What The If?

The brilliant astrophysicist and master teacher HAKEEM OLUSEYI takes us into one of the most astounding IF's we have ever experienced. In a tour de force of imagination, Dr. Oluseyi helps us appreciate the unimaginably titanic scale of the Universe by asking us to imagine being unimaginably microscopic and instead of looking out at the Milky Way galaxy... these astronomers are inside... YOU! This is a fantastic voyage that takes you from the size of the electron, to the stars, to the scale of the universe and... beyond. Don't forget to take a breath and soak it all in, you won't forget this show. Dr. Oluseyi is an Astrophysicist, STEM Educator, Author, Speaker, Science Communicator, and Veteran. His memoir "A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey From The Streets To The Stars" has just been published, to great acclaim, and is available wherever books are sold. More info at https://sites.prh.com/a-quantum-life About the book: In this inspiring coming-of-age memoir, a world-renowned astrophysicist emerges from

NASA just announced a new mission to VENUS... how'd that happen? Did you know that you can play a role in exploring space? Yep. With a simple phone call you can keep space missions alive, and growing, and exploring! WHO YA GONNA CALL? The hardest working man in planetary politicking is here to show us how: CASEY DREIER, The Planetary Society's Senior Space Policy Advisor and Chief Advocate. A lot of people don't know that ROCKETS are PEOPLE powered, and you play a role in lighting the fuse, should you choose to do so. Your passion, when conveyed to your government representatives, is an essential ingredient in getting our craft to land on other worlds. Casey shows us how easy it is, and how important. Democracy to the solar system, you can help! Give a listen, and tell us your ideas for citizen participation in the greatest endeavor citizens have ever taken. * * * Learn more about The PLANETARY SOCIETY and how you can join them on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC for their annual DAY OF ACTION at Planetar

No muss, no sex, no fuss! Today's show is ripped from the headlines. Science Magazine reports: "An aquarium accident may have given this crayfish the DNA to take over the world" By Elizabeth Pennisi (https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/02/aquarium-accident-may-have-given-crayfish-dna-take-over-world?utm_campaign=ScienceNow&utm_source=Contractor&utm_medium=Facebook) And so, IFFed from the Headlines, we bring you, "What The IF people reproduced asexually?" Which means, ladies and gentlemen, that the ladies don't need the gentlemen anymore! And the offspring are clones of their mothers and this begins on a Thursday in a maternity ward somewhere in the world and then it's happening all over planet and then... WTIF?!!!! This would make one heck of a movie. And it makes one hell of a podcast, enjoy your ride! — 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

An exhilarating, encore bonus show: Our listeners, the IFFers of the world, share their questions, comments, reactions and rants. The fantastic whirlwind of listener mail that Philip jousted and parried following the episode "Secrets Of Making A UFO DOCUMENTARY". A wide range of brilliant and bonkers thoughts from our audience! --- 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 at WhatTheIF.com Keep On IFFin', Philip, Matt & Gaby

Hi, Philip here, your humble narrator. In the wake (ahem) of the US Navy Tic Tac UFO's being in the news again, and following up on our awesome show last week with Mick West, I wanted to repost this very popular special episode. I am a documentary filmmaker and have made a number of science oriented films, including an extensive investigation into UFO's which I edited with Peter Jenning's at ABC News. One of the chapters I edited in that 2 hour documentary was a scientific investigation of the "alien abduction" phenomena, which included interviews with self-described "abductees" as well as scientists at Harvard University who studied the claims, and discovered a fascinating scientific explanation. In this solo episode, I take you on a deep dive into alien abduction, and I offer some PRO TIPS for what to do to BE PREPARED to document your CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD KIND. Because, frankly, all the abductees so far have been doing a pretty terrible job of getting evidence, especially anything that I could use

WE ARE NOT ALONE in having bad breath! Tic Tacs are here to freshen our planet with a delightful minty taste. But seriously folks, WTF is going on with the startling images of mysterious tic tac shapes appearing on the US NAVY ship based radar, and on the infrared VIDEO SCREENS of their fighter planes, and in front of the eyes pilots. These images have, incredibly and almost uniquely in the history of UFOs, been featured in the NEW YORK TIMES and on the legendary CBS News program, 60 MINUTES, and of course on social media all the way from here to Pluto. MICK WEST is the host of the TALES FROM THE RABBIT HOLE podcast and author of ESCAPING THE RABBIT HOLE, and who's YouTube channel is essential viewing for anyone interested testing claims of extraordinary phenomena from the fringe, including 9/11 conspiracy theories, contrails, and UFO's. We're grateful for his taking time to walk up the ramp into our hovering WTIF studio and conduct an important thought experiment with us: What The IF these really are fly

