What If: Science, Theory, and Possibilities

What If

An epic exploration of possibilities. What If is a Webby Award-winning science web series that takes you on a journey through hypothetical worlds and possibilities, some in distant corners of the universe, others right here on Earth. Each scenario examines a scientific theory, research or fact through a hypothetical question.

  1. 15 HR AGO

    What Happens If You Swallow a Hornet?

    It's a hot summer day. You're enjoying a picnic, and you take a swig of your drink. What's that in your mouth? It's a hornet. And you accidentally swallowed it. How painful is a hornet's sting? What happens if you're allergic to its venom? Could it lead to anaphylactic shock? And could the hornet sting you in your stomach? There are plenty of bugs and insects that can bite or sting us. And hornets might be one that you fear the most. How does acetylcholine determine how powerful the venom is? Transcript and sources: here Get our 100 best episodes in one mind-blowing book: The What If 100 Book Join this channel to get access to perks: here Watch more what-if scenarios:Planet Earth: hereThe Cosmos: hereTechnology: hereYour Body: hereHumanity: here T-shirts and merch: hereSuggest an episode: hereNewsletter: hereFeedback and inquiries: here What If elsewhere:Instagram: hereTwitter: hereFacebook: hereWhat If in Spanish: hereWhat If in Mandarin: herePodcast: here What If is a mini-documentary web series that takes you on an epic journey through hypothetical worlds and possibilities. Join us on an imaginary adventure through time, space and chance while we (hopefully) boil down complex subjects in a fun and entertaining way. Produced with love by Underknown in Toronto: here #hornet #sting #allergic #anaphylacticshock #acetylcholine #venom See show notes: https://inlet.fm/what-if-science-theories-possibilities/episodes/681d86a2e64c4b83e7e5194c Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    9 min

  2. 3 DAYS AGO

    What If a Blazar Entered Our Solar System?

    This episode is sponsored by Morning Brew. Get up to speed on business, finance, and tech in just 5 minutes with their newsletter. We've explored many disasters Earth could face: from asteroids and aliens, to the Sun's death. Yet the Universe is perilous, and a new threat emerges—a blazar. Typically found at the galaxy's center, blazars are black holes of immense mass. For context, the Milky Way's black hole is four million times the mass of the Sun, but pales in comparison to others. This episode investigates the oldest blazar, visibility differences among blazars, the Doppler effect's role in detecting blazars, active galactic nuclei, and the impact of radiation and gamma rays on Earth. We also discuss the distance of Markarian 421 from our planet. For transcript and sources, visit What If Show. Discover our 100 best episodes compiled in a book: The What If 100. Join our channel for exclusive perks: YouTube Membership. Watch more scenarios: Planet Earth, The Cosmos, Technology, Your Body, Humanity. Merchandise: What If Store. Suggest an episode: Suggest What If. Newsletter: Subscribe. Feedback and inquiries: Contact Us. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. What If is a web series exploring hypothetical worlds and possibilities. Produced by Underknown in Toronto: Underknown. #blazar #solarsystem #blackhole #Dopplereffect #activegalacticnuclei #radiation #gammarays #Markarian421 See show notes: https://inlet.fm/what-if-science-theories-possibilities/episodes/681d86a3e64c4b83e7e51950 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    11 min

  3. 4 DAYS AGO

    If Earth Were Sucked Into a Black Hole

    Just 3,000 light-years from Earth is a black hole visible to the naked eye. Thankfully, we are a safe distance from this stellar black hole and many others like it. There are approximately 100 million of them out there in our galaxy that we know of. They are the remnants of supernovae, which occur when stars 10 to 20 times larger than our Sun collapse in on themselves. Could a black hole devour us all one day? There are millions of them out there just waiting. And if we happened to make a black hole accidentally, well, you better fasten your seatbelts. Things are going to really suck! Quite literally. What would we see if we got pulled into a black hole? Could Earth orbit the Sun and a black hole? Would we survive spaghettification? What would happen if we get past the event horizon? Transcript and sources: What If Earth Were Sucked Into a Black Hole Get our 100 best episodes in one mind-blowing book: The What If 100 Book Join this channel to get access to perks: Join Us Watch more what-if scenarios: Planet Earth The Cosmos Technology Your Body Humanity T-shirts and merch: What If Store Suggest an episode: Suggest What If Newsletter: What If Newsletter Feedback and inquiries: Contact Us What If elsewhere: Instagram Twitter Facebook What If in Spanish What If in Mandarin Podcast Thank you to our supporters: Batman Kristopher Kirby omar Rodríguez Mohamed Al Hammadi What If is a mini-documentary web series that takes you on an epic journey through hypothetical worlds and possibilities. Join us on an imaginary adventure through time, space and chance while we (hopefully) boil down complex subjects in a fun and entertaining way. Produced with love by Underknown in Toronto: Underknown #blackhole #Earth #spaghettification #eventhorizon #supernova #galaxy See show notes: https://inlet.fm/what-if-science-theories-possibilities/episodes/681d86a4e64c4b83e7e51954 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    11 min

  4. 5 DAYS AGO

    What If Everyone Was Albino?

