Entropy Rising

Jacob and Lucas | Space Exploration & Speculative Fiction
  • 4.7 (13)
  • Physics
  • Updated Weekly

Entropy Rising is a science fiction podcast and futurism podcast that explores the real science behind the future of humanity. Hosted by Jacob Hyatt and Lucas, this sci-fi podcast breaks down topics like space exploration, Dyson swarms, interstellar travel, AI, and advanced civilizations using real engineering and physics. If you’re looking for a science fiction podcast that goes beyond stories and asks what’s actually possible, this show connects speculative ideas to real-world science. Each episode covers big questions like: Could we colonize Venus or Mars?What would a Dyson swarm actually look like?Are we alone in the universe?How would space warfare really work? Whether you’re into speculative fiction, engineering podcasts, or space exploration podcasts, Entropy Rising gives you grounded, no-BS explanations of the future. New episodes explore the intersection of science fiction, technology, and reality, built for listeners who want more than surface-level takes.

  1. 12h ago

    Have You Ever Considered That We May Not Need Planets at All?

    What if planets are actually one of the least efficient places for an advanced civilization to live? In this episode of Entropy Rising, we explore why humanity may eventually move away from planets and build massive space habitats instead. We compare terraforming Mars or Venus with constructing O’Neill cylinders and other artificial habitats, and look at how a mature space economy could use asteroids, Mercury, and other planetary resources to create vastly more living space than planets provide. We also dig into what life inside these habitats could actually look like: customized environments, farms, cities, nature preserves, and entire communities designed from the ground up. Rather than cramped space stations, future habitats could hold anywhere from thousands to millions of people and eventually scale into much larger structures like McKendree cylinders, Bishop rings, and Topopolises. The biggest advantage may be scale. A planet uses most of its mass simply to produce gravity, while that same material could potentially be converted into an enormous number of rotating habitats and far more usable living area. That raises a strange possibility: instead of terraforming planets, future civilizations may harvest them for raw materials and build millions of artificial worlds in space.  And once civilization already lives in self-sufficient habitats, interstellar expansion starts to look very different. A habitat can remain a home whether it is orbiting the Sun or spending centuries traveling to another star, making generation ships and distributed interstellar civilizations far more practical. Would you rather live on a planet or inside a massive space habitat? Support the show Website: https://www.entropy-rising.com/

    Have You Ever Considered That We May Not Need Planets at All?

  2. Sep 28

    Wormholes: What Physics Says and Sci-Fi Imagine

    Wormholes are one of the most fascinating ideas in theoretical physics, but how much of what we see in science fiction is actually possible? Support us on Pateron :https://www.patreon.com/c/EntropyRising In this episode of Entropy Rising, we take a deep dive into wormholes, from Einstein-Rosen bridges and general relativity to the biggest problems with keeping a wormhole open. We explore what physicists actually say about traversable wormholes, exotic matter, stability, and whether these shortcuts through spacetime could ever exist in the real universe. Then we push beyond the known physics and ask the fun question: if stable wormholes did exist, what could we actually do with them? Interstellar travel, instant transportation, communication across enormous distances, and some of the stranger consequences that science fiction loves to explore. From real physics to hard science fiction, this is a full discussion of what wormholes are, why they are so difficult, and what they could mean for the future of space travel. Support the show Website: https://www.entropy-rising.com/

    Wormholes: What Physics Says and Sci-Fi Imagine

  3. Sep 21

    The Future of Surveillance: How Far Will AI Go?

    AI is making mass surveillance cheaper, faster, and far more powerful, but how far could it actually go? In this episode of Entropy Rising, we explore the future of surveillance technology and what it could mean for privacy. We discuss AI-powered cameras, facial recognition, surveillance capitalism, targeted advertising, predictive policing, AI judges, smart cars, and the growing amount of personal data collected by governments and corporations. We also look further into the future. What happens when surveillance moves beyond smartphones and cameras and into neural implants, augmented reality, and other technology embedded directly into our bodies? Could avoiding surveillance eventually mean disconnecting from society entirely? There are real benefits to some of these technologies, from solving crimes to finding missing people and improving emergency response. But as AI becomes better at processing enormous amounts of data, the question becomes less about whether surveillance is possible and more about how much privacy we are willing to give up for convenience and security. Support the show Website: https://www.entropy-rising.com/

    The Future of Surveillance: How Far Will AI Go?

  4. Sep 14

    If We Have Spaceships, We’ll Have Space Pirates

    Space piracy sounds like something straight out of science fiction, but if humanity builds a large economy beyond Earth, crime will almost certainly follow it. Ships will be carrying fuel, equipment, raw materials, valuable technology, and potentially enormous amounts of cargo between planets, moons, stations, and mining operations. So what would piracy actually look like when there are no oceans, no hidden coves, and every maneuver is governed by orbital mechanics? In this episode, we explore how space pirates could realistically operate, what they might target, and whether hijacking a spacecraft would even make economic sense. We look at how pirates might intercept cargo ships, raid isolated stations, steal propellant or valuable materials, sabotage infrastructure, smuggle goods, or hold ships and crews for ransom. We also get into the practical problems pirates would face. Spacecraft are difficult to approach unnoticed, changing orbits requires large amounts of energy, and there may be very few places to hide. A pirate ship would need fuel, maintenance, supplies, safe ports, and some way to sell whatever it steals without immediately revealing where it came from. Then there is the question of law and enforcement. Who has jurisdiction when a crime happens millions of kilometers from Earth? Would governments create space navies or coast guards? Would corporations hire private security? And could piracy become a serious problem along heavily traveled routes between Earth, the Moon, Mars, asteroid mines, and future space settlements? From orbital mechanics and spacecraft design to economics, smuggling, law enforcement, and the realities of living in space, we break down what space piracy could actually look like—and whether the pirates of the future would resemble the ones we see in science fiction at all. Support the show Website: https://www.entropy-rising.com/

    If We Have Spaceships, We’ll Have Space Pirates

  5. Sep 7

    First Contact With Aliens Happens Tomorrow. What Do We Do?

