Best Tom Jenks Podcasts (2025)

1
The Middle Ages: Fortress and Fire 1:05:04

4d ago1:05:04

1:05:04

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 ev…

1
Episode 52: Chris Hannah – Propagandhi 35:33

5d ago35:33

35:33

If you're someone who hasn't yet listened to Propagandhi, then I'm sure you're about to have the time of your life as you discover their eclectic and celebrated discography. Forming in Canada back in 1986, they've been a going concern for close to four decades now, though it wasn't until 1993 that they released their first album. After a few years,…

1
Memories 1:03:14

11d ago1:03:14

1:03:14

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 …

1
Episode 51: Steve Sladkowski – PUP 46:16

12d ago46:16

46:16

For 15 years now, Canadian outfit PUP have been defying the concept that their name stands for a Pathetic Use of Potential and have been proving all and sundry wrong as they travel around the world with their unique blend of alt-rock and punk. Formed in 2010 as Topanga, PUP issued their self-titled album in 2013, with 'The Dream Is Over' following …

1
Music and Orchestras 1:05:49

19d ago1:05:49

1:05:49

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 …

1
Episode 50: Jesse Coulter – Grenadiers 45:28

19d ago45:28

45:28

There’s no denying the fact that Adelaide is just one of those cities that can’t help itself but breed amazing bands. Sure, you can look at groups like The Angels, Cold Chisel, and more, but why not look at groups like Stolen Youth, The Rivalry, Sleeptalker, and Dick Wolf? They’re also amazing bands, and for the trainspotters amongst us, you might …

1
Life History Theory: Speed or Immortality? 1:03:45

26d ago1:03:45

1:03:45

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 …

1
Episode 49: Ella & Jesse Hooper – Killing Heidi 39:12

26d ago39:12

39:12

If you’re anything like me, the name Killing Heidi was one that was synonymous with the Australian music scene at the turn of the millennium. Formed in regional Victoria by siblings Ella and Jesse Hooper, Killing Heidi first rose to fame as part of triple j’s Unearthed series, with the track ‘Kettle’ featuring a newly-teenaged Ella on vocals. This …

1
Landcycling: Forests 1:04:57

1M ago1:04:57

1:04:57

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 fo…

1
Episode 48: Jesse F. Keeler – Death From Above 1979, MSTRKRFT 56:28

1M ago56:28

56:28

There was a period of time in the early ‘00s when one of the most exciting bands in the game was Canada’s own Death From Above. Well, that’s what they were called at first, but by the time they released their debut album ‘You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine,’ Sebastien Grainger and Jesse F. Keeler had lengthened their name to Death From Above 1979 due to…

1
Landcycling: Plains 1:05:15

1M ago1:05:15

1:05:15

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 c…

1
Episode 47: Damian Cowell – TISM, Damian Cowell's Disco Machine, The Arseless Chaps 2:00:04

1M ago2:00:04

2:00:04

When it comes to Damian Cowell, the only word that accurately sums up his career is ‘prolific.’ A staple of the Melbourne music scene for close to five decades now, Cowell has been involved in more bands than I’ve had hot dinners. On the prehistoric side of things, there’s bands such as Tall Stories and I Can Run, and then there’s a rather well-kno…

1
Vocal Learning III: Do We Control Speech? 38:42

2M ago38:42

38:42

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 abi…

1
Episode 46: Levi Cooper – Raccoon City 1:10:25

2M ago1:10:25

1:10:25

For about 15 years now, Adelaide has been home to a stellar outfit called Raccoon City. Though not exactly trailblazers of the screamo and post-hardcore genre in the city, for a while, they were arguably one of the most prominent, setting themselves apart as a leading figure within those circles at a time when the genre du jour was a breezy indie-r…

1
Landcycling: Mountains 1:04:09

2M ago1:04:09

1:04:09

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 whil…

1
Episode 45: Kingsley Hall – Benefits, The Chapman Family 1:38:19

2M ago1:38:19

1:38:19

If you don’t recognise the name Kingsley Hall, then I want you to stop what you’re doing right now and do a bit of musical research. For most, Kingsley’s name would be recognisable thanks to his role up the front of English outfit The Chapman Family, where he was better known as Kingsley Chapman. Though relatively unknown down here in Australia, th…

