Earwax, Echoes and Entropy

What can a lump of whale earwax tell us about human history?

What does the end of the universe sound like?

And how do you play the sea like a synthesiser?

This episode of Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces goes from marine mammal physiology to cosmological heat death, taking in hydrophones, cultural transmission in humpbacks, the physics of underwater sound, and an improvised trumpet elegy for the end of everything.

My guests are:

• Chris Lintott – astrophysicist, broadcaster, and co‑host of The Sky at Night. We open with a live extract from our Universe of Music show, performed at Gresham College — exploring what sound and music can tell us about the ultimate fate of the cosmos.
• Richard Sabin – whale expert and lead curator of mammals at the Natural History Museum, who shares sonic insights from the deep — including how 150 years of whale earwax is helping scientists track stress in marine life.

We also:

• Hear vintage 78 rpm whale recordings, played on a £60k system at Audio Gold
• Use filters to “play the sea” like a scale
• Drop a hydrophone into a water tank and see how sound behaves
• Discuss echolocation, underwater acoustic pollution, and whale “culture”
• Recreate underwater acoustic effects via processing and pitch shifting
• Reflect on what it means to really listen — to whales or the cosmos

Recorded live at the brilliant First Light Festival in a sweltering tent by the sea (thanks again to them for hosting us).

🧠 Bonus content

🎥 The full, uncut interview with Richard Sabin — including audience Q&A and extended hydrophone demos — is available on Patreon.

👯 Mentioned in this episode

• Sonic Collaborations – project by Colin Riley & team
• Audio Gold – London hi‑fi / vinyl emporium
• Natural History Museum
• First Light Festival
• Chris Lintott

💌 How to support the show

• Join the mailing list: www.originofthepieces.com
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