    Imagine how different your life would be if you had a condition that affected your vision, made being outdoors risky, and set your appearance apart. This episode explores what life would be like if you were albino. Would you have red eyes? How would your genes differ? Why could the Sun be dangerous? What exactly is albinism? Why are albinos sensitive to light? How does their melanin differ? What is ocular albinism? For the transcript and sources, visit our website. Get our 100 best episodes in a book: The What If 100 Book Join this channel for perks: YouTube Membership Watch more scenarios: Planet Earth The Cosmos Technology Your Body Humanity Get t-shirts and merch: What If Store Suggest an episode: Here Subscribe to our newsletter: Newsletter Feedback and inquiries: Contact Us Follow us on: Instagram Twitter Facebook Explore in other languages: Spanish, Mandarin Podcast: Listen Here Produced by Underknown in Toronto: Underknown Supporters: Batman, Kristopher Kirby, Omar Rodríguez, Mohamed Al Hammadi #albino #albinism #pigmentation #sunexposure #ocularalbinism #genetics #lightsensitivity #WhatIf See show notes: https://inlet.fm/what-if-science-theories-possibilities/episodes/681d86a6e64c4b83e7e5195c Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    11 min

  5. 6 DAYS AGO

    What If You Always Swallow Your Chewing Gum?

    You chew it, stretch it, and blow it. But what really happens to your body when you swallow chewing gum regularly? Could it obstruct your body, or even prove fatal? Discover how gum impacts your digestive system, and whether it could lead to sepsis or endanger your intestines. Plus, learn about the connection between the sapodilla tree and chewing gum. For the full transcript and sources, visit here. Explore more mind-bending scenarios: Planet Earth The Cosmos Technology Your Body Humanity Discover our top 100 episodes in one book: here. Join our community for exclusive perks: here. Follow us on social media: Instagram Twitter Facebook Support our work: Batman Kristopher Kirby Omar Rodríguez Mohamed Al Hammadi Produced with love by Underknown in Toronto: here. #chewinggum #digestivesystem #healthrisks #sapodillatree #sepsis #intestines #WhatIf See show notes: https://inlet.fm/what-if-science-theories-possibilities/episodes/681d86aae64c4b83e7e51968 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    9 min

  6. 28 JUL

    What If Titans Were Real?

    The Japanese manga and anime series "Attack On Titan" has captivated our imaginations and greatest fears. It involves terrifying humanoid giants with an insatiable appetite for humans. Beware of potential spoilers and nightmares to come. If Titans were real and suddenly appeared around the world, could we survive, or would we all be breakfast? What is our greatest defense against Titans? What kind of technology could we use against them? And how could we take down a colossal Titan? How would this hypothetical scenario unfold? Transcript and sources: whatifshow.com/what-if-titans-were-real Get our 100 best episodes in one mind-blowing book: bit.ly/ytc-the-what-if-100-book Join this channel to get access to perks: youtube.com/channel/UCphTF9wHwhCt-BzIq-s4V-g/join Watch more what-if scenarios: Planet Earth: bit.ly/YT-what-if-Earth The Cosmos: bit.ly/YT-what-if-Cosmos Technology: bit.ly/YT-what-if-Technology Your Body: bit.ly/YT-what-if-Body Humanity: bit.ly/YT-what-if-Humanity T-shirts and merch: bit.ly/whatifstore Suggest an episode: bit.ly/suggest-whatif Newsletter: bit.ly/whatif-newsletter Feedback and inquiries: underknown.com/contact What If elsewhere: Instagram: bit.ly/whatif-instagram Twitter: bit.ly/whatif-twitter Facebook: bit.ly/facebook-whatif What If in Spanish: bit.ly/YT-Spanish-what-if What If in Mandarin: bit.ly/YT-Chinese-what-if Podcast: bit.ly/yt-what-if-show-podcast Thank you to our supporters: Batman Kristopher Kirby omar Rodríguez Mohamed Al Hammadi What If is a mini-documentary web series that takes you on an epic journey through hypothetical worlds and possibilities. Join us on an imaginary adventure through time, space and chance while we (hopefully) boil down complex subjects in a fun and entertaining way. Produced with love by Underknown in Toronto: underknown.com #whatif #attackontitan #anime #manga #shingekinokyojin #Titans #survival #hypothetical #technology #defense See show notes: https://inlet.fm/what-if-science-theories-possibilities/episodes/681d86ace64c4b83e7e51970 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    10 min

  7. 25 JUL

    What If You Jumped Into a Pool of Liquid Methane?

