Shows / What If: Science, Theory, and Possibilities
What If: Science, Theory, and Possibilities
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.
Episodes
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhere Will We Go After Earth Becomes Uninhabitable?
As humans, we've always been curious about life beyond Earth. In this episode, we explore the possibilities of leaving our planet. Could we build a ring world…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If Mars Was Half Land and Half Water?
Explore the hypothetical transformation of Mars into a planet that is half land and half water. Discover where we might find enough water to fill Martian…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesIs There Life on Kepler 69c?
Thousands of light-years from Earth, Kepler 69c might be another planet hospitable to life. Embark on a journey to this alien world and imagine what life could…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If Earth Orbited Jupiter?
Imagine experiencing an apocalypse daily due to Earth becoming a moon of Jupiter. This episode explores the constant threat of volcanic eruptions, tsunamis…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If Humans Suddenly Went Extinct?
Imagine a world where humans disappear due to a global catastrophe, leaving behind cities, highways, and waste. We'll explore how long it would take for the…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesTraveling Through a Black Hole
Dark, mysterious, and consuming everything around them, black holes will rip apart anything that passes their event horizons. But could there be more? What…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesCrashing on an Alien Planet
You’ve traveled thousands of light-years through interstellar star systems. Now stranded on an unknown planet, your immediate goal is to stay inside your…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesRecap of Top What If Scenarios
Join us as we recap some of our most watched What If scenarios. Dive into our collection and explore hypothetical worlds and possibilities with us. Get our 100…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If Earth Stopped Spinning
Imagine you're spinning with Earth at hundreds of meters per second. What happens if our planet starts to brake until it stops spinning altogether? Discover…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If Jupiter Collided With Earth?
The biggest planet in the Solar System has gone rogue and is heading straight toward Earth. You have 30 days until this gas giant wipes us all out. What speeds…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesKepler 22-b: Imagining It in Our Solar System
Explore the fascinating possibility of Kepler 22-b being part of our Solar System. Discover where it would orbit within the Sun's habitable zone, how you might…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If Giant Bugs Roamed the Earth?
Explore the fascinating scenario of giant bugs roaming the Earth. Would humanity become prey, and what strategies could we use to survive? Discover the…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If South America and Africa Joined Together?
Millions of years ago, all continents were one, waiting to crack and spread into the world we know today. What if we fast forward and bring South America and…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If All the Planets Doubled in Size?
Some of the planets in our Solar System are gigantic. But what if they got even bigger? Let’s explore the chaos that doubling the size of every planet would…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesThe Most Dangerous Things You Could Jump Into
Explore the most dangerous things you could jump into and the reasons behind their hazards. Discover why liquid mercury poses significant danger, how Lake…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesTaking a Ride on Halley's Comet
Every 75 years, Halley's Comet streaks across the sky. Imagine hitching a ride on it! Prepare for a journey around the Sun to the edge of the Solar System and…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If We Nuked the Sun?
Humanity’s nuclear arsenal is capable of destroying all life on Earth multiple times. But what if we sent these nukes to the Sun? We explore the feasibility…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesRebuilding Human Society from Scratch
The world has ended, and doomsday has come and gone. So now what? It’s time to start rebuilding civilization. How would you begin to come back from an…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If an Asteroid Cracked the Moon in Half?
A giant asteroid is approaching, not to hit Earth, but to collide with the Moon, threatening to crack it in half. What would this epic collision look like?…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesLiving on Kepler 22-b: Exploring Potential for Human Life
Kepler 22-b is an intriguing exoplanet located 635 light-years away, marking the first discovery within the habitable zone of a Sun-like star. This zone offers…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If Earth Was Always Facing the Sun?
Imagine a world where one side of Earth bakes under a scorching, endless day, while the other is shrouded in a permanent icy night. This scenario explores the…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesReplacing the Moon with a Disco Ball
Get ready for the most epic party of your life. Someone replaced our Moon with a disco ball. How could you turn the Moon into a classic disco ball? How much…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesIf Putin Never Came to Power
Explore an alternate reality where Vladimir Putin never rose to power. Discover who might have led Russia, the potential impact on its citizens' lives, and the…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If You Aged Backwards?
Imagine a world where your biological clock moves in reverse. What would your appearance be at different life stages? How might this affect your interactions…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesAliens Visit Earth One Million Years in the Future
Scientists have developed a clear understanding of Earth's ancient past. Fast-forward one million years, and we ponder whether an alien civilization would…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If Styxosaurus Was Alive?
Imagine surfacing from the ocean only to find the beach in panic. A shadowy figure emerges from the water with sharp teeth. What if the Styxosaurus existed…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesExploring the Search for Alien Life
Scientists globally are actively seeking signs of extraterrestrial life, but today, let's embark on a mission ourselves. How should we prepare for this…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesVenus and Mars Swapping Orbits: A Hypothetical Exploration
Explore the intriguing possibility of Venus and Mars swapping their orbits. Discover why these planets are currently uninhabitable and what changes might occur…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If Earth Spun on Its Side
In Earth's early days, it was slammed by protoplanet Theia, leaving our world spinning on a tilted axis. But what if the Theia crash had flipped Earth 90…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If the Sun Was a Blue Star?
Sunlight contains all colors of the rainbow, but what if we cranked up the blue light in our Sun, making it look like a blue star to us on Earth? How hot would…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If You Were Born on the Moon?
