Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea

Joining Jonathan on Futureprooof this week was Kory Kiepert - Engineer & Partner at The Gravity Group. Kory is a rollercoaster engineer who designs rollercoasters. Kory in fact, got married on a rollercoaster. So what does Kory actually do as a rollercoaster engineer? He will do some of the structural engineering and the mechanical engineering for the ride. Usually an amusement park will come to him and show him the plot of land they have chosen for the ride, what the budget is, what kind of ride it will be? He incorporates some of the features of the land or to have the ride interact with other rides or buildings in the park. The process is driven by much the same codes that are in place for the design of any building. His job is to give you the illusion that it’s daring and adventurous but at the same time it’s very controlled. That’s at the heart of what he does. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App. You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

Evolution has a funny way of equipping creatures that are small in size with attributes that make them deadly to deal with - the poison frog, blue-ringed octopus, or some species of jellyfish for instance. But is this also true of scorpions? Is it really a case of "the bigger the better"? Well, that is exactly the question that Dr. Kevin Healy, Lecturer of Zoology at NUI Galway wanted to answer. He joined Jonathan to discuss. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App. You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

Since the first draft of a human genome sequence was completed in 2000, genomics research has led to huge strides in the understanding of our biology, but it wasn't complete. Well, in 2019, an international team of scientists set out to rectify that - earlier this month unveiling the first-ever gap-free sequence of a human genome. So how did they do it and what does this mean for the likes of genetic diseases, human diversity, and evolution? Karen Miga, Assistant Professor of Biomolecular Engineering at UC Santa Cruz and an Associate Director of the UCSC Genomics Institute joined Jonathan to discuss. Dr. Shane Bergin & Dr. Lara Dungan also joined Jonathan to run through the week's science news in Newsround. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App. You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

We can learn a lot about the animals of the past by studying the fossils we find in the ground but there’s something else that pre-historic creatures leave behind too - their burrows. To discuss what we can learn from these ‘paleoburrows’, Jonathan was joined by Renata Netto, professor at the Geology Graduate Program, Unisinos University in Brazil. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App. You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

Earlier this month the Dunedin Study into health and behaviour marked its 50th birthday. In 1972, a researcher in the city set out to track the development of more than 1,000 newborn babies up to the age of three. Little did Phil Silva realise that over the next 50 years, his research would morph into one of the world’s most important longitudinal studies - the subsequent work yielding more than 1,300 peer-reviewed research papers, reports, and books. Terrie E. Moffitt, Ph.D. Nannerl O. Keohane University Professor of Psychology at Duke University, and Associate Director of the Dunedin Study joined Jonathan to discuss. Dr. Shane Bergin & Dr. Lara Dungan also joined Jonathan to run through the week's science news in Newsround. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App. You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

Gravity is everywhere. We and every other thing in the cosmos experience its force at all times no matter how small, no matter how oblivious you might be to its presence - it's there. But for something that causes the falling of a leaf in autumn as well as the collision of supermassive black holes in interstellar space - there’s a whole lot we don’t know about it too. Claudia de Rham, Professor of Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London joined Jonathan to run through everything we don’t know about gravity. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App. You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

We have a funny relationship with alcohol. Many of us enjoy how it can make us more outgoing or ready to laugh but for others, it can be a source of significant, long-term problems. So could a synthetic alcohol - which provides the relaxing and socially lubricating qualities of alcohol without the hangovers - be a solution? Professor David Nutt, Edmond J. Safra Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, and the man behind Alcarelle, joined Jonathan to discuss. Dr. Shane Bergin & Dr. Lara Dungan also joined Jonathan to run through the week's science news in Newsround. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App. You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

Futureproof Extra: The Joy of Science with Jim Al-Khalili

Designing a Vaccine for Covid-19

For millenia the people’s and states of western Europe were at war with each other. They fought the 9 years war, the 100 years war, the Napoleonic wars, two world wars, and way too many others to mention. These people hated each other. It was a cauldron of “us versus them” But today with the rise of the EU and an extended period of peace in the region many of “them” have become “us”. So what caused those centuries of hate, where has it gone, and is it possible to eliminate hate altogether? Matthew Williams, Professor of Criminology in the School of Social Sciences, Director of HateLab and the Social Data Science Lab at Cardiff University, and author of 'The Science of Hate: How Prejudice Becomes Hate And What We Can Do To Stop It' joined Jonathan to discuss. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App. You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

