Skip to content
TrackPodcasts
scienceJun 4, 20251:15:17pending

Cryptology (SECRET CODES) with Simon Singh

About this episode

Secret ciphers. Hidden treasure. Enigma breakers. Mysterious manuscripts. And … hog Latin. Cryptology expert and author of “The Code Book,” Simon Singh finally lets me ask him about the small mistakes that lost huge battles, the prison plots of Mary Queen of Scots, a cryptology reality show that I wish existed, the legacy of Alan Turing, Indigenous code-talking war heroes, hiding messages in your skin and guts, the role of A.I. in future deciphering and the possibility of a quantum computing apocalypse. Also: one whole ball of wax that you do not want to get into. 

Visit Dr. Singh’s website and follow him on Bluesky and X

Browse Dr. Singh’s books including The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography, available on Bookshop.org and Amazon

A donation went to GiveWell

More episode sources and links

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Other episodes you may enjoy: Egyptology (ANCIENT EGYPT), Momiology (MUMMIFICATION), Curiology (EMOJI), Graphology (HANDWRITING/FORGERY), Anagnosology (READING), Oneirology (DREAMS), Salugenology (WHY HUMANS REQUIRE HOBBIES), Architectural Technology (COMPUTER PROGRAMMING), Neurotechnology (AI + BRAIN TECH), Artificial Intelligence Ethicology (WILL A.I. CRASH OUT?), Abstract Mathematology (UH, IS MATH REAL?)

Sponsors of Ologies

Transcripts and bleeped episodes

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month

OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!

Follow Ologies on Instagram and Bluesky

Follow Alie Ward on Instagram and TikTok

Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek 

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Get every episode summarized

Each time Ologies with Alie Ward publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.

Email me new episodes

Free for 3 shows. No card needed.

Hosts & guests

No transcript yet

This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.

Cryptology (SECRET CODES) with Simon Singh

Ologies with Alie Ward

0:00
1:15:17

More episodes

More from Ologies with Alie Ward

View all episodes →