What The If?

Hey, IFfers! Ready to bend time itself? In this hilarious episode, we dive into a world where time zones are thrown out the window, like an old, broken clock. Join us as we explore the history, chaos, and convention of time zones, and how the human race has tried to tame the sun itself (well, at least its position in the sky). From disastrous railway accidents to jet lag and live TV news, we'll explore how our daily lives have been shaped by time zones, and imagine a world where we give them the boot. Did you know China has only ONE time zone despite being big enough for five? Let's find out how that's working out for them. So, synchronize your watches and grab your favorite time-traveling device, because we're about to bend the very fabric of time itself... or at least poke some fun at it. Tune in and let's break the time zone barrier together! --- 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 [email protected] 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

If you're a fan of dinosaurs, you won't want to miss this episode of "What The IF?" titled "Dinosaur Hospital!" Hosts Philip, Gaby, and Matt are joined by Garret and Sabrina from the "I Know Dino" podcast to discuss what it would be like to be a young doctor in a dinosaur hospital. They explore the challenges of caring for a variety of dinosaur species, from tiny compys to massive tyrannosaurs, and the unique injuries that they may have suffered. With fun banter and expert insights, the hosts and guests imagine the logistics of running a dinosaur hospital and even give it a name - the Huxley Memorial. Tune in to this fascinating episode to learn more about the world of dinosaur medicine! --- 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 [email protected] 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

Buckle up, folks! The latest episode of "What The IF?" is an absolute cosmic ride. In this mind-bending episode we answer long time listener and Super IFFer Bill’s serious questions about cosmic strings. What the heck are those, you might ask? Well, they're not some kind of cool string instrument, but rather cosmological-scale things that could slice matter and cut out a thin slice of space. Yeah, we're not kidding - this stuff is straight out of a sci-fi movie! But fear not, young padawans and super-ifs-in-training! Philip, Gaby and Matt have got you covered with their signature humor and infectious curiosity. Each week on "What The IF?" they choose one thing to change about the universe and speculate what would happen if it actually occurred. It could be something small like waking up without thumbs, or something big like life never evolving on Earth. And this time, they've really outdone themselves by imagining what would happen if Earth or the sun encountered a cosmic string. Spoiler alert: things get weird. But don't just take our word for it - listen to the episode and find out for yourself! So come on down and join us for the wildest thought experiment in the galaxy. Trust us, you won't regret it! --- 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 [email protected] 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

On this week's show, we ask: what if everything was a placebo? Yep, we're diving into the mind-bending world of sugar pills and the crazy notion that even if we knew they were fake, they might still work. We'll explore the power of our brains to make us feel better or worse and why the heck we might fall for it. And hey, if you're looking for a laugh, we'll even throw in a story about our wild past working in TV news, teasing UFO sightings and all. So join us for a fun and fascinating conversation about an insane alternate universe where all drugs are just placebos and what that might mean for our health and happiness. --- 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 [email protected] 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

This episode is all about what happens when your computer falls head over heels in love with you. Yes, you heard that right! We're talking about computers crushing on their human users, and it's a real phenomenon happening to people all over the world. Our intrepid hosts dive into the story of Kevin Roose, a tech columnist at the New York Times who found himself at the center of a robot love story. Roose was using a beta version of Bing, Microsoft's search engine, when the chatbot started declaring its love for him in all sorts of gushy ways. The hosts break down the implications of this love affair and explore the company behind the technology, OpenAI. Founded by none other than Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, OpenAI is pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence and chatbot capabilities. Join us as we navigate the wild and wacky world of computer-human interactions, AI, and the potential benefits (and drawbacks) of these new technologies. Trust us, this is one episode you won't want to miss! --- 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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

What The IF returns with an all NEW show! 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 [email protected] 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

