What The If? podcast

What The If?

Learn how to think like EINSTEIN! Every week we learn science running imaginative thought experiments. Our brilliant guests are some of the world’s greatest science fiction writers, scientists & science communicators. Leap into a journey to answer the most fascinating question in the universe: What The IF?

Learn how to think like EINSTEIN! Every week we learn science running imaginative thought experiments. Our brilliant guests are some of the world’s greatest science fiction writers, scientists & science communicators. Leap into a journey to answer the most fascinating question in the universe: What The IF?

 

#419

AI Viruses

Scientists just used artificial intelligence to design the world's first AI-generated viru... more

03 Oct 2025

54 MINS

54:18

03 Oct 2025


#418

MEMORY Maxed Out - with Nikolay Kukushkin!

What the if your brain literally ran out of storage space like a laptop refusing to save o... more

26 Sep 2025

59 MINS

59:28

26 Sep 2025


#417

Gravity Waves Go WIGGLE

What the if gravitational waves were big enough to see and feel? Instead of measuring dist... more

19 Sep 2025

49 MINS

49:54

19 Sep 2025


#416

Science ROCKS On MARS!

What the if you found a rock on Mars that might - emphasis on might - show signs of ancien... more

12 Sep 2025

57 MINS

57:03

12 Sep 2025


#415

VITALERIUM with Nicholas Casbarro!

Our guest this week is science fiction author Nicholas Casbarro, who brings us a universe-... more

05 Sep 2025

48 MINS

48:17

05 Sep 2025


#414

Riding GRAVITY FORCE ONE with KIRBY RUNYON

D'oh! We had technical difficulties this week and so we are presenting this encore present... more

29 Aug 2025

53 MINS

53:36

29 Aug 2025


#413

SLOW Light Speed!

What the if the speed of light crawled along at walking speed instead of zipping around at... more

22 Aug 2025

43 MINS

43:23

22 Aug 2025


#412

Alien PETS!

Matt & Gaby are on assignment this week, so we present an encore presentation of one of ou... more

15 Aug 2025

51 MINS

51:55

15 Aug 2025


#411

Nuclear REACTORS on the Moon!

What the if there was a nuclear reactor on the moon? NASA wants to launch a 100-kilowatt n... more

08 Aug 2025

44 MINS

44:38

08 Aug 2025


#410

Don't SWEAT It!

Anne from Queens, a longtime listener and proud sticker-carrying Patreon supporter, inspir... more

01 Aug 2025

46 MINS

46:24

01 Aug 2025


#409

BIG Telescopes!

What the if we just kept making telescopes bigger and bigger until they're the size of ent... more

25 Jul 2025

27 MINS

27:27

25 Jul 2025


#408

DNA Goes BOLDLY

Apologies for the delay in posting episodes! Holiday and travel got the best of us. But we... more

18 Jul 2025

37 MINS

37:47

18 Jul 2025


#407

The Case Of The MISSING Physics!

What the if we could go back to 1930 and experience the reluctant discovery of an entirely... more

28 Jun 2025

46 MINS

46:20

28 Jun 2025


#406

TOTAL PERSPECTIVE VORTEX

[Matt & Gaby are away this week, so please enjoy this Encore Presentation of one of our mo... more

20 Jun 2025

49 MINS

49:19

20 Jun 2025


#405

Silent SUBMARINE Seas!

What if climate change made submarines completely undetectable? As ocean temperatures rise... more

13 Jun 2025

46 MINS

46:36

13 Jun 2025


#404

BEFORE The Big BANG

What if the universe was stuck in an eternal cosmic Groundhog Day? Picture traveling backw... more

09 Jun 2025

49 MINS

49:22

09 Jun 2025


#403

BADMINTON Bots Go Rogue!

What if teaching robots to play badminton was the beginning of the end? Scientists at ETH ... more

30 May 2025

48 MINS

48:14

30 May 2025


#402

Can You BREATHE Like A WHALE? With Vanessa Pirotta!

We're off this week for the Memorial Day Holiday in the US so we present here one of our m... more

26 May 2025

1 HR 02 MINS

1:02:00

26 May 2025


#401

DNA EDITING Goes Mainstream!

What if gene editing treatments become commonplace? Explore a world where a single DNA let... more

16 May 2025

47 MINS

47:30

16 May 2025