About 65 million years ago, a mass extinction event occurred, wiping out more than 75% of all species on Earth. There have only been 5 mass extinctions in our...
Could you face guards who shoot to kill? Swim for hours or even days in the open sea? Or cross a vast, hostile desert? What kind of place can push a person to make these...
On the surface, it looks like pure freedom. A man suspended between sky and earth, a dog beside him, and the vast wilderness of the planet stretching endlessly below...
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...
What would you do if you grabbed a tree branch and suddenly realized it was not a branch, but a snake? Now imagine that snake launching itself directly toward you...
Maybe it was a little sad to say goodbye to your physical body, but, at least you still have your consciousness, your mind, and your memories stored safely in the cloud...
Miami-Dade County Jail is one of the largest jail systems in the United States, with an average of 4,000 inmates spread across its three main detention facilities...
“Who’s a good girl? You are! Yes, you are!” If you have ever talked to your dog using a high pitched, baby like voice, you are not alone. Millions of dog owners...
A blazing ball of fire lies deep underground. It’s Earth’s core. This colossal sphere of molten iron far beneath your feet is what made your life on Earth...
What if one side of the Earth always faced the Sun, while the other side was forever shrouded in darkness? Just how hot would it be on the bright side? And how cold...
The next time you see that adorable hummingbird at your feeder, remember one thing. It might take your life. Because in this world, every bird works for the government...
Imagine scientists discovering that Earth has only a decade left before it becomes completely uninhabitable. Suddenly, humanity would have an enormous problem: how do...
It’s dawn, it’s dark, and you don’t what kind of weather is waiting for you outside your tent. It doesn’t matter anyway. In rain, hail, sleet...
He knew they were coming for him. For years he slept in different cities, traveled under a false name, and never stayed anywhere long enough to become predictable. The...
Most people dream about adventure, but very few are willing to face the brutal reality of climbing Mount Everest. Rising along the border between Nepal and China...
Ever wonder what it would feel like to step into an oven? Welcome to Death Valley, California. It’s so hot you can barely breathe. This national park that stretches...
How long would we have untill the Earth got crushed into nothingness? What would we observe from down here? And what would happen next? It’s generally accepted...
Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System, a massive gas giant so enormous that its gravitational influence reaches far beyond its distant orbit. Although it...
For whatever reason, you are the last human on Earth. No more voices in the distance. No more messages. No more footsteps that are not your own. At first, it feels like...
On April 24, 2013, thousands of workers entered a building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, that many of them already feared was unsafe. Just one day earlier, employees had...