Being born is hard enough on Earth. What if you took your birth to the Moon? How would the gravity and atmosphere impact your mother's delivery? What would you…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesCould Solar Panels Orbit the Sun?
Explore the potential of harnessing solar energy by surrounding the Sun with solar panels. Investigate the feasibility of powering Earth from a Sun-orbiting…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If Earth Was Between Two Asteroid Belts?
Imagine Earth positioned between our Solar System's Main Asteroid Belt and the Kuiper Belt. How soon would asteroids be propelled toward our planet, and what…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If Putin Launched a Nuke?
The threat of World War III looms as the possibility of nuclear warfare becomes real. With a vast arsenal, Russia appears to be a likely contender for…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If the Largest Asteroid Hit Earth?
Some seriously large asteroids have threatened Earth before. Some of these asteroids have little chance of hitting us, but there are a few with very real…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesLiving in a Cosmic Skyscraper
Imagine a skyscraper taller than the Burj Khalifa and Mount Fuji, reaching into the troposphere. Explore the massive base requirements, elevator mechanics, and…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If the Earth Had No Core?
Deep beneath Earth's crust and mantle lies its core, formed during the Iron Catastrophe—a major geological event where Earth was heated above iron’s melting…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat Happens When a Marshmallow Hits Earth at Light Speed?
Imagine a marshmallow meteorite hurtling towards Earth at 99.9% the speed of light, or 299,792 km/s (186,282 mps). How would this sweet space object begin its…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If Putin Died?
Vladimir Putin, a former intelligence officer-turned-president, transformed Russia from a Cold War relic to a superpower in Eurasia. If Putin, often compared…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesLiving in the Paleozoic Era
Journey back 530 million years to the start of the Paleozoic Era, a time when Earth awakened from an ice age. This era, which spanned 289 million years, was a…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If You Witnessed the Big Bang?
Explore the fascinating concept of the Big Bang, a theory explaining the Universe's origins from a single point 14 billion years ago. Imagine being present at…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesIf All Planets Were in the Habitable Zone
Imagine moving all the planets in our Solar System into the habitable Goldilocks zone. Could they fit? What gravitational chaos would occur? Could life…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesSpending a Day on Every Planet in Our Solar System
Experience the challenges of visiting other planets in our Solar System, including body-crushing pressure, toxic atmospheres, and extreme temperatures…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesKnew What Would Happen in 100 Years?
A century of history flashes before your eyes. Not the past, but the future. And now you know how life would unfold over the next 100 years. What changes would…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWorst Places to Swim
Explore the dangers of swimming in some of the most hazardous places on Earth: a pool full of liquid mercury, the deadly Lake Natron, and a pool full of…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If You Could Hear Planets
In space, no one can hear you scream. But just because sound can’t travel in the vacuum of space doesn’t mean that the planets and our Sun don’t make noise…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If Earth Had 10 Years Left?
If we found out that Earth only had 10 years left before it was destroyed, we'd need to figure out a plan for humanity to survive. With a global population of…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesCould We Reheat Earth's Core?
Explore the hypothetical scenario of reheating Earth's core to prevent a doomsday event. Discover what happens if the Earth's core freezes completely, the…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesTrapped in a Grocery Store for Life
Under extreme circumstances, humans can pull together to overcome the odds. But when confined in a tight space, we may not be at our finest. So, how would you…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If We Never Landed on the Moon?
In 1969, an estimated 600 million people watched as Apollo 11's Eagle lander touched down on the Moon, marking a pivotal moment in space exploration and the…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If Earth Went Rogue?
For billions of years, the Sun's gravitational pull has kept Earth's orbit on a steady and reliable path. But this rogue star has other plans for our planet…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesDrilling a Hole Through Earth: A Hypothetical Journey
Explore the hypothetical journey of traveling through Earth by drilling a hole from one side to the other, such as going from Argentina to China. Discover the…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If Planets Replaced Our Moon?
The Moon is crucial for Earth's stable climate, affecting weather, ocean currents, and axial tilt. Without it, the Earth would experience extreme climate…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesTraveling One Billion Years Into the Past
Imagine if you could take in all of human history in the blink of an eye. From the first steps on the moon to emerging from primordial slime, Earth's timeline…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesBuilding a City on Mars
The next step in space exploration is happening now, with Mars as the destination. Imagine starting life anew on the red planet, over 265 million km away. How…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWe Discovered Earth 2.0
Could there be an even better planet for us than Earth? Scientists are on the hunt for a superhabitable world that wouldn't just rival Earth, but be a place…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesNuclear-Powered Rockets: Exploring the Future of Space Travel
By the year 2035, NASA plans to send humans to Mars. However, with our current rocket technology, it would take about nine months. In the near future, we could…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If Lightsabers Were Real?
Do you long for an elegant weapon from a more civilized age? Something less clumsy and random. As you hone your sensitivity to the Force, you may wonder: What…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesFlying to Space on a Jetpack
Jetpack technology is advancing rapidly, raising the possibility of using jetpacks for everyday commutes. Imagine using a jetpack to reach space directly. How…
What If: Science, Theory, and PossibilitiesWhat If You Were the Dirtiest Man on Earth?
Do you have a fear of bathing? Do you prefer a mud pit to a shower? If you enjoy having your own brand of smells, you might wonder: What if you were the…