For many people, the single greatest human achievement of the 20th century happened on July 20th, 1969 when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon, and a large proportion of those people probably hope for a similar spectacle on Mars in the coming decades. But aside from it being cool, is there actually any reason to send humans to these far-flung places? Britain's Astronomer Royal, Martin Rees, and Astrophysicist & Science Writer Donald Goldsmith consider this very question in their new book 'The End of Astronauts: Why Robots are the Future of Exploration'. They joined Jonathan to discuss. Also joining Jonathan to run through the week's top science stories are Dr. Lara Dungan and Dr. Jessamyn Fairfield. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App. You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

One of the things we here at Futureproof talk a lot about is the genome, the complete IKEA instructions to building you that exists in nearly every one of your living cells. As research and genetic technologies improve, the potential for medicine and society is huge, but there are also potential dangers too. It’s why the 'Irish Platform for Patient Organisations, Science & Industry' (IPPOSI) is looking for people to apply to join the Citizens’ Jury on Genomics to discuss all of the implications. To discuss, Jonathan was joined by Gianpiero Cavalleri, Professor of Human Genetics at RCSI & Deputy Director of the SFI FutureNeuro Research Centre. If you think you'd be interested in taking part you can apply at www.ipposi.ie before March 23rd. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App. You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

When you think of motorsport, your mind might think of the speed, the danger, or the excitement. But it might surprise you to find that it is the motorsport industry, and its various R&D Departments, that have contributed to a wide range of applications - from climate change solutions to help in the fight against Covid. Dr. Kit Chapman, an award-winning science journalist and author of ‘Racing Green: How Motorsport Science Can Save The World’ - joined Jonathan to discuss. Dr. Susan Kelleher & Dr. Jessamyn Fairfield also joined Jonathan to run through the top stories from the week in science for Newsround. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App. You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

Futureproof Extra: The Expectation Effect

Can Animals Detect Natural Disasters?

Futureproof Extra: Measuring Intelligence

NeoMimix: The New Sperm Selection Technology

The Winchcombe Lockdown Meteorite

How to Solve a Crime with Science with Dr. Angela Gallop

Futureproof Extra: Hybrid Humans

Unraveling the Mysteries of our Ancient Dead

What Sleep Can Teach Us About Epilepsy?

Can Geoengineering Help in the Fight Against Climate Change?

Now, while we may not be aware of it, each and every one of us is a slave to an unseen and unknowable master. It rules the sun and the earth, roving the cosmos with indifference - presiding over the birth and death of stars and galaxies and every living thing.It is Time. And, consequently, we have a long-standing obsession with measuring it. But just how far back does that obsession go? Chad Orzel, Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Union College in Schenectady, NY, and author of ‘A Brief History of Timekeeping – The Science of Marking Time, from Stonehenge to Atomic Clocks’ joined Jonathan to discuss. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App. You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

When we eat it may not occur to us how important chewing is. Food impaction is when a morsel of food is blocking the oesophagus or needs to be taken out because it hasn't been broken down correctly via chewing. Jonathan speaks with a gastroenterologist about why chewing is both necessary and important. Gastroenterologists are doctors who are trained to diagnose and treat problems in your gastrointestinal tract and liver. These doctors also do routine procedures such as colonoscopies, which look at the inside of your colon. They get 5-6 years of specialized education after medical school. Marianna Arvanitakis is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Gastroenterology, Erasmus University Hospital, Brussels and specialises in pancreatic disease, nutrition and endoscopy. Dr Shane Bergin of University College Dublin & Dr. Lara Dungan also joined Jonathan to go through the top science news stories from the week in Newsround. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App. You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease affecting the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). MS occurs when the immune system attacks nerve fibers and myelin sheathing (a fatty substance which surrounds/insulates healthy nerve fibers) in the brain and spinal cord. A new paper has been published that seems to have discovered the cause of Multiple Sclerosis. This paper could pave the way for a vaccine for MS Dr. Claire McCoy Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy & Biomolecular Sciences at RCSI joined Jonathan to discuss. Broadcaster and Science Communicator Philip Smyth & Dr. Lara Dungan also joined Jonathan to go through the top science news stories from the week in Newsround. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App. You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

Futureproof Extra: How Do We Navigate?