    Below freezing waters? Check. Insulated swimsuit--? Hey, wait. What are you doing? Okay, smart guy, but what if you jumped into a pool of liquid methane? Would you need a diving suit? How cold would the pool be? What is a thermokarst lake? How dangerous is permafrost? Are thermokarst lakes only found on Saturn's moon Titan? Get a stronger start to the year with 25% off a Fitbod membership now: https://www.Fitbod.me/whatif. It integrates with other fitness and health apps like Apple Health, Fitbit, and Strava. Personalized training can be tough on the budget, but Fitbod is only $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year. Transcript and sources: https://whatifshow.com/what-if-you-fell-into-a-pool-of-liquid-methane/ Get our 100 best episodes in one mind-blowing book: http://bit.ly/ytc-the-what-if-100-book Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCphTF9wHwhCt-BzIq-s4V-g/join Watch more what-if scenarios: Planet Earth: http://bit.ly/YT-what-if-Earth The Cosmos: http://bit.ly/YT-what-if-Cosmos Technology: http://bit.ly/YT-what-if-Technology Your Body: http://bit.ly/YT-what-if-Body Humanity: http://bit.ly/YT-what-if-Humanity T-shirts and merch: http://bit.ly/whatifstore Suggest an episode: http://bit.ly/suggest-whatif Newsletter: http://bit.ly/whatif-newsletter Feedback and inquiries: https://underknown.com/contact/ What If elsewhere: Instagram: http://bit.ly/whatif-instagram Twitter: http://bit.ly/whatif-twitter Facebook: http://bit.ly/facebook-whatif What If in Spanish: http://bit.ly/YT-Spanish-what-if What If in Mandarin: http://bit.ly/YT-Chinese-what-if Podcast: http://bit.ly/yt-what-if-show-podcast Thank you to our supporters: Batman, Kristopher Kirby, omar Rodríguez, Mohamed Al Hammadi. What If is a mini-documentary web series that takes you on an epic journey through hypothetical worlds and possibilities. Join us on an imaginary adventure through time, space and chance while we (hopefully) boil down complex subjects in a fun and entertaining way. Produced with love by Underknown in Toronto: https://underknown.com #liquidmethane #thermokarstlake #permafrost #Titanmoon #space #hypotheticalscenarios #Fitbod #WhatIf See show notes: https://inlet.fm/what-if-science-theories-possibilities/episodes/681d86ade64c4b83e7e51974 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    11 min

  8. 24 JUL

    What If COVID-19 Never Disappears?

    Despite all of the masks, tests, and vaccinations, there is no guarantee that COVID-19 will ever disappear. Even if the virus doesn't go away, it might not be as bad as it seems. How could COVID-19 never go away? What would life be like if it didn't disappear? Could the virus mutate again? Will our bodies become immune over time? Do social distancing and remote work have a major role in lessening the spreading of the virus? For the full transcript and sources, visit here. Get our 100 best episodes in one mind-blowing book: The What If 100 Book. Join our channel for exclusive perks: YouTube Membership. Explore more what-if scenarios: Planet Earth, The Cosmos, Technology, Your Body, Humanity. T-shirts and merch available at What If Store. Suggest an episode: Suggest a What If. Stay updated with our Newsletter. For feedback and inquiries, visit Contact Us. Follow What If elsewhere: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, What If in Spanish, What If in Mandarin, Podcast. Produced with love by Underknown in Toronto: Underknown. Thank you to our supporters: Batman, Kristopher Kirby, omar Rodríguez. What If is a mini-documentary web series that takes you on an epic journey through hypothetical worlds and possibilities. Join us on an imaginary adventure through time, space, and chance while we (hopefully) boil down complex subjects in a fun and entertaining way. #whatif #humanity #covid19 #vaccine #coronavirus #remotework #immunity #virusmutation #socialdistancing See show notes: https://inlet.fm/what-if-science-theories-possibilities/episodes/681d86aee64c4b83e7e51978 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    9 min
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About

An epic exploration of possibilities. What If is a Webby Award-winning science web series that takes you on a journey through hypothetical worlds and possibilities, some in distant corners of the universe, others right here on Earth. Each scenario examines a scientific theory, research or fact through a hypothetical question.

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