1
Landcycling: Swamps (and the Immune Response) 1:02:42

2M ago1:02:42

1:02:42

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 horrifyi…

1
Episode 44: Barry Adamson – Magazine, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 43:43

2M ago43:43

43:43

I’m going to hazard a guess that even if the name Barry Adamson isn’t one you recognise right off the bat, you’re definitely aware of his contributions to the world of music. At the age of 19, Barry found himself joining the nascent Magazine as his first band, with wayward Buzzcocks vocalist Howard Devoto recruiting him for the new band. An influen…

1
Landcycling: Islands 58:38

2M ago58:38

58:38

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast where we are exploring islands! Islands are one of the most fascinating things for scientists to study and unveil massive amounts of information about the world around us. By looking at island formation we understand continents. By look at animal and plant dispersal methods to islands we extrapolate t…

1
Episode 43: Matthew Hayward – Street Legal 57:24

2M ago57:24

57:24

If you’re on the cutting edge of music, then you would be aware that there is a band hailing from unceded Kaurna Country (that is to say, the South Australian capital of Adelaide) that is one you definitely need to know. That band is Street Legal, a group whose sound might be rooted in the romanticism of ‘80s sonics and nostalgia, but heavily progr…

1
Invisible Forces: Part 2 (Tidal Forces, Heat, and the Casimere Effect) 1:03:23

2M ago1:03:23

1:03:23

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast! Today, we dive into the invisible forces that shape our world. Tom kicks things off by exploring the surprisingly misunderstood emu—are these birds really as dumb as they seem? Mitch takes us on a journey through the oceans and the cosmos to unravel the mysteries of tidal forces. What causes tides, a…

1
Episode 42: Anika Ostendorf – Hachiku 58:20

2M ago58:20

58:20

If you’re anything like me, then the chances are good you’ve been spending the past few years eagerly awaiting a full-length return from Hachiku. Started as the musical project of Anika Ostendorf just under a decade ago, Hachiku rose to fame as part of the beloved Milk! Records stable, with a handful of releases preceding the arrival of her debut a…

1
Vocal Learning II: Who's Better? 37:35

3M ago37:35

37:35

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast where Tom is a lone rambling madman taking you through one of his favourite science topics: Vocal Learning. Where does language come from? Why do different places have different dialects or accents? How can we learn where language has come from through the comparative assessment of behaviour with othe…

1
Episode 41: Kristin Hersh – Throwing Muses, 50 Foot Wave 57:45

3M ago57:45

57:45

If you’ve not yet heard of Kristin Hersh, well, I envy you because she has a rather storied career ready for you to dive into. Having first formed Throwing Muses alongside her stepsister Tanya Donelly in the early ‘80s, the group swiftly became an impressive musical force, with records arriving via the influential 4AD label. In 1991, Donelly left t…

1
Invisible Forces: Part 1 59:32

3M ago59:32

59:32

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast where today we looking into the invisible forces that hold together our very existence. From gravity to magnetism, the universe is ruled by invisible forces we can’t see but feel every day. This week, Mitch breaks down the four fundamental forces of nature, exploring how they hold everything together—…

1
Episode 40: Beth Seymour – Beth Seymour & The Lizzies, Hormones, La Famiglia 1:44:07

3M ago1:44:07

1:44:07

If you’re a music fan from Melbourne, the chances are pretty good you’ve heard of Beth Seymour. By her own admission, it’s a name you might not be quite familiar with just yet. After all, as she says; new name, new her, new era. But for years, Beth has been a vital part of the Melbourne music scene, with an irresistible combination of earnest lyric…

1
Microplastics 59:46

3M ago59:46

59:46

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast where today we are exploring Microplastics! Microplastics are everywhere—in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. But what happens when they make their way inside our bodies? In this episode, we explore how microplastics enter the human system, where they accumulate, and what th…

1
Episode 39: Jimmy Christmas – The D4, Luger Boa, Jet Generations 56:45

3M ago56:45

56:45

If you’ve ever thought, “There just aren’t enough rock and roll bands out there who make me want to release my pent-up energy,” then you need to set your sights towards New Zealand and check out The D4. Around the turn of the century, The D4 were one of the more prominent rock outfits emerging from New Zealand, with debut album ‘6Twenty’ arriving a…

