The Information Entropy Podcast

This week we dive into the twisted psychology behind reality TV. From enforced gender stereotypes to the dark influence of producers, we explore how contestants are pushed, manipulated, and reshaped for the cameras. What makes people obey, conform, or completely lose themselves on screen? Think Love Island meets the Milgram experiment—with a dose of online misinformation, social pressure, and the false belief that everyone else thi...

What makes perfectly sane people eat bugs, betray teammates, or forget their own name on national TV? This week, we dive into the wild world of game show psychology—from group conformity and mob mentality to time pressure and full-blown cognitive collapse. We unravel the science behind why the game format lowers our guard, how 30% of a group can flip the entire consensus, and why your brain starts short-circuiting the moment a buzz...

Welcome to this very special episode of the Information Entropy Podcast: Episode 150! Today we take a bit more of a relaxed approach to the structure of the episode exploring a variety of topics that we find interesting such as new space telescopes and their discoveries as well as the influence that games are having and will have on our technology in the future. Thank you to each and every one of you who tunes in, whether for a few...

In this episode of The Information Entropy Podcast, Tom explores one of the biggest mysteries in modern cosmology: the Hubble tension. Why do we get different answers while measuring the expansion rate of the universe? Is our standard model of the cosmos missing a crucial piece of the puzzle?

Join Tom as he journeys from the discovery of cosmic expansion and the Big Bang, through the ingredients of our universe, to the Nobel Prize-...

In this episode of The Information Entropy Podcast, we explore the science of ageing—what it is, why it happens, and how it affects the body and brain over time. We dig into cellular damage, stem cell decline, and metabolic theories like the Rate of Living Hypothesis. Plus, we ask why animals like Greenland sharks live for centuries while others burn out in months, and why time seems to speed up as we get older. Packed with biology...

We’re back for round two on conservation — and this time we’re naming names. From habitat loss and invasive species to climate chaos and pollution, we break down the Big Five threats that are pushing species to the brink.

Mitch digs into the Svalbard Seed Vault, the planet’s frozen backup drive for food and biodiversity, and we unpack the economics of conservation — who pays to save the planet, who profits from wrecking it, and whe...

This week, we’re getting into the wild world of conservation — the science of saving stuff before it disappears forever. But it’s not all noble rangers and panda logos. Conservation is complicated. It’s where ecology crashes headfirst into politics, economics, and some big ethical questions about what we value and why.

We break down what conservation really means today, why it’s not just about protecting animals but entire ecosyste...

In this final "Middle Ages" episode, we take a closer look at how medieval weapons were made—from the blacksmith’s forge to the battlefield. We explore the practical science behind forging and quenching steel, how techniques developed across Europe and Japan, and what this meant for the weapons themselves. We also examine how swordsmanship evolved alongside metallurgy, from early battlefield combat to the structured environments of...

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast. This week, we are following the evolutionary arms race between medieval units. The infantry, the missile troops, and the cavalry. A delicate balance of strengths and weaknesses on the battlefield, but how and why did these roles evolve over time and what were the driving forces behind that change? As the art of the sword became more refined and “gentlemanly”, we look at the codex Wal...

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast. This week, we’re storming the gates—literally. From scaling walls and battering gates to digging tunnels under your enemies and flinging plague-ridden cows into castles, we dive into the gritty science and strategy behind medieval siege warfare. Learn how castles were taken (or not), how defenders fought back, and why flinging a bucket of piss wasn’t just personal—it was tactical. Tr...

In this episode of The Information Entropy Podcast, we catapult ourselves into the world of medieval castles. Join us as we unpack the science and strategy behind castle defence, from murder holes and machicolations to position, structure, and power. We’re digging deep into how medieval castles were designed as layered defensive machines and the evolution of their design. Castles weren’t cosy stone palaces—they were engineered war ...

This week, we're diving deep into the weird and wonderful world of memory — both biological and mechanical. From how your brain stores the smell of grandma’s house to how your laptop remembers where your holiday photos are, we explore what memory actually is, how it works, and why your version of events might be completely wrong. We’ll explain how neurons store memories, why your brain edits the past like a drunk film director, and...

Welcome back to The Information Entropy Podcast! This week, we’re diving into the fascinating world of music. Mitch kicks things off with some important news and clarifications for the ASD community, clearing up a few common misconceptions. Then it’s straight into the science, as Tom unpacks the origins of musical notes — where they came from, and why we even have them in the first place. From there, the conversation flows into the...

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast where this week we are questioning why some animals live to be 500 and others less than a day! Tom starts with some out of this world news before the boys get onto the topic in a semi-reasonable time this week! The boys explore different life history strategies and the effects it has at an individual and population level, when is it more beneficial to live fast and when is the slower ...

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast we’re exploring the fascinating world of forests…. Eventually. First the boys get lost on their adventure and they talk about moving house and some life updates. Mitch explores the next steps in light-based computing technologies before the boys debate whether dire wolves are really back! Then onto forests: Tom defines what they are and explores the different layers and their ecologic...

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast where today we are exploring the world of Plains and Grasslands! What are plains and grasslands in the first place and why are they scientifically interesting? Mitch defines them and Tom looks at how they form. The boys then explore the important ecosystem services that plains provide in the form of carbon sequestration while also investigating the fascinating interactions keystone sp...

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast where Tom is back at his lone ramblings on Vocal Learning. In the previous episodes Tom explored what vocal learning is and how we categorise/define it. This week Tom is taking a look at the implications of being able to choose when to vocalise. A crucial underpinning of proper language use is our ability to produce the sounds when we want to, but what if we can’t? How do other specie...

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast where this week, we’re climbing to new heights—literally—as we take a deep dive into the science of mountains! From the violent tectonic forces that build them to the brutal conditions of the Death Zone, we break down what makes these towering giants so extreme.

Why do some mountains keep growing while others crumble away? How do animals survive in one of the harshest habitats on Eart...

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast where today we are taking you on a wild and chaotic episode of Swamps! Yes, the wetlands that are smelly and gross… much like the opening half of the episode. Mitch takes us on a journey exploring the immune response to food poisoning to shed light on his week and it is fascinating as well as horrifying. Back on track the boys explore what differentiates swamps from other wetland habi...