At first, it’s very bright. But then, as your eyes adjust to the light, you start to piece together your surroundings. The moving blobs above you, you realize, are...
With every rocket we launch into the Earth’s orbit, we’re trapping ourselves on our own planet. Wait, how could sending rockets into space put an end to...
Eleven times wider than Earth. Over 300 times more massive. And a million times more terrifying. Jupiter may look like a beautiful ball of swirling clouds, but on the...
Get your bone flute and gather around the fire. Today on What If, we’re taking you back to the time of woolly mammoths and saber-toothed cats. That’s right...
While it might be nice to avoid any dangerous confrontations on your wilderness walks, life without wildlife would be pretty boring. If we didn’t have animals...
Jupiter is old. Like 4.5 billion years old. It started as a swirling disk of gas and dust that formed into a pretty big planetary core. With time, Jupiter’s core...
Humanity’s nuclear arsenal is capable of destroying all life on Earth. Over. And over. And over. Maybe it’s time we dumped it far away. We might want to inhabit...
The world has approximately 7.7 billion people on it… until now. Half of the world’s population has been snapped out of existence. Instantly.If you happened...
What if a single decision shattered the world’s most powerful alliance overnight? Built on real-world data and analyzed through AI, this explores a worst-case chain...
What makes the perfect human? Immaculate features? Indomitable Intelligence? Incomparable wit? Or irresistible charm? What if you could modify your genes? What if...
As the CEO and founder of Amazon, the multibillion dollar online shopping company, Jeff Bezos is the richest person on the planet. With a current net worth of $193.7...
Is alien life really out there? Humanity has wondered about it for decades, and according to scientists, this might finally be a reality. Astronomers have discovered...
The war in Ukraine has altered the lives of millions. And has sent prices for goods like oil and natural gas skyrocketing around the world. But the worst may be yet to...
You are enjoying a peaceful day aboard a cruise ship. The ocean is calm, the sun is shining, and everything feels safe. Then, without warning, disaster strikes. A rogue...
Imagine waking up one morning to find our Sun replaced by a cosmic powerhouse far stranger than anything we have seen. From giants that could swallow planets whole to...
Some people have gone weeks, months, and even years without washing their hair. In some cases, they try special routines that avoid shampoo entirely. With the right...
A small but incredibly fast unwanted guest is about to swing past Earth at the speed of light. Yeah, this is the tiniest black hole in the Universe. But despite its...
Even if you never realize you’ve been exposed to something toxic, your body will usually give warning signs. Symptoms like vomiting, difficulty breathing, sudden...
In 1044, the Chinese invented gunpowder. And we’ve been getting into trouble ever since. Fireworks are cool, nuclear warfare is not. And nuking the moon...
For decades, Jurassic Park has captured the imagination of audiences around the world. The idea of bringing dinosaurs back from extinction and filling entire parks with...

