The Internet is undoubtedly the greatest thing to happen to the human pursuit of knowledge since the advent of the printing press. Never before has so much information been so widely available for anyone to consume, anywhere, any time. You can literally just pick up your phone and spend hours watching incredible videos about the evolution of birds, or the nature of space-time, or how quantum computers work, or any other topic that piques your interest. It’s absolutely incredible. And yet, despite all that, there’s still something special about a book, isn’t there? Something special about the touch, the smell, the weight? About picking one up and flipping through its pages? About being engrossed and engaged without screens, cables, or batteries? Well, the folks at What If certainly think so. That’s why they decided to make a book out of their award-winning science videos. It’s called What If 100, and if you’re looking to upgrade your coffee table reading material, you’ll definitely want to check it out.
What Is What If?
What If is a popular web series that aims to inspire a passion for and appreciation of human imagination. Over the last few years, this series has produced some of the coolest and most thought provoking science, history, and humanities content on the web. That’s why they have 25 million followers across six media platforms in nine different languages, and it’s why their award-winning videos average 200-million views every month.
For those who have not come across it, each episode of What If starts with a wild hypothetical question, like what if the sun exploded tomorrow? Or what if you were swallowed by a whale? Or what if we could refreeze the arctic? The show then uses real science to answer these hypothetical questions.
The result is an epic journey of imagination through new worlds and possibilities, some in distant corners of the Universe, others right here on Earth. But they always examine the latest theories and research in a way that is fascinating and engaging. Viewers get hooked by seemingly wild and impossible situations that are fun to think about, while at the same time learning about the real world and universe around them.
In its relatively short existence, What If has asked and answered a lot of interesting, weird, difficult, unusual, and downright bizarre questions. Now they’ve chosen 100 of them to be featured in their first ever book.
What If 100
The hypothetical questions asked above are just a few examples of what you can find in What If 100. Other thought-provoking hypotheticals in the book include: What if Earth had rings like Saturn? What if Earth was shaped like a donut? What if extinct animals could be brought back to life? What if we could open a portal into a parallel universe? What if plastic was never invented? What if an asteroid hit the earth? What if time travel was possible? And so many more.
What If 100 was specifically created to foster a love for science and instill the kind of critical thinking and openness to new possibilities humanity will need in the 21st century and beyond. It’s perfect whether you’re looking for a gift to inspire the next generation of dreamers, scientists, explorers, engineers, environmentalists, and humanitarians, or you just want to treat yourself to a fun book and some imaginative intellectual stimulation.
From publisher Underknown, What If 100 features 224 pages full of stunning concept art and a forward by renowned science communicator and professor of theoretical physicist Michio Kaku. Host of numerous science programs for the BBC, the Discovery Channel, and the Science Channel, Kaku is the author of numerous New York Times bestsellers, including Physics of the Impossible, Physics of the Future, and The Future of the Mind.
What If 100 is currently on sale in hardcover and eBook formats, and purchase of the former includes a free copy of the latter. Click here to purchase your copy today.
Futurism fans: To create this content, a non-editorial team worked with an affiliate partner. We may collect a small commission on items purchased through this page. This post does not necessarily reflect the views or the endorsement of the Futurism.com editorial staff.
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