On our hypothetical journey, we’ve already tested out living on a flat Earth, a cubical Earth, even a hollow Earth. What do you say we try to survive on an Earth...
Hippopotamuses may spend much of their time resting in rivers and lakes, but their calm appearance can be misleading. These massive animals are highly territorial around...
Rise. and. shine! Get up and seize the day! You can do anything under the sun…when the sun powers everything. Your phone, your home, and all that’s in...
The Solar System looks stable. Planets in their lanes, everything running on schedule, the same arrangement holding for billions of years. Now picture looking up one...
What if Jupiter’s 79 moons weren’t gravitationally bound to Jupiter? What if they became rogue objects orbiting on their own paths around the Sun? Would they still be...
We all know our time here is limited. But we don’t know by how much. Are we better off not knowing when we’ll die? Or would a countdown help us all to lead...
We visit a lot of planets here on WHAT IF, but K2-141b is the most extreme one yet. Are you ready to jump on board this one-way space shuttle? If you’d rather stay...
Io. One of Jupiter’s four largest moons, it’s a world that seems ripped straight from a science fiction nightmare. Its surface is a chaotic, constantly shifting...
Attention, humans. Shapeshifting alien lizards have taken control of your world. They’ve maneuvered themselves into positions of power. And they could be anyone. Where...
I hope you’ve packed some ice skates for your next trip out to sea because the oceans have completely frozen over. What conditions could cause this massive oceanic...
Falling into a black hole may sound like something from a science fiction movie, but it is a very real phenomenon studied by physicists for decades. Black holes are...
What if, someday, we decided that the usefulness of our planet had run its course, and humans needed to scour space to find somewhere new to live? But instead of finding...
The idea that our Universe might not be alone is one of the most fascinating possibilities in modern physics. What if reality is not singular, but instead just one layer...
Dogs have been called humanity’s best friend for centuries, and millions of people welcome them into their homes for companionship, loyalty, and their...
If time travel is possible, why haven’t we met a single time traveler yet? And if we did meet one, how would we know they weren’t faking it? What would their...
Human history has been full of battles and wars, some big and some small. But if World War 3 were to happen, it might be humanity’s biggest battle yet. Advanced...
Our solar system appears beautifully organized, but its stability is actually the result of an incredibly delicate cosmic equilibrium developed over billions of years...
Rise and shine! You’ve been asleep for 1,000 years! And the view outside is not how you remembered it. Rising temperatures, rising sea levels, declining air...
Once that missile launches, you can’t escape what’s coming next. But what are you facing? Four types of energy are about to be unleashed. First, a blast wave...
Dinosaurs often steal the spotlight when it comes to terrifying prehistoric creatures, but they were far from the only fearsome beasts to roam the Earth. From enormous...
