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Science & Medicine

What The If?

What The If?

We build NEW WORLDS as we learn REAL SCIENCE about the limits of the COSMOS. Join us in exploring the science of SPACE, cosmology, physics, life, the UNIVERSE and everything! How do we do it...

What The If? Podcast Guide

Listen to What The If?, a Science & Medicine podcast by What The If?. Stream 450 episodes in English, follow new audio stories, and play episodes online on Radio and Podcast.

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Browse this show under Science & Medicine podcasts.

Episodes

20 episodes are loaded now from a catalog of 450. More episodes can be opened from this page.

Episodes

20 of 450 episodes

ANTIMATTER On Demand!

ANTIMATTER On Demand! by Philip Shane, Matt Stanley, Gabrielle Paniccia

00:38:34Jun 17, 2026

WHO The If - GABY!

Behind every voice you've come to love on this show is a life full of stories you've never heard. With our eighth anniversary just around th...

00:43:15Jun 9, 2026

TOO SOCIAL Media!

Listener Kevin Towers asks: what the if the internet made everyone use their real, traceable name? No usernames. No masks. No hiding behind...

00:39:54Jun 3, 2026

The Other Theory of EVOLUTION!

What the if Lamarck was right? Stanford historian Jessica Riskin, author of "The Power of Life," is our guide into a universe where living t...

00:54:42May 20, 2026

Moon Babies Meet EARTH - Part 2!

What the if you were born on the Moon and Earth was the alien planet? Picking up from last month's cliffhanger, our travelers from the lunar...

00:43:38May 16, 2026

The Last DROP Of Gasoline!

Listener Helina asks: what the if we just pumped the last drop of gasoline? The answer goes well beyond empty parking lots and quiet highway...

00:42:30May 9, 2026

Moon Babies Meet EARTH!

Picture this: you're a moon baby, born and raised underground on Luna, and you've just landed on Earth for the very first time. Meet the loo...

00:28:37Apr 17, 2026

Microbe Grudge Match!

What the if microbes held a grudge? We're thrilled to welcome Ethan Rappaport, theoretical ecologist at the University of Maryland, to take...

00:44:16Apr 3, 2026

Space JUNK!

In honor of the 25th anniversary of the MIR SPACE STATION's spectacular farewell reentry, we're featuring an encore of our August 11, 2023 e...

00:54:10Mar 23, 2026

Telepathy!

What the if you could read minds — but only when someone's nearby? Congratulations, your subway commute just became a psychic nightmare. Bab...

00:41:44Mar 17, 2026

Reality Is Making Stuff UP!

Right now, billions of particles are popping in and out of existence in your pocket. That's not a metaphor — that's quantum mechanics. Inspi...

00:41:54Mar 13, 2026

Ants Adopt A CATERPILLAR!

What the if you got zapped by a shrink ray while walking past the physics department and your only hope of survival was convincing a colony...

00:40:06Mar 9, 2026

The Buddy System Run AMOK!

What the if humans moved in schools — not classrooms, but like fish? Inspired by Carl Zimmer's New York Times article on how misinformation...

00:42:31Feb 27, 2026

Black Holes

MIT physicist David Kaiser is one of those rare scientists who can make mind-bending physics feel like a great conversation over coffee — fu...

01:00:46Feb 20, 2026

The Day Gravity QUIT!

A conspiracy theory went viral claiming that on August 12th, 2026, Earth will lose gravity for seven seconds. The internet did what the inte...

00:40:34Feb 13, 2026

GROUND HOG Day PHYSICS!

What the if a groundhog could actually predict the weather? Turns out Punxsutawney Phil would need way more than a shadow — we're talking a...

00:30:17Feb 5, 2026

HAGFISH - Champion Of The SLIMER BOWL!

We first shared this one on Super Bowl Sunday 2019 — what better weekend to bring back nature's ultimate underdog? Enjoy this encore present...

00:51:31Jan 30, 2026

CITIZEN Science -- with Kirby Runyon!

Planetary geologist Kirby Runyon from the Planetary Science Institute needs volunteers to map ancient impact melt flows on the moon from the...

00:47:05Jan 16, 2026

Walking on IO with Robin Andrews! (Encore)

We're taking a break this week while Philip recovers from the 'double-whammy' of flu and COVID boosters. (Science works, but sometimes it ma...

00:58:47Jan 8, 2026