About 50,000 years ago, we shared this planet with different hominids called the Neanderthals. Their species wasn’t human, but they weren’t far from it...
Hundreds of meters underground. Large enough to house tens to hundreds of thousands of people. And walls strong enough to withstand the force of a nuclear blast. These...
Intense rainfall. Winds of 120 km/h (75mph) or higher. Storm surge. These are the signs of a hurricane. During its reign of terror, a hurricane can release as much...
Our Moon quietly shapes life on Earth, from stabilizing our climate to driving ocean tides and lighting the night sky. But what if we swapped it for other moons from...
Today on What If, we’re going to build the highest bridge on planet Earth. Welcome to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the “Roof of the World.”It’s home to the world’s...
This former intelligence officer-turned-president took Russia from a defeated Cold War relic to the most feared superpower in Eurasia. Now Vladimir Putin, who many have...
From a bad hair day to a tragic natural disaster, wind can be extremely disruptive. Wind can be a formidable foe. But what if this powerful force just didn’t exist...
On average, over 8000 people die each year in the U.S. because they can’t get an organ transplant. What if we could actually rebuild our failing organs? That...
Would you dare to hit the open seas and experience some of the worst ship disasters of all time? From explosions to icebergs and massive storms to the infamous...
Is it a meteor shower? Space debris? No, it’s something much, much worse. Our nearest neighbor is a full Moon no more. The Moon exploded and splintered into...
Imagine that the Sun is on the verge of exploding. Or that a planet-killing asteroid is headed our way. Or maybe you just want to take the entire planet on a joy ride...
Could humans suddenly growing to the size of dinosaurs be as catastrophic as the asteroid that wiped out the prehistoric giants? Would it even be a world ending event...
They’re not the biggest falls on Earth, not by a long shot. But they’re certainly among the most famous. Niagara Falls attracts millions of visitors from...
Every morning or every night. Before going out. Definitely after the big game. For most people, showering is routine. But for some, it’s religion. But if lots of...
Almost half of the world’s population uses one of Meta’s services every month. Facebook and Instagram combined hold over 75% of the social media market share, and...
Let’s face it. We’re hooked on the stuff. Most of us can’t even start our day without a nice cup of joe. According to the International Coffee Organization, over 1...
Wouldn’t it be cool to see things through any wall and any door? How about seeing through your own skin? Or your dog? No, no, no, and no. Of all superhero powers...
Some 13.8 billion years ago, a very hot, small and dense singularity expanded into what we now call the Universe. It hasn't stopped growing since. But what if it did?
We’ve talked about settling on the Moon, Mars and even Venus. But how about somewhere that’s cold, dark and smells like farts? Uranus. What would conditions be like on...
Do you get a little nervous before a flight? If you do, you’re not alone. Between 33% and 40% of people feel some form of anxiety when they board a plane. While a giant...