Chris Carberry is back with more tales from the research labs where spirits are being crafted for... SPACE! And we're not just limited to one industry on this show, Chris introduces us to the exciting, burgeoning world of SMALL BUSINESS in space! Entrepreneurs big and small have opportunities for getting into the space race, and doing their part to invest, invent, and innovate our way to Mars and the stars. Every aspect of life outside of Earth is ripe for your imagination and creativity, learn how you can join in! --- Chris is the CEO of EXPLORE MARS and author of the awesome book, ALCOHOL IN SPACE... Join us for a fun and fabulous Happy Hour on Mars! * * * LEARN MORE about the Space Drinks Association: http://spacedrinks.space SIGN UP for The Mars Innovation Forum, sponsored by Explore Mars: https://www.exploremars.org/mars-innovation-forum/ CHECK OUT Chris' book: https://www.amazon.com/Alcohol-Space-Past-Present-Future-dp-147667924X/dp/147667924X/ref=mt_other?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid= FOLLOW Chris o

Ahoy! Our listener, Super IFFer Miguel submitted a delightful sea shanty about the physics of the SUN, created by the awesome sci-pirates at the NASA Goddard Space Center. And so we drank ourselves into a quantum stuper and had to ask, dude, What The IF you could FEEL THE SOLAR WIND? Surfs up, sails up, science UP -- let's ride, mates! 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 at WhatTheIF.com Keep On IFFin', Philip, Matt & Gaby

Our listener, and Super Duper IFFer, Daniel asks What The IF neighbors had tanks? Imagine the block parties? No, imagine the block battles! What happens in an ecosystem when evolution spirals out of control? How fit is FIT when survival is at stake? Gaby and Matt share lessons from Darwin and we imagine how having annoying neighbors might eventual fuel the colonization of the solar system! What The IF? 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 at WhatTheIF.com Keep On IFFin', Philip, Matt & Gaby

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... enjoy this super fun, very popular episode! — PS) —- It's Opposite Apollo Day! Our special guest today is Nancy Atkinson from Universe Today! Her amazing new book is "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Mission." We ask: What The IF we lived on the Moon and had to send the first mission to EARTH? This lunacy gives rise, as with all our IFs, to an amazing about of information about the REAL Apollo mission, and the science, engineering and chutzpah it took to do it. The only thing that could have been harder would have been if we... lived on the Moon and had to send a Moon-person to the Earth and, as Moon

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 at WhatTheIF.com Keep On IFFin', Philip, Matt & Gaby

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 at WhatTheIF.com Keep On IFFin', Philip & Matt

(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 and relied on basic sounds, grunts, and maybe even hand claps. So I was thinking: What the If Humans never developed language and relied solely on instincts and sounds like most animals? Would we create shelter? Would we clothe ourselves? Would we pass down information to our children? Would we ever advance as a civilization?" So we tried it... for science! Take a listen, and join in! — 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

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 livestream in which Gaby was explaining COVID-19 and all that might happen, and her gift for science communication was so evident that we asked her to come on the show and help us deal with this sudden REAL LIFE IF in which we were living. It’s fascinating to hear what the view was like as we first confronted the new state of the planet at the dawn of the pandemic. Nearly a year later, Gaby would find herself joining the experimental trials for the Pfizer vaccine, and we are all enjoying the incredible benefits of the hard, hard work of scientists like Gaby today as we get shots in our arms! Of course, the pandemic con

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 precious cultural artifact, fizzing with naïveté. We were a little bit NOSTRODOMUS, and a little bit Rock ‘N Roll. This was a fun episode when we made it, and looking back, it’s quite interesting to see how we felt when we were only ankle deep in the pool, and we hadn’t really yet seen the doodie floating there. Join us for this very special look back at when we were trying so hard to look FORWARD. We now take you back to the future… as the day dawns… March 17, 2020… ------------------------ Hazmat FASHION! Life Under QUARANTINE We hope this episode finds you and your loved ones well, no matter where in the

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 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 at WhatTheIF.com Keep On IFFin', Philip & Matt

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 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! --- Special thanks to Illia Zheng and Howard Zheng for their help with the show. --- 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 at WhatTheIF.com Keep On IFFin', Philip & Matt

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&ls=1 Have you subscribed? Grab one (always free!) at pod.link/1250517051 and never miss an episode! Comments, questions, and more are welcome! Visit WhatTheIF.com/contact or email us at feedback@whattheif.com.

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 Paniccia. --- 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? Grab one (always free!) at pod.link/1250517051 and never miss an episode! Comments, questions, and more are welcome! Visit WhatTheIF.com/contact or email us at feedback@whattheif.com.

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 even championed heliocentrism?! Who knows!? So buckle up for a wild ride where we try and see the stars through light pollution and cloudy skies!! — 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! --- Special thanks to Kyle Crichton for his help with the show. --- 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 at Wha