エピソード

  • RESISTANCE Training EXTREME!
    2025/05/09
    What if you could build up a resistance to absolutely anything through repeated exposure? Inspired by the real-life story of Tim Friede, who injected himself with increasing doses of snake venom until he developed immunity, this episode explores a world where humans can become resistant to gravity, car crashes, or even anvils to the head. From specialized training centers at the mall that progressively drop heavier objects on your skull to high school gym classes where kids graduate from Barbie cars to full-sized vehicles, discover how society would transform if human biology could adapt to literally anything. We explore how careers would change - plumbers resistant to bad smells, electricians handling live wires with bare hands - and how regional human subspecies might emerge based on local hazards. Would the Upper East Side elite compete to make their babies anvil-proof before their first birthday? In this world, your skull thickness might become your most valuable credential, and Halloween costumes would reflect our vastly more diverse physical appearances. Based on "Universal Anti-Venom May Grow Out of a Man Who Let Snakes Bite Him 200 Times" by The New York Times, May 2, 2025 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/health/snakes-universal-antivenom-tim-friede.html?unlocked_article_code=1.F08.AC2O.wGyVMwaME67R&smid=url-sharePhilip will be holding a 90-minute virtual workshop "Introduction to AI for Creative People" with Women in Film San Francisco Bay Area on May 17th. Anyone can join, register at: https://womeninfilmsanfranciscobayarea.wildapricot.org/event-6160839 --- Check out our membership rewards! Visit us at Patreon.com/Whattheif Got an IF of your own? Want to have us consider your idea for a show topic? Send YOUR IF to us! Email us at feedback@whattheif.com and let us know what's in your imagination. No idea is too small, or too big! Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe at WhatTheIF.com Check out Gaby’s new sci-fi short story in The Map Of Lost Places! https://www.apexbookcompany.com/products/the-map-of-lost-placesKeep On IFFin',Philip, Matt & Gaby
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    51 分
  • Human HATCHING Day!
    2025/05/02
    What if humans and all mammals hatched from eggs? This episode explores a world where expectant parents carry decorated eggs to work, conference tables have special egg holders, and the Upper East Side boasts expensive hatcheries playing Mozart to developing offspring. From the marketing potential of personalized egg covers to the social stigmas of different egg-carrying methods, discover how our relationship with reproduction and parenting would transform. Would human eggs be leathery like reptiles or hard like birds? How would we adapt our homes, workplaces, and social structures for portable babies-to-be? And would egg-swapping become the new worry for anxious parents? This thought-provoking scenario was submitted by listener Anne from Queens, New York. --- Find out more about Gaby's science fiction short story! Here are the links for the anthology. The physical copy can be ordered here : https://www.neonhemlock.com/books/luminescent-machinations-queer-tales-of-monumental-invention The ebook can be ordered here: https://www.neonhemlock.com/ebooks/luminescent-machinations-queer-tales-of-monumental-invention
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    53 分
  • SPACE Vacation On Earth!
    2025/04/26
    Experience outer space without leaving Earth's atmosphere! Join planetary geologist and space lifestyle coach Kirby Runyon as he guides us through cosmic destinations on our own planet. From New Mexico's lava flows that mirror the Moon's dark volcanic plains to Northern Arizona's Meteor Crater (where three downtown Philadelphias could fit in the bottom), discover Earth's surprising cosmic connections. Float weightlessly in a modified Boeing 727 as it performs "parabolic arcs" giving you 20 seconds of perfect freedom where your face muscles relax and your arms float zombie-like in front of you. Or visit steam explosion craters in Southern California that reveal what early Mars looked like billions of years ago. The universe is more accessible than you think - you just need to know where to look. Learn more at https://planex.space/ and use promo code KirbyPlanEX to save 5% on Zero-G flights at https://gozeroG.com/ --- Find out more about Gaby's science fiction short story! Here are the links for the anthology. The physical copy can be ordered here : https://www.neonhemlock.com/books/luminescent-machinations-queer-tales-of-monumental-invention The ebook can be ordered here: https://www.neonhemlock.com/ebooks/luminescent-machinations-queer-tales-of-monumental-invention
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    28 分
  • DIRE WOLVES Return!
    2025/04/18
    Embark on a mind-bending thought experiment as our intrepid explorers dive deep into the annals of history, imagining how early humans might have unraveled the mysteries of solar eclipses. From cave paintings to mythical tales of celestial dragons, join the journey as Throg and his tribe attempt to make sense of the sun's sudden disappearance. Joins us as we ponder the birth of astronomy and the evolution of scientific thinking. --- Find out more about Gaby's science fiction short story! Here are the links for the anthology. The physical copy can be ordered here : https://www.neonhemlock.com/books/luminescent-machinations-queer-tales-of-monumental-invention The ebook can be ordered here: https://www.neonhemlock.com/ebooks/luminescent-machinations-queer-tales-of-monumental-invention
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    55 分
  • Humanity On All FOURS!
    2025/04/11
    What if humans never stood upright and remained quadrupeds? Our world would transform into a society where everything is built low to the ground. Imagine shopping carts you push with your face, stadiums with no chairs where everyone sits like animals, and the social awkwardness of having your posterior constantly on display. The loss of our hands would dramatically impact agriculture, cooking, and sports—though we'd excel at truffle hunting and finding loose change. Discover why our spines might actually thank us for going horizontal, how backpacks would become "saddlebags," and why having mouth-operated tools might make friendship more necessary than ever. This thought-provoking "what if" scenario was suggested by listener Anne Fizzard from Queens, New York. --- Check out Gaby’s new sci-fi short story in The Map Of Lost Places! https://www.apexbookcompany.com/products/the-map-of-lost-places
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    49 分
  • PHYSICS Changes Its MIND!