Where Are All The Irish Dinosaurs?

Futureproof Extra: A Natural History of the Future

What Life In Space Teaches Us About Life On Earth

Now, science is many things but at its core, it is fundamentally human - to strive to understand, to seek out; and to know. And while we strive to do this while adhering to strict codes of conduct & ethical boundaries. At least we do now anyway. But in the field of psychology In the middle of the 20th century however, all bets were off. Gina Perry, writer, science historian and author of ‘Behind the Shock Machine’ & ‘The Lost Boys’

Futureproof Extra: The Robbers Cave Experiment

he Story of Testosterone, the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us

Futureproof Extra: Reading Monkey Brains with AI

Why Do We Kiss?

Futureproof Extra: Resignation Syndrome & Other Mysterious Illnesses

FutureProof Gold: The Pentagon's Brain

How Military Funding Shapes What We Know About The Oceans

Michael Grothaus Novelist, Journalist and Author of ‘Trust No One: Inside the World of Deepfakes’ joined Jonathan McCrea to discuss his book and the scary reality of deepfakes currently. Grothaus examines cases that demonstrate the threats presented by morally dubious creators. From the personal to political, the impact of deep fakes is considered carefully by Grothaus, both on the victims and on society as a whole, creating an essential picture of a growing trend in disinformation. The image for this podcast is a Collage of hyperrealistic AI-generated human faces so the images you see are not real people. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App. You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

The Science of Sound with Dr. Nina Kraus

Can We Make Synthetic Blood?

On the program this week Jonathan chats to world-renowned Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson about his new book as well as all things cosmos related. This week for the Newsround Jonathan McCrea was joined by Dr Fergus McAuliffe and scientist Jessamyn Fairfield. They discussed a recent incident in which the US has condemned a Russian anti-satellite test this week which forced crew members on #ISS to scramble into their spacecraft for safety! Amongst other interesting stories in the News this week. Science Communicator extraordinaire Neil deGrasse Tyson joined Futureproof this week to discuss his new book ‘A Brief Welcome to the Universe: A Pocket-Sized Tour’ in which he makes the science of the universe accessible and easy to comprehend. The astrophysicist covers everything from the cosmos, to planets, stars, and galaxies to black holes and time loops! Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App. You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

Futureproof Extra: The Invisible Universe

Every time you get behind the wheel of the car you will have to deal with countless driving decisions that get you safely from A to B, and it could be argued that those decisions amount to what are essentially life-or-death considerations. But self-driving cars might soon have to make those kinds of judgements and settling on a universal moral code for the AI that drives them could be a problem. Jean-François Bonnefon, Research Director at the French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and author of ‘The Car That Knew Too Much’ joined Jonathan to discuss. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App. You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

In your news feed or the newspapers or on television, there is probably a recent story on the explosion of some kind of improvised explosive device (IED). For us here in Ireland, those occurrences are nowadays quite rare. However, there are many countries where explosives are a regular occurrence and every day there are men and women who put themselves in harms way in order to deactivate these devices. These are the bomb disposal experts who make a living from switching off devices designed to maim and kill. Many people will have the movie 'The Hurt Locker' in mind when thinking of Bomb Disposal Experts but it is a position that carries many risks and doesn't necessarily match with portrayals depicted in Hollywood movies. In this exclusive and rare interview Jonathan speaks to a bomb disposal expert from the Irish Defence Forces, where for operational reasons the identity of the bomb expert are kept anonymous. On Futureproof today, Jonathan speaks with a bomb disposal expert on what skills are required to diffuse a bomb. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App. You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

Futureproof Extra: Fighting Infectious Diseases

Life As We Made It with Beth Shapiro