1
Can "Nothing" Exist? 1:05:24

3M ago1:05:24

1:05:24

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast where today we are exploring Nothing! No, really… can nothing even exist? Tom takes a look at the philosophical underpinnings of exploring nothingness and the journey some of the most famous minds in history have taken in understanding it. Mitch then takes us into a vacuum to see if these are really p…

1
Episode 38: Ben Stewart – Slowly Slowly 56:16

3M ago56:16

56:16

There’s a lot of bands out there who manage to craft music that is as emotional as it is poignant, but I feel there are few who get quite the same reaction to their work that Melbourne’s Slowly Slowly does. If you’ve been listening to Australian music over the last decade, then I’m pretty sure you would’ve heard them at some point. First formed in …

1
Why Are Plants so Strange? 1:05:17

4M ago1:05:17

1:05:17

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast where this week we taking a look at plants. It may seem crazy to ask, but what are plants and why are they so different to animals or fungi? Well, if you are curious then find out here! Tom looks at some crazy plant behaviours and then explains how plants will communicate to each other. Mitch on the o…

1
Cognitive Biases: TikTok bans and Bias in Science 1:03:41

4M ago1:03:41

1:03:41

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast where this week are diving into the world of cognitive biases! Where do they come from and how does it impact our day to day lives? Mitch looks at the current TikTok banning as a springboard to assess the reactance bias, why are we reluctant to do things that we are told to do? He then dives into cogn…

1
Habits, Rules, and Resolutions 1:03:31

4M ago1:03:31

1:03:31

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast for our first show of the year where we will be looking at habits and resolutions! The boys explore the difference between habits and routines and the habit loop so you can understand how to best form new behaviours! Tom explores the brain and neuroscience behind habit formation while Mitch enlightens…

1
The Festive Episode 1:07:07

5M ago1:07:07

1:07:07

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast for our final show of the year. Join the boys as they take a festive approach to science exploring the past year and rambling all the way. Mitch explores where Christmas as a holiday originated along with its various traditions such as gift giving and lights in our trees. Tom looks at the neuroscience…

1
Vocal Learning: The Origin of Language 35:55

5M ago35:55

35:55

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast where Tom is a lone rambling madman taking you through one of his favourite science topics: Vocal Learning. Where does language come from? Why do different places have different dialects or accents? How can we learn where language has come from through the comparative assessment of behaviour with othe…

1
Australia 1:04:42

5M ago1:04:42

1:04:42

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast where we’re exploring the incredible: Australia! We’ve been away for a little while so we’re a bit rusty and tangents are abound in this episode (so be warned). But why does Australia host such a diverse range of species? Why do some of those species hop as their main form of locomotion and have their…

1
Episode 37: James Curd – Modern Living, Greenskeepers 49:28

5M ago49:28

49:28

By his own admission, James Curd isn’t exactly a household name. However, the chances are pretty good that you’ve been exposed to his work at some point over the years. Having launched his musical career back in Chicago in the ‘90s, James rose to fame as part of the group Greenskeepers, which managed to find a bit of widespread fame thanks to songs…

1
Episode 36: Tim Steward – Screamfeeder 47:17

6M ago47:17

47:17

When it comes to the ‘Australian alternative rock scene’, it’s pretty hard to look past the likes of Screamfeeder. After all, they’ve been around for over 30 years now, and whenever anyone imagines an Australian alternative band, it’s a band like Screamfeeder they’re thinking of. Loud, melodic, critically-acclaimed, and commercially-overlooked, Scr…

1
Episode 35: Andrew Cox – The Fauves 37:41

6M ago37:41

37:41

If you were to ask me my opinion on the greatest Australian bands of all time, The Fauves would be found pretty close to the pointy end of things. I’m sure I’m not alone in that assertion either, after all, they’ve been around for 36 years now, constantly and consistently performing as one of the country’s most underrated and underappreciated group…