    What would actually happen if humanity made first contact with intelligent alien life, and would discovering an advanced extraterrestrial civilization unite us, divide us, or completely change our future? Support Entropy Rising on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/EntropyRising In this episode, Jacob and Lucas explore several very different first contact scenarios, starting with what may be the most realistic: detecting a technological civilization 50 or 100 light-years away. Even if communication took centuries, simply knowing another advanced civilization exists could completely reshape science, religion, politics, and humanity’s plans for the future. But things get much stranger if the aliens come to us. What if a generation ship entered our solar system? What if an alien civilization had faster-than-light travel? Would their arrival unite humanity, trigger a new space race, create new religions, or cause global panic? We also discuss Dyson swarms, the Fermi Paradox, the Dark Forest hypothesis, alien motivations, first contact in science fiction, and the unsettling possibility that an alien intelligence might not consider humanity important enough to communicate with at all. First contact might be the greatest discovery in human history. The bigger question is whether humanity would be ready for it. Support the show Website: https://www.entropy-rising.com/

    First Contact With Aliens Happens Tomorrow. What Do We Do?

  6. Aug 31

    Could Simulation Theory Solve the Fermi Paradox?

    Simulation theory, the Fermi paradox, the Zoo Hypothesis, alien civilizations, digital consciousness, and Matrioshka brains all raise one strange possibility: what if advanced civilizations stop exploring space and choose simulated realities instead? Support us on Pateron: https://www.patreon.com/c/EntropyRising In this episode of Entropy Rising, we explore whether simulation theory could offer an explanation for the Fermi paradox and why we still haven’t found evidence of advanced extraterrestrial civilizations. Could humanity itself be living inside a simulation? Could an advanced alien civilization place developing species inside simulated worlds as a kind of digital Zoo Hypothesis? Or could the answer be even simpler: once civilizations become advanced enough, maybe building enormous virtual worlds is easier and more appealing than physically colonizing the galaxy. We also discuss ancestor simulations, uploading consciousness, Matrioshka brains, the limits of computation, whether quantum mechanics tells us anything about simulated reality, and why proving that we live in a simulation might be fundamentally impossible. If the creators control every part of our reality, they could theoretically prevent us from ever discovering the truth. Could simulation technology explain the Great Silence? Are advanced civilizations hiding from us—or have they simply stopped caring about the physical universe? Support the show Website: https://www.entropy-rising.com/

    Could Simulation Theory Solve the Fermi Paradox?

  7. Aug 24

    Changing Humans Might Be Easier Than Terraforming Mars

    Could genetically engineered humans be the key to colonizing Mars and exploring deep space? In this episode of Entropy Rising, we explore genetic engineering, transhumanism, human augmentation, Mars colonization, and the future of space travel to ask a strange question: instead of terraforming other planets, could we redesign humans to survive them? Humans evolved for one very specific environment: Earth. Space exposes us to radiation, low gravity, extreme temperatures, toxic dust, and environments where we simply cannot breathe. But future advances in biotechnology and cybernetics could potentially change that. Support the show Website: https://www.entropy-rising.com/

    Changing Humans Might Be Easier Than Terraforming Mars

  8. Aug 17

    Orbital Rings Are More Realistic Than You Think

    Orbital rings might be one of the most practical megastructures humanity could eventually build. They could provide cheap access to orbit, move massive amounts of material between Earth and space, and avoid many of the problems that come with space elevators. In this episode of Entropy Rising, we break down how orbital rings actually work, why they don’t require impossible materials, and how an actively supported ring around a planet could become the backbone of a future spacefaring civilization. We also explore how orbital rings could use elevators and magnetic launch systems to move people and cargo into orbit, how multiple rings could form a planetary transportation network, and why the same concept could work around Earth, Mars, the Moon, Venus, or even asteroids. Could orbital rings eventually turn planets into massive spaceports—and make rocket launches from the surface largely unnecessary? Listen as we explore the physics, engineering, and future possibilities of one of the most underrated megastructures in science and futurism. Support the show Website: https://www.entropy-rising.com/

    Orbital Rings Are More Realistic Than You Think
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Trailer

4.7
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Entropy Rising is a science fiction podcast and futurism podcast that explores the real science behind the future of humanity. Hosted by Jacob Hyatt and Lucas, this sci-fi podcast breaks down topics like space exploration, Dyson swarms, interstellar travel, AI, and advanced civilizations using real engineering and physics. If you’re looking for a science fiction podcast that goes beyond stories and asks what’s actually possible, this show connects speculative ideas to real-world science. Each episode covers big questions like: Could we colonize Venus or Mars?What would a Dyson swarm actually look like?Are we alone in the universe?How would space warfare really work? Whether you’re into speculative fiction, engineering podcasts, or space exploration podcasts, Entropy Rising gives you grounded, no-BS explanations of the future. New episodes explore the intersection of science fiction, technology, and reality, built for listeners who want more than surface-level takes.

Information

  • Creator
    Jacob and Lucas | Space Exploration & Speculative Fiction
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    62
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Entropy Rising
  • Show Website
    Entropy Rising

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