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Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea

Science

Jonathan responds to your texts and tweets, is joined in studio for all the latest science stories for Newsround and speaks to one of our two guests featured on the show. CONVERSATION THAT COUNTS | Ireland’s national independent talk station for news, sport, analysis and entertainment Listen to Newstalk at http://newstalk.com/listenlive | Download the GoLoud app now, the new home for Newstalk

Location:

Dublin, Ireland

Description:

Jonathan responds to your texts and tweets, is joined in studio for all the latest science stories for Newsround and speaks to one of our two guests featured on the show. CONVERSATION THAT COUNTS | Ireland’s national independent talk station for news, sport, analysis and entertainment Listen to Newstalk at http://newstalk.com/listenlive | Download the GoLoud app now, the new home for Newstalk

Language:

English

Contact:

Newstalk HQ Marconi House Digges Lane Dublin 2 1890 453106


Episodes
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Making Life with Artificial Biological Intelligence

2/15/2026
Guests: Dr Shelley Brady, Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics at DCU Dr Shane Bergin, physicist at University College Dublin Adrian Woolfson, author of ‘The Future of Species: Authoring Life by means of Artificial Biological Intelligence’

Duration:00:34:30

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Extra: Solar Maximum and the Northern lights explained

2/10/2026
Guest: Dr Alexandra Ruth Fogg, Postdoctoral Fellow in Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies

Duration:00:14:49

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What is Aphantasia? Why some brains can’t visualize

2/8/2026
Guests: Dr Lara Dungan, immunologist, and Dr Shane Bergin, physicist at University College Dublin Prof Adam Zeman, Honorary Fellow at the Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, at the University of Edinburgh

Duration:00:35:36

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Extra: What Is Childhood Dementia?

2/3/2026
Guest: Prof Matthew Campbell, Head of the Genetics Department and Chair of Neurovascular Genetics at Trinity College Dublin

Duration:00:11:40

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Building a womb lining in the lab

2/1/2026
Guests: Dr Susan Kelleher, School of Chemical Sciences at DCU Dr Shane Bergin, physicist at University College Dublin Dr Peter Rugg-Gunn, group leader at the Babraham Institute at the University of Cambridge

Duration:00:36:20

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Extra: Turning muscle signals into speech

1/27/2026
Guest: Professor Luigi Occhipinti, Research Professor of Smart Electronics, Biosystems and AI, at Cambridge University

Duration:00:14:23

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Why some wounds won’t heal

1/25/2026
Guests: Professor Kimberly Kline, Professor in Microbiology and Molecular Medicine at The University of Geneva and Visiting Scholar at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Dr Shelley Brady, DCU’s Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics Dr John Regan, Research Fellow in the Department of Theoretical Physics at Maynooth University

Duration:00:31:04

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Extra: What if stopping Alzheimer’s means targeting one gene?

1/20/2026
Guest: Dr Dylan Williams, Principal Research Fellow in Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology at UCL

Duration:00:13:51

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Tackling Space Debris

1/18/2026
Guests: Dr Penelope Wozniakiewicz, Senior Lecturer in Space Science at the University of Kent Dr Shane Bergin Dr John Regan

Duration:00:31:42

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Extra: What exactly is DNA?

1/13/2026
Guest: Dr Kevin Mitchell, Associate Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin

Duration:00:13:29

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How blood vessels boost lab-grown mini-brains

1/11/2026
Guests: Dr Mihai Lomora, Scientist with CÚRAM, the Research Ireland Centre for Medical Devices based at the University of Galway Dr Jessamyn Fairfield from the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Galway Dr Fergus McAuliffe, Head of Research Engagement and Impact at Trinity College Dublin

Duration:00:31:51

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Extra: Earth’s Early Wildfires

1/6/2026
Guest: Dr Clayton Magill, Associate Professor of Biogeochemistry at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland

Duration:00:12:11

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Sustaining human life on the Moon and Mars

1/4/2026
Guest: Professor Matthew Gilliham, Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space, at the University of Adelaide

Duration:00:15:06

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The Surprising Flaws of Evolution

1/4/2026
Dr Andy Dobson, author of ‘Flaws of Nature: The Limits and Liabilities of Natural Selection’

Duration:00:21:45

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Extra: CAR T-Cell Therapy (Best of)

12/30/2025
Guests: Dr Larry Bacon, Consultant Haematologist from St James’s Hospital Dr Nicola Gardiner, Chief Medical Scientist at the Cryobiology Laboratory Stem Cell Facility at St James’s

Duration:00:19:40

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Best of Futureproof: Creating Dark Matter, Curing Addiction

12/28/2025
Guests: Dr John Regan, Maynooth University Yale Neuroscientist Vaughn Steele

Duration:00:33:34

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Extra: Obtaining Fingerprints from Ammunition (Best of)

12/23/2025
Guest: Dr Colm McKeever, Assistant Lecturer and Researcher in Analytical Chemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Biotechnology, at TUS

Duration:00:14:09

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Best of Futureproof: Mirror Life & The Science of Embalming

12/21/2025
Guests: Kate Adamala, Associate Professor of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development at the University of Minnesota Glyn Tallon, Founder of Tallon Mortuary Specialists in Navan

Duration:00:44:41

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Extra: Is butt breathing achievable?

12/16/2025
Guest: Prof John Laffey, Professor of Anaesthesia Intensive Care Medicine at the School of Medicine of the University of Galway and a Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine at Galway University Hospitals.

Duration:00:14:51

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The winter hibernation gene in animals

12/13/2025
Guests: Professor Tyler Stevenson, Head of Physiology, Ageing & Welfare at the University of Glasgow Dr Ruth Freeman of Research Ireland Dr Fergus McAuliffe, Head of Research Engagement and Impact at Trinity College Dublin

Duration:00:32:50