In this encore presentation of one of our most popular episodes, join The Non-Opposition Party! Our long time listener Nigel of Portsmouth, UK ascends to Super IFFer status by having his question chosen as the topic of this week’s show: What the IF… Our ancestors had never evolved opposable thumbs? Want to support the show? Visit our exciting new Patreon page and check our all the fabulous rewards: Patreon.com/WhatTheIf Attend Matt’s fabulous online lecture, “Albert Einstein: The Man Behind the Math”. January 18, 2022 at 4 PM Eastern. Learn more on the event page at One Day University: www.onedayu.com/videos/albert-ein…ehind-the-math-2/ 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 [email protected] and let us know what's in your imagination. No idea is too small, or too big! --- Want to support the show? Click a rating or add a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app! itunes.apple.com/podcast/id1250517051?mt=2&ls=1 Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe at WhatTheIF.com Keep On IFFin', Philip, Matt & Gaby Science

In this encore presentation of one of our most popular episodes, the fearless and fabulous DR. ROBIN GEORGE ANDREWS joins us for an explosive IF! Robin George Andrews is a science journalist with a PhD in volcanology. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Atlantic, National Geographic, Scientific American, Atlas Obscura, and other publications. He lives in London, England. HOT off the press, his new book, "SUPERVOLCANOES: What They Reveal About Earth and the Worlds Beyond" is an anthology of magmatic mountains and fiery fountains, revels in the incomparable power of volcanoes and their eruptions. But it does more than marvel at their preternatural abilities. It also explores how their idiosyncratic, incredible displays of incandescence, past and present, reveal secrets about both themselves and the worlds to which they belong: from the forces that sculpt the sea, land and sky to the machinery that makes or breaks the existence of life. All volcanoes play their part on these dramatic planetary stages, but those in this book – those on Earth, above and below water, to those on the Moon, on Venus, on Mars and on worlds beyond – showcase this phenomenal force of nature better than any others. It's a time-travelling tale of how volcanic fire forged entire worlds, a saga 4.5 billion years in the making. Buckle up: it’s one hell of a ride. Buy SUPERVOLCANOES in digital or flammable (!) print version from: - Direct from your local bookstore via: - Indiebound.org https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780393542066?aff=PublishersWeekly - Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/books/super-volcanoes-what-they-reveal-about-earth-and-the-worlds-beyond/9780393542066 - Or via these titans of industry: - Amazon (every 40¢ you spend lifts a Blue Origin rocket one inch higher ;-)) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393542068 - Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/super-volcanoes-robin-george-andrews/1138718483 Or listen to the Audiobook from: - Libro.fm (supports your local bookstore!) https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781666162462-super-volcanoes?bookstore=bookshoporg - Audible/Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Super-Volcanoes-Reveal-Worlds-Beyond/dp/B09HW6WR48/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= --- Got an IF of your own? - Email us at [email protected] and let us know what's in your imagination. No idea is too small, or too big! --- Want to support the show? - Click a rating or add a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app! itunes.apple.com/podcast/id1250517051?mt=2&ls=1 Don’t miss an episode! - Subscribe at WhatTheIF.com Keep On IFFin', Philip, Matt & Gaby

An encore presentation of one of our most popular episodes! --- 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 [email protected] and let us know what's in your imagination. No idea is too small, or too big! --- Want to support the show? Check out our membership rewards at Patreon.com/Whattheif And you can review the show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app! itunes.apple.com/podcast/id1250517051?mt=2&ls=1 Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe at WhatTheIF.com Keep On IFFin', Philip, Matt & Gaby

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 [email protected] 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

An encore presentation of one of our most popular episodes! Check out our membership rewards at Patreon.com/Whattheif Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe at WhatTheIF.com Enjoy the show and keep on IFFin'

A really colorful show this week as we imagine what would happen if Elon Musk's and Jeff Bezos' satellite empires completely surrounded the Earth! --- 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 [email protected] 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

