When things don’t go the way they’re supposed to — viruses, star systems, presidents, even fish — we’re often desperate to explain the chaos. In this episode, we search for order in the universe.
The Weird World Of Eels
![Eel](https://wpr-public.s3.amazonaws.com/ttbook/styles/newsletter-email/s3/images/Conger_conger_Gervais.jpg?itok=5uLi62Nl)
Eels are philosophically and scientifically slippery — they’re still some of the most mysterious creatures on the planet. Journalist Patrik Svensson has been obsessed with them, and wound up writing a surprise bestseller — “The Book of Eels.”
We Call Them Fish. Evolution Says They’re Something Else.
![fish](https://wpr-public.s3.amazonaws.com/ttbook/styles/newsletter-email/s3/images/fishpaper.jpg?itok=jLWPv6wO)
Lulu Miller’s book “Why Fish Don’t Exist” — which examines ichthyologist David Starr Jordan — is a meditation on the shadow side of scientific classification, and the dangers of trying too hard to impose order on chaos.
The Original Algorithm Was Written In The Stars
![](https://wpr-public.s3.amazonaws.com/ttbook/styles/newsletter-email/s3/images/shot-by-cerqueira-0o_GEzyargo-unsplash-Edit.jpg?itok=cVj1ORIE)
Putting aside the question of whether there’s any validity to it, the ancient science of astrology has a lot in common with contemporary data science. In fact, data scientist Alexander Boxer calls astrology humanity’s very first set of algorithms.
Seeing The World With A Mathematician’s Eyes
![Yong Chuan/ John Moeses Bauan/Mark Riechers (CC0) Math of the universe](https://wpr-public.s3.amazonaws.com/ttbook/styles/newsletter-email/s3/images/yong-chuan-324645-unsplash-Edit.jpg?itok=xh_uWnzC)
For centuries, people have considered mathematics the purest form of knowledge — and our best bet for deciphering the universe’s hidden order. Steve spoke with two people who love math: physicist James Gates and science writer Margaret Wertheim.
Further Reading:
Nautilus: Eels Don’t Have Sex Until the Last Year of Their Life—NYAS: The Mystery of Our Mathematical Universe
Original Air Date: August 08, 2020
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Episode Credits
- Anne Strainchamps Host
- Steve Paulson Producer
- Shannon Henry Kleiber Producer
- Charles Monroe-Kane Producer
- Angelo Bautista Producer
- Mark Riechers Producer
- Joe Hardtke Technical Director
- Sarah Hopefl Technical Director
![](https://techcodex.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/d191983c52bbeed58e363d269942e426-e1701343397862.jpg)
Wanda Parisien is a computing expert who navigates the vast landscape of hardware and software. With a focus on computer technology, software development, and industry trends, Wanda delivers informative content, tutorials, and analyses to keep readers updated on the latest in the world of computing.