Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Could a "demon" break one of the most fundamental laws of physics? Maxwell's demon has puzzled physicists for more than 150 years. What began as a thought experiment about heat and entropy is now part of our understanding of information, computation and the laws of thermodynamics.
Physicist John Goold explains the paradox and what the demon reveals about the relationship between entropy, measurement and the quantum world.
0:00 The Paradox of Maxwell's Demon
0:38 Thermodynamics as the Village Witch
4:23 Defining Entropy Through Possibilities
8:52 Leo Szilard and the Intelligent Demon
13:54 Quantum Mechanics Born from Thermodynamics
27:04 The Mpemba Effect and Thermal Shortcuts
31:34 Information Geometry and State Stability
Learn more ➤ youtube.com/watch?v=0D8f3uDkgh0
❤️ Love New Scientist? For a specially discounted New Scientist digital subscription, go to bit.ly/3OFhwvL
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MORE FROM NEW SCIENTIST
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🌐 Website: newscientist.com
📸 Instagram: bit.ly/NSYTINSTA
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🐦 Twitter: bit.ly/NSYTTW
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About New Scientist:
New Scientist was founded in 1956 for “all those interested in scientific discovery and its social consequences”. Today our website, videos, newsletters, app, podcast and print magazine cover the world’s most important, exciting and entertaining science news as well as asking the big-picture questions about life, the universe, and what it means to be human.
New Scientist
newscientist.com
Could a "demon" break one of the most fundamental laws of physics? Maxwell's demon has puzzled physicists for more than 150 years. What began as a thought experiment about heat and entropy is now part of our understanding of information, computation and the laws of thermodynamics.
Physicist John Goold explains the paradox and what the demon reveals about the relationship between entropy, measurement and the quantum world.
0:00 The Paradox of Maxwell's Demon
0:38 Thermodynamics as the Village Witch
4:23 Defining Entropy Through Possibilities
8:52 Leo Szilard and the Intelligent Demon
13:54 Quantum Mechanics Born from Thermodynamics
27:04 The Mpemba Effect and Thermal Shortcuts
31:34 Information Geometry and State Stability
Learn more ➤ youtube.com/watch?v=0D8f3uDkgh0
❤️ Love New Scientist? For a specially discounted New Scientist digital subscription, go to bit.ly/3OFhwvL
⭐️ We have a podcast, too: Subscribe to @TheWorldTheUniverseAndUs
🛍️ Check out our shop for the smartest gifts - shop.newscientist.com
MORE FROM NEW SCIENTIST
─────────────────────────────
🌐 Website: newscientist.com
📸 Instagram: bit.ly/NSYTINSTA
📘 Facebook: bit.ly/NSYTFB
🐦 Twitter: bit.ly/NSYTTW
📈 LinkedIn: bit.ly/NSYTLIN
About New Scientist:
New Scientist was founded in 1956 for “all those interested in scientific discovery and its social consequences”. Today our website, videos, newsletters, app, podcast and print magazine cover the world’s most important, exciting and entertaining science news as well as asking the big-picture questions about life, the universe, and what it means to be human.
New Scientist
newscientist.com
