons and your SHIELD! Get ready as we head into Ancient Greece, to learn about the OTHER flat earth theory, the Earth is shaped...like ACHILLES SHIELD! — Got an IF of your own? Want to have us consider your idea for a show topic? Send YOUR IF to us! Email us at feedback@whattheif.com and let us know what's in your imagination. No idea is too...

Every week, we DIVE into the human body, navigating our submersible, the good ship IF! Join documentary filmmaker Philip Shane, NYU Historian of Science Matthew Stanley, and Rockefeller University virologist Gaby Paniccia as we take a fantastic journey to learn the magical wonders of biology... up close... and in living AUDIO color! This week, we debrief what we learned by riding INSIDE THE COVID...

The FIGHT of the century, AGAIN?! This is the REMATCH of two of the most famous and ELECTRIC inventors. Hang on to your phone chargers, we're looking at your wireless charger folks! It's time to see who wins! EDISON OR TESLA! — Got an IF of your own? Want to have us consider your idea for a show topic? Send YOUR IF to us! Email us at feedback@whattheif.com and let us know what's in your imaginatio...

Ride In The Covid Vaccine -- part deus! Every week, we DIVE into the human body, navigating our submersible, the good ship IF! Join documentary filmmaker Philip Shane, NYU Historian of Science Matthew Stanley, and Rockefeller University virologist Gaby Paniccia as we take a fantastic journey to learn the magical wonders of biology... up close... and in living AUDIO color! This week, we pilot the g...

Long time listener and Super IFFer Tom from Virginia asks: WTiF everyone's MEMORIES were recorded and available to all? Could you log in MEMORY SURF... in virtual reality? What would it be like? What would society be like? Are we headed there now? Strap on your imagination goggles and let's find out! — Got an IF of your own? Want to have us consider your idea for a show topic? Send YOUR IF to us!...

Happy New Year! For 2021, the WTIF Audiovision Network has created an amazing, all new show... FANTASTIC VOYAGE! Every week, we DIVE into the human body, navigating our submersible, the good ship IF! Join documentary filmmaker Philip Shane, NYU Historian of Science Matthew Stanley, and Rockefeller University virologist Gaby Paniccia as we take a fantastic journey to learn the magical wonders of bi...

Happy Holidays from WTiF! In honor of the SOLSTICE this week, we present an encore of one of our most popular episodes. Enjoy! --- The incredible Science Fiction author PAUL McAULEY joins us to celebrate episode 100! With a preview of the science behind his upcoming novel, WAR OF THE MAPS, Paul asks: What The IF we could save the Earth from the inevitable death of the Sun! It's gonna be a lotta wo...

Covid MUTANTS Cause London Lockdown: PANIC or Prudent? Every week, Rockefeller University Virologist GABY PANICCIA explores the science behind the headlines. More info at RockEDU: rockedu.rockefeller.edu and covid-19-research.rockefeller.edu --- Like the show? Share your love for the IF by dropping a review on Apple Podcasts! itunes.apple.com/podcast/id1250517051?mt=2&ls=1 Have you subscribed? Gra...

This week, we dive deep into the mailbag to give you multiple If! Alternate What the Ifs from other dimensions, its a Mailbag BONANZA! Sit back and enjoy this special holiday episodes where we get into the If's we didn't get to in 2020. Happy Holidays! — Got an IF of your own? Want to have us consider your idea for a show topic? Send YOUR IF to us! Email us at feedback@whattheif.com and let us kno...

The New York Times has an online test you can take to "Find Your Place in the Vaccine Line": https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/03/opinion/covid-19-vaccine-timeline.html Gaby, Matt and Philip discuss how far back in the line they are told to go (hint: Philip is WAAAAAYYYYY BACK, d'oh!). Where would YOU be in the line? Are you already in line? Are you gonna get in line? Gaby discusses the...

Super IFFer Bill asked, WTiF we lived in a Block Universe? So we're having a Block Universe party! And we're learning what the heck a block universe is, and why TIME is many splendored thing. — Got an IF of your own? Want to have us consider your idea for a show topic? Send YOUR IF to us! Email us at feedback@whattheif.com and let us know what's in your imagination. No idea is too small, or too bi...