Breaking Math Podcast

Autumn Phaneuf & Noah Giansiracusa•breakingmath.io

Breaking Math is a deep-dive science, technology, engineering, AI, and mathematics podcast that explores the world through the lens of logic, patterns, and critical thinking. Hosted by Autumn Phaneuf, an expert in industrial engineering, operations research, and applied mathematics, and Noah Giansiracusa, a mathematician and leading voice in algorithmic literacy and technology ethics, the show is dedicated to uncovering the mathematical structures behind science, technology, and the systems shaping our future.

What began as a conversation about math as a pure and elegant discipline has evolved into a platform for bold, interdisciplinary dialogue. Each episode of Breaking Math takes listeners on an intellectual journey—into the strange beauty of chaos theory, the ethical dilemmas of AI and algorithms, the hidden math of biology and evolution, or the physics governing black holes and the cosmos. Along the way, Autumn and Noah speak with working scientists, researchers, and thinkers across fields: computer scientists, physicists, chemists, engineers, economists, philosophers, and more.

But this isn’t just a podcast about equations. It’s a show about how mathematics shapes the way we think, decide, build, and understand the world. Breaking Math pushes back against the idea that STEM belongs behind a paywall or an academic podium. It’s for the curious, the critical, and the creative—for anyone who believes that ideas should be rigorous, accessible, and infused with wonder.

If you’ve ever wondered:

What’s the math behind machine learning and modern algorithms?
How do we quantify uncertainty in climate and economic models?
Can intelligence or consciousness be meaningfully described in AI?
Why does beauty matter in an equation?

You’re in the right place.

At its heart, Breaking Math is about building bridges—between disciplines, between experts and the public, and between abstract mathematics and the messy, magnificent reality we live in. With humor, clarity, and deep respect for complexity, Autumn and Noah invite you to rethink what math can be—and how it can help us shape a better future.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Website: https://breakingmath.io

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/breakingmathmedia

Email: breakingmathpodcast@gmail.com

Last refreshed: June 10th, 2026 at 10:35 PM

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Episodes

10: Cryptomath (Cryptography)

Language and communication is a huge part of what it means to be a person, and a large part of this importance is the ability to direct the flow of that information; this is a practice known as cryptography. There are as many ways to encrypt data as there are ways to use them, ranging from cryptoquips solvable by children in an afternoon to four kilobit RSA taking eons of time. So why are there so many forms of encryption? What can they be used for? And what are the differences in their methodol...

May 16, 2017•1 hr 17 min

9: Humanity 2.0 (Transhumanism)

Humanity, since its inception, has been nebulously defined. Every technological advancement has changed what it means to be a person, and every person has changed what it means to advance. In this same vein, there is a concept called “transhumanism”, which refers to what it will mean to be a person. This can range from everything from genetic engineering, to artificial intelligence, to technology which is beyond our current physical understanding. So what does it mean to be a person? And is tran...

May 02, 2017•52 min

Minisode 0.4: Comin' Up Next

Jonathan and Gabriel talk about the next four episodes coming down the pike, including Humanity 2.0, which debuts Tuesday, April 2nd 2017. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/breakingmathpodcast/support

May 01, 2017•16 min

Minisode 0.3: Lights, Camera, Action!

Jonathan and Gabriel discuss their recent news debut! You can find what they're talking about at news.unm.edu --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/breakingmathpodcast/support

Apr 20, 2017•20 min

8: Evolution and Engineering (Genetic Algorithms)

Computation is a nascent science, and as such, looks towards the other sciences for inspiration. Whether it be physics, as in simulated annealing, or, as now is popular, biology, as in neural networks, computer science has shown repeatedly that it can learn great things from other sciences. Genetic algorithms are one such method that is inspired, of course, by biological evolution. So what are genetic algorithms used for? What have they taught us about the natural process of evolution? And how c...

Apr 18, 2017•58 min

Minisode 0.2: What's Up, Bangalore?

Jonathan and Gabriel discuss everything Bangalore, evolutionary algorithmic, and more! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/breakingmathpodcast/support

Apr 10, 2017•29 min

7: QED? Prove it. (Proofs)

Proofs are sometimes seen as an exercise in tedium, other times as a pure form of beauty, and often as both. But from time immemorial, people have been using mathematics to demonstrate new theorems, and advance the state of the art of mathematics. However, it is only relatively recently, within the last 3,000 years, that the art of mathematical proof has been considered essential to the study of mathematics. Mathematicians constantly fight over what constitutes a proof, and even what makes a pro...

Apr 04, 2017•44 min

Minisode 0.1: Hypercubes and Other Stranger Things

We are proud to announce that we have recorded our very first minisode! In addition, we are introducing a new blog which can be found at www.breakingmathpodcast.com/blog.html --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/breakingmathpodcast/support...

Apr 01, 2017•25 min

6: Word (Linguistics)

Mathematics has a lot in common with language. Both have been used since the dawn of time to shape and define our world, both have sets of rules which one must master before bending, both are natural consequences of the way humans are raised, and both are as omnipresent as they are seemingly intangible. Language has thrived for almost, or as long as humans have possessed the ability to use it. But what can we say that language is? Is it a living breathing organism, a set of rigid ideals, somewhe...

Mar 21, 2017•50 min

5: Language of the Universe (Relationship Between Physics and Math)

1948. A flash, followed by an explosion. Made possible by months of mathematical computation, the splitting of the atom was hailed as a triumph of both science and mathematics. Mathematics is seen by many as a way of quantifying experiments. But is that always the case? There are cases where it seems as though mathematics itself has made predictions about the universe and vice versa. So how are these predictions made? And what can we learn about both physics and math by examining the way in whic...

Mar 07, 2017•48 min

4: Digital Evolution (Digital Computing)

We live in an era of unprecedented change, and the tip of the spear of this era of change is currently the digital revolution. In fact, in the last decade we’ve gone from an analog to a digitally dominated society, and the amount of information has recently been increasing exponentially. Or at least it seems like it’s recent; in fact, however, the digital revolution has been going on for hundreds of centuries. From numerals inscribed in“We live in an era of unprecedented change, and the tip of t...

Feb 21, 2017•53 min

3: TMI (Information Theory)

“ABABABABABABABAB”. How much information was that? You may say “sixteen letters worth”, but is that the true answer? You could describe what you just read as “AB 8 times”, and save a bunch of characters, and yet have the same information. But what is information in the context of mathematics? The answer is nothing short of miraculous; information theory has applications in telephony, human language, and even physics. So what is information theory, and what can we learn from it? --- Support this ...

Feb 07, 2017•49 min

2: Wreaking Chaos (Chaos Theory)

The void has always intrigued mankind; the concept of no concept defies the laws of human reasoning to such a degree that we have no choice but to pursue it. But ancient Assyrian, Norse, Judeo-Christian creation stories, and even our own scientific inquiries have one thing in common: creation from “nothingness”. But is it really nothingness? The ancients used the term “chaos”, and, although to some “chaos” has become synonymous with “bedlam” or “randomness”, it has much more to do with the timel...

Feb 07, 2017•52 min

1: Forbidden Formulas (Elitism in Math)

From Pythagoras to Einstein, from the banks of the Nile to the streamlined curves of the Large Hadron Collider, math has shown itself again and again to be fundamental to the way that humans interact with the world. Then why is math such a pain for so many people? Our answer is simple: math is, and always has been, in one way or another, guarded as an elite skill. We visit the worlds that were shaped by math, the secrets people died for, the false gods created through this noble science, and the...

Feb 07, 2017•59 min

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