Time REVERSAL with Ian Durham! episode artwork

EPISODE · Dec 26, 2025 · 39 MIN

Time REVERSAL with Ian Durham!

from What The If? · host Philip Shane, Matt Stanley, Gabrielle Paniccia

What the if time suddenly started running backwards? Your breakfast un-eats itself, LEGO sets come pre-assembled, and you get younger every day. The dead have unfunerals, your room cleans itself, and teenagers slowly regress through middle school—backwards. Professor Ian Durham of Saint Anselm College stops by to explain the real physics behind time reversal and why photons might start shooting out of your eyeballs. Want to see time reversal in action? Check out The Palindrome Paradox, the mind-bending short film Ian recommends: https://youtu.be/hUcXGv-NzFQ?si=X086RFpXEj0ZNJmX Explore more physics at the Foundational Questions Institute—Ian's top 5 physics stories for 2025 will be out in a week or two on the FQxI Podcast Series: https://qspace.fqxi.org/podcasts And check out FQxI Master Classes, where Ian's course on the nature of time will be out within the year: https://qspace.fqxi.org/qac --- 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

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Dec 26, 2025

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

Time REVERSAL with Ian Durham!

0:00 39:32

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of What The If??

This episode is 39 minutes long.

When was this What The If? episode published?

This episode was published on December 26, 2025.

Can I download this What The If? episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!