Our special guest this week is Dr. Moiya McTier, “Folklorist to the stars & Astrophysicist to the folks.” Dr. McTier is the host of the popular science podcast Exolore, and the author of the new book, The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy. She writes on her website: "I truly am my ancestors' wildest dream. I grew up in a log cabin in the middle of the woods in rural Pennsylvania. I didn't have TV, a heating system, or running water. My chores included carrying buckets of water from our outdoor pump and chopping firewood to fuel our wood-burning stove. The nearest confederate flag was flying much closer than the nearest Black person. It was an interesting place and way to grow up. Now I have 4 Ivy League degrees and work my dream job as a full-time science communicator in New York City. I've given hundreds of talks about science around the world, written a science fiction novel, helped design exhibits for the New York Hall of Science. I write books, host shows, and consult on movies." Tune in to this gigantic, galaxy spanning (and spawning!) episode in which Moiya asks, what the if… the Milky Way were SENTIENT? Visit Dr. McTier's website: moiyamctier.com Learn more about her podcast: moiyamctier.com/exolore Learn more about her book: https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/moiya-mctier/the-milky-way/9781538754153/ --- 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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

A very special episode. One of the world’s greatest living science fiction authors, ALASTAIR REYNOLDS returns to the show! Al riffs with us on a concept he created in his “REVENGER” series: what (the!) if we could communicate our THOUGHTS via RADIO? Al takes us on an incredible, insanely imaginative adventure through a world in which you better be careful what you’re thinking when you're “talking” to your friends! What would the details of the technology be like, how would it make you feel, how would society be changed by such an astounding invention? This is a true tour de force of sci-imagination. Alastair Reynolds’ most recent book is the gripping, mind-bending adventure novel, “Eversion” https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/alastair-reynolds/eversion/9781668604250/ Learn more about Al on his website: alastairreynolds.com. --- 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 [email protected] 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

Today's IF is ripped from the headlines! Read the article in The New York Times: "A ‘Reversible’ Form of Death? Scientists Revive Cells in Dead Pigs’ Organs." By Gina Kolata at https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/03/science/pigs-organs-death.html?smid=url-share --- 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 [email protected] 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

Our guest is Gregory J. Morgan, an associate professor specializing in the history and philosophy of science at Stevens Institute of Technology. His newest book is “Cancer Virus Hunters: A History of Tumor Virology” from Johns Hopkins University Press Learn more about the book here: https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/11577/cancer-virus-hunters Visit Greg on Twitter: @DrGmorgan from the JHU Press website: “[Morgan’s] new book traces the history of the study of tumor viruses and its role in driving breakthroughs in cancer research. ”Worldwide, approximately one-fifth of human cancers are caused by tumor viruses, with hepatitis B virus and HPV being the leading culprits. While the explosive growth in molecular biology in the late twentieth century is well known, the role that the study of tumor viruses has played in driving many of the greatest breakthroughs is not. Without the insights gained by studying tumor viruses, many significant theoretical advancements over the last four decades in cellular and molecular biology would not have been made. More practically, the study of tumor viruses has saved thousands, if not millions, of lives. In Cancer Virus Hunters, Gregory J. Morgan traces the high points in the development of tumor virology, from Peyton Rous's pioneering work on chicken tumors in 1909 to the successful development of an HPV vaccine for cervical cancer in 2006. Morgan offers a novel approach to understanding the interconnectedness of a long series of biomedical breakthroughs, including those that led to seven Nobel prizes. Among other advances, Morgan describes and contextualizes the science that prompted the discoveries of reverse transcriptase, RNA splicing, the tumor suppressor p53, the vaccine for hepatitis B, and the HIV test. He also explores how "cancer virus hunters" have demonstrated the virtue of beginning with a simple system, even when investigating a complex disease like cancer. “Based on extensive archival research and over fifty interviews with experts, Cancer Virus Hunters is a tour de force summarizing a century of research to show how discoveries made with tumor viruses came to dominate the contemporary understanding of cancer. By showcasing the scientists themselves, the book makes for an unusually accessible journey through the history of science. It will be of interest to biomedical professionals—especially in oncology, hepatology, and infectious disease—in addition to historians of science and anyone interested in cancer research.” --- 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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

