Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea

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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. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Johnathan 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'.

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    • Apr 19, 2026 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekdays NEW EPISODES
    • 27m AVG DURATION
    • 594 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea

    Will AI replace scientists?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2026 38:25


    Guests:Jeff Clune, CIFAR AI chair at the Victor Institute and Professor of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, CanadaJessamyn Fairfield from NUI GalwayMatthew Campbell from TCD

    Extra: Why can't we figure out static electricity?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2026 18:26


    Guest: Scott Waitukaitis, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria in Klosterneuburg

    The Dawn of Writing

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2026 34:36


    Guests:Genevieve Von Petzinger, Paleoanthropologist and Rock Art Researcher and Project Director of the LIAACAR Project (The Living, Intelligent Archive of Ancient Culture, Art and Relational Archeology)Dr. Ruth Freeman from Science Foundation IrelandShane Bergin, Physicist & Assistant Professor in Science Education at UCD

    Extra: Why Are We Going Back To The Moon? 

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2026 16:54


    Guest: Dallas Campbell, BBC Space Presenter and author of ‘Space Journal: The Art and Science of Cosmic Exploration'

    Building a Robotic Oesophagus

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2026 33:47


    Guests:Dr Eoin O'Cearbhaill, Associate Professor in Biomedical Engineering at University College DublinDr Shane Bergin, Physicist at UCDDr Lara Dungan