    2025/04/08
    What if the fundamental forces of nature could change with time? Step into a universe where gravity might send you floating to the ceiling one morning, your coffee maker stops working as electricity changes its rules, and your very atoms could suddenly decide to explode. From your nervous system running on unpredictable electrical currents to the strong nuclear force taking a day off, discover how even tiny fluctuations in these cosmic constants would transform daily life into surreal chaos. Turns out the orderliness of our universe might be more miraculous than we realized - change any force by one part in a billion, and we wouldn't be here complaining about it. Based on "More Than a Hint’ That Dark Energy Isn’t What Astronomers Thought" by Katrina Miller and Dennis Overbye, published in The New York Times on March 19, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/science/space/astronomer-desi-dark-energy.html?smid=url-share&unlocked_article_code=1.-E4.npTp.cMswMP6FDuKn --- Find out more about Gaby's science fiction short story! Here are the links for the anthology. The physical copy can be ordered here : https://www.neonhemlock.com/books/luminescent-machinations-queer-tales-of-monumental-invention The ebook can be ordered here: https://www.neonhemlock.com/ebooks/luminescent-machinations-queer-tales-of-monumental-invention
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    59 分
  • Microgravity MOVIE Making!
    2025/04/01
    What if filmmakers took their cameras to space? Prepare for a world of zero-G cinematography! From weather-sealed cameras designed to handle unexpected astronaut vomit to the perpetual hum of life-support systems ruining your audio, documentary filmmaking in orbit presents unique challenges. Discover why the International Space Station's lighting is "just awful," how playing a guitar in microgravity sends you spinning in unexpected directions, and why the first task in every Mars simulation is fixing the eternally broken toilet. Explore how future space workers will need specialized trade skills—from plumbers to welders—as humanity expands beyond Earth. This thought-provoking "what if" scenario features insights from documentary filmmaker Sam Burbank and Explore Mars CEO Chris Carberry. —— Chris Carberry is the CEO and co-founder of Explore Mars, Inc. (Explore Mars), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit space advocacy organization that was created to advance the goal of sending humans to Mars by the mid-2030s. Carberry is a well-respected expert and influential director of strategic alliances in the space community as well as with non-traditional organizations. Carberry has presented oral (and written) testimony to both the United States Senate as well as the United States House of Representatives and has been active in all levels of policy engagement with both the Executive and Legislative branches of government. In recent years, he has overseen Explore Mars’ annual Humans to Mars Summit, the largest annual conference focused on sending humans to Mars. He has also spearheaded dozens of programs including the Mars Innovation Forum, the annual Community Workshops for the Achievability and Sustainability of Human Exploration of Mars series, the AR/VR and Space workshop series, the ISS and Mars Conference in Washington, D.C. and in Strasbourg, France, and the Women and Mars Conference in Washington, D.C. He has also conducted programs overseas, in such countries as the United Arab Emirates, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Carberry is also the creator, and one of the senior editors, of the annual publication known as the Humans to Mars Report that was highlighted in the NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2017. In 2013, Carberry was awarded a NASA Group Achievement award. Carberry is the author of the 2019 book, Alcohol in Space: Past, Present and Future, and the upcoming book, The Music of Space (to be released in 2022). Both volumes are being adapted into documentary films.Learn more about Chris at https://exploremars.orgCheck out his books at https://www.amazon.com/stores/Chris-Carberry/author/B0CZWN4JNF?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1743558561&sr=8-1&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true Watch his film at https://www.amazon.com/Alcohol-Space-Movie-Sam-Burbank/dp/B0DJQZGLG2 —— Sam Burbank is a science-writer and science-documentary filmmaker. Mr. Burbank has worked with PBS, Discovery Channel, and has produced and written two dozen programs for the National Geographic, ranging from renewable energy to the X-Prize. Sam studied creative writing at San Francisco State University, and is a long time member of AAAS. He has spent three summers on Devon Island, near the magnetic north pole, and was a member of the founding crew of the Mars Society FMARS station in 2001. In 2002 he joined a crew at the MDRS station for the one-of-a-kind ICoMP experiment Sam loves snowboarding, journal writing, and dancing a fast 1930's swing step, the Balboa. In 1995, he and wife Linda spent their honeymoon riding a motorcycle to the arctic circle. Some notable quotes about Mr. Burbank include the following: "Sam Burbank is elevating the video-journal to an art genre." Kim Stanley Robinson, author Antarctica, Red Mars. "Sam is a true artist, who makes visible to the eye what before could only be seen by the mind." Robert Zubrin, author The Case for Mars, Entering Space. Learn more about Sam at https://www.samburbank.com/
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    43 分
  • OLYMPICS Of The Solar System! (Encore)
    2025/03/14
    Note from Philip: Matt and Gaby are both on assignment this week, so we proudly present an encore of one of our most popular episodes ever. ——— We welcome our newest Patreon supporter, Martin from Frankfurt, Germany! Inspired by the Paris Olympics which open today, we imagine Olympic events spread across the solar system in the year 3024! High jumps on the Moon, luge races on asteroids, and synchronized swimming in Titan's methane lakes. Athletes train in centrifuges to prepare for different gravities, while spectators watch solar sail races near the Sun. The episode explores the physics of sports in various planetary conditions, from the dense atmosphere of Jupiter to the microgravity of space stations. Learn about the challenges of organizing interplanetary competitions and the potential for new sports unique to each celestial body. --- Check out our membership rewards! Visit us at Patreon.com/Whattheif Got an IF of your own? Want to have us consider your idea for a show topic? Send YOUR IF to us! Email us at feedback@whattheif.com and let us know what's in your imagination. No idea is too small, or too big! Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe at WhatTheIF.com Keep On IFFin',Philip, Matt & Gaby
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    49 分