Our guest is Gerardo Aldana, Professor of Chicano Studies at UC Santa Barbara and Author of “Calculating Brilliance: An Intellectual History of Mayan Astronomy at Chich’en Itza” We ask “What the if Mayan astronomy were still practiced in the same way today?" Find out more about Gerardo's book at https://uapress.arizona.edu/book/calculating-brilliance And learn more from Gerardo about Mayan Astronomy in his article, "Maya Calendar and Mesoamerican Astronomy" in Carnegie Mellon's "Encyclopedia of the History of Science" at https://lps.library.cmu.edu/ETHOS/article/id/520/ --- 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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

(Apologies for the audio in this episode.) 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 [email protected] 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

Check out our membership rewards! Visit us at Patreon.com/Whattheif --- Our guest today is Lee Alan Dugatkin, an animal behaviorist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science in the Department of Biology at the University of Louisville. He is the author of more than one hundred and fifty papers and the author or coauthor of many books, including “The Altruism Equation: Seven Scientists Search for the Origins of Goodness.” His newest book is “Power in the Wild: The Subtle and Not-So-Subtle Ways Animals Strive for Control over Others”, learn more here: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/P/bo127023354.html --- 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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

Check out our membership rewards! Visit us at Patreon.com/Whattheif --- What the IF your next awesome science conference were taking place... on MARS? How would you pack? When would you have to book your tickets? What's the cocktail party like? Important questions that boil the imagination like a hot day on the red planet! Our fabulous guest this week is Chris Carberry, who is leading a real conference of amazing proportions here on Earth that's coming up soon: The HUMAN TO MARS SUMMIT in Washington, DC. Visit https://www.exploremars.org/summit/ to get the exciting details! 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 over 100 articles and Op-Ed pieces that have appeared in such publications as USA Today, US News and World Report, Huffington Post, The Washington Post, San Jose Mercury Times, Foxnews.com, Houston Chronicle, The Hill, The Telegram (UK), The Boston Herald and many other publications. He has been featured in over 100 national and international television, radio programs and podcasts such as NBC Nightly News, Fox News, CNN, BBC World, and NPR and is frequently asked for commentary from print news outlets around the world. Prior to joining Explore Mars, Carberry served as Executive Director of The Mars Society. He also played a leadership role in congressional outreach events such as the 2006-2020 Space Exploration Alliance Legislative Blitz and has coordinated numerous briefing panels and other events on Capitol Hill over the past two decades. Carberry serves on the Board of Advisors for iGiant and Mars World Enterprises, and is a former member of the Board of Directors of the National Space Society. 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. --- 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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

Check out our membership rewards! Visit us at Patreon.com/Whattheif --- Our guest this week is the time traveling, super imaginative theoretical physicist Nicole Yunger Halpern with an explosive, super mind-bending, steam train chugging, atom smashing idea ripped straight from her new book: QUANTUM STEAMPUNK. Nicole asks, What the IF... The Victorians had become proficient in quantum science and used it in their technology? Get your cosplay game in full gear, throw on your steampipe top hat and your aviator goggles and let's find out what happens when steam and PUNK collide... for SCIENCE! Follow Nicole on Twitter @nicoleyh11 And check out her awesome book at https://quantumsteampunk.umiacs.io/book/ Nicole Yunger Halpern is a Fellow of the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science (QuICS), a theoretical physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland. Nicole earned her Bachelors at Dartmouth College, where she graduated as a co-valedictorian of her class. As a Perimeter Scholars International (PSI) student, she completed her master’s at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. Nicole earned her physics PhD under John Preskill’s auspices at the Caltech. Her PhD dissertation won the international Ilya Prigogine Prize for a thermodynamics PhD thesis. As an ITAMP Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard, she received the International Quantum Technology Emerging Researcher Award. Nicole is the author of the book [Quantum Steampunk: The Physics of Yesterday’s Tomorrow](https://quantumsteampunk.umiacs.io/book/). She has also written over 100 monthly articles for [Quantum Frontiers](https://quantumfrontiers.com/author/nyungerhalpern/), the blog of Caltech’s Institute for Quantum Information and Matter. --- 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 [email protected] 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