1
Mitchell's Solo Dive: Unravelling the Internet's Past, Present, and Future 31:16

6M ago31:16

31:16

This week on the Information Entropy Podcast, Mitchell takes the mic solo to explore the vast world of the Internet. He dives into its fascinating origins with ARPANET, traces its evolution through the rise of the World Wide Web, and examines the modern landscape shaped by social media and the Internet of Things (IoT). It’s a journey through the te…

1
Episode 34: Andy Bull 1:05:13

6M ago1:05:13

1:05:13

I don’t know about you, but when I try to describe Andy Bull, I have a hard time. After all, to simply call him a musician feels like it’s not going far enough. Sure, he’s released a handful of EPs and albums over the years (including 2014’s ‘Sea Of Approval’) and he’s shared plenty of wonderful songs, such as 'Dog' (with Lisa Mitchell), 'Baby I Am…

1
Food Preservation 1:06:27

6M ago1:06:27

1:06:27

In this episode, we're diving into the science of food preservation. Ever wondered how we’ve gone from food spoiling in days to some items lasting years? We’ll explore the evolution of preservation techniques, from ancient methods like salting and fermentation to the modern-day chemistry of preservatives and refrigeration. Join us as we break down …

1
Episode 33: Jamie Hutchings – Bluebottle Kiss, Infinity Broke 1:05:52

6M ago1:05:52

1:05:52

For lovers of Australian music, the name Jamie Hutchings would be a familiar one. Most notably, he’s known as the frontman of Sydney rock outfit Bluebottle Kiss, who lasted for 14 years and issued a raft of amazing records before their split in 2007. They’ve been called “Arguably Australia's most idiosyncratic guitar band,” and their music is argua…

1
Fear! Halloween Special 1:02:10

6M ago1:02:10

1:02:10

On this Halloween episode, we're diving into the science of fear. From the alarms set off in our brains to the psychological forces that drive our survival instincts, we’re unpacking what fear really is and why it shapes us so deeply. We’ll trace fear's roots back to our earliest ancestors, explore how it lingers in our memories, and examine why so…

1
Episode 32: Mac McCaughan – Superchunk, Portastatic, Merge Records 35:08

6M ago35:08

35:08

If you’re someone with a fondness for indie music, then the chances are good that your life has been touched in some way by Mac McCaughan. On one hand, he’s known as the vocalist for the likes of North Carolina band Superchunk, whose very output feels like the blueprint for any aspiring indie rock band of the ‘90s. Then, he’s been the head of group…

1
Disease Evolution 1:07:51

7M ago1:07:51

1:07:51

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast, where today Tom and Mitch are exploring how diseases evolve and their impact on humanity! So, what even is a disease anyway and how do they act on the human (or other) system? What types of diseases are there and how are they classified? How have past diseases impacted human evolution and what remnan…

1
Episode 31: Dave McCormack – Custard, The Titanics, The Polaroids 54:55

7M ago54:55

54:55

I think it’s fair to say that my music taste would not be what it is without Dave McCormack. Hailing from Brisbane, McCormack is the prolific musician best known as the frontman for beloved alt-rock outfit Custaro… uh, Custard. Together, the group are best known for classic tracks like 'Apartment', 'Girls Like That (Don't Go For Guys Like Us)', and…

1
Episode 30: Chit Chat Von Loopin Stab/Glenn Dormand – Machine Gun Fellatio 48:01

7M ago48:01

48:01

If you found yourself listening to the so-called ‘alternative music’ coming out of Australia across the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, then you very well might have listened to Machine Gun Fellatio. As their name might indicate, controversy was a bit of a staple for the group throughout their career, but another thing that was a constant was the quality…

1
The Secrets of Space II 1:05:30

7M ago1:05:30

1:05:30

Welcome back to the Information Entropy Podcast, where today Tom and Mitch finish their exploration of space and the secrets that it holds within. What is dark energy and is this something that we can observe or measure? Mitch has the answers! Tom instead takes us down the path of the dark worlds in our solar system, exploring the largest bodies in…

1
Episode 29: ILUKA 36:20

7M ago36:20

36:20

If you’ve been listening to music over the last decade, then the name ILUKA might be one you’ve come across. After all, when you give even a cursory listen to her music, it’s easy to see why her profile has been rising so rapidly in recent years. Born in Australia but now based in America, ILUKA grew up playing music, with this love being fostered …

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