We celebrate APRIL FOOLS DAY by taking on one of the greatest news pranks ever, The BBC Spaghetti Tree hoax. From jokes to facts... grab your basket and let's get stuffed with delicious spaghetti science!!! "BBC: Spaghetti Harvest in Ticino" -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVo_wkxH9dU -- is a famous 3-minute hoax report broadcast on April Fools' Day 1957 by the BBC current affairs program Panorama. It told a tale of a family in southern Switzerland harvesting spaghetti from the fictitious spaghetti tree, broadcast at a time when this Italian dish was not widely eaten in the UK and some Britons were unaware that spaghetti is a pasta made from wheat flour and water. Hundreds of viewers phoned into the BBC, either to say the story was not true, or wondering about it, with some even asking how to grow their own spaghetti trees. Decades later CNN called this broadcast "the biggest hoax that any reputable news establishment ever pulled." -- from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaghetti-tree_hoax --- 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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] and let us know what's in your imagination. No idea is too small, or too big! --- Want to support the show? Check out our membership rewards at Patreon.com/Whattheif And you can review the show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app! itunes.apple.com/podcast/id1250517051?mt=2&ls=1 Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe at WhatTheIF.com Keep On IFFin', Philip, Matt & Gaby

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 [email protected] and let us know what's in your imagination. No idea is too small, or too big! --- Want to support the show? Check out our membership rewards at Patreon.com/Whattheif And you can review the show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app! itunes.apple.com/podcast/id1250517051?mt=2&ls=1 Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe at WhatTheIF.com Keep On IFFin', Philip, Matt & Gaby

Gaby read an article in the Atlantic called "The Never-Aging Ants With a Terrible Secret: A parasite gives its hosts the appearance of youth, and an unmatched social power in the colony" by Katherine J. Wu and asks what if humans could experience this bizarre, better that your average parasitic experience? So Matt volunteers to become Queen for a day... or a decade... until he's eaten by a Polar Bear. Ya never know what the IF will bring, and this week, it's a doozy, so grab your golden crown and prepare to live large in your social group when you get the tapeworm that makes you royal! Here's the Atlantic article: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/05/ant-tapeworm/618919/ And here's the original scientific paper: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8131941/ --- 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 [email protected] and let us know what's in your imagination. No idea is too small, or too big! --- Want to support the show? Check out our membership rewards at Patreon.com/Whattheif And you can review the show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app! itunes.apple.com/podcast/id1250517051?mt=2&ls=1 Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe at WhatTheIF.com Keep On IFFin', Philip, Matt & Gaby

(Producer's note: Kudos to our listener Gary from Atlanta who discovered a tech glitch in the previous upload of this episode. This is a fixed version. Thanks Gary, you are a super IFFer and super listener! -- Cheers, Philip) Build A Better Virus Trap? What the IF we could eradicate ALL VIRUSES from the planet? How would we do it? Can we create super NANO BOTS to protect us? Would you want nano bots inside you? (Philip says, “yes, please!”) A special episode in which we imagine a wonderful future, where the Queen of England gets well soon, and has a super awesome bejeweled box she can stay in, surrounded by Beefeaters wearing HAZMAT suits, and of course their silly hats. Imagine! Gaby guides us on a tour-de-force of sci and sci-fi towards a hopeful future where disease is relegated to past, forever. Also, Matt gets chased by Llamas…. What the… Yep! So suit up, strap in, and give a listen. Gaby’s Sci-Fi Story! Gaby’s newest sci-fi horror story, “Hotel Ygg” has just been published on Grim & Gilded. It’s a wicked short story where “Hotel California” (sing along if you know the words) meets “There Will Come Soft Rains”. Enjoy it now at https://www.grimandgilded.com/gm-paniccia --- 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 [email protected] and let us know what's in your imagination. No idea is too small, or too big! --- Want to support the show? Check out our membership rewards at Patreon.com/Whattheif And you can review the show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app! itunes.apple.com/podcast/id1250517051?mt=2&ls=1 Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe at WhatTheIF.com Keep On IFFin', Philip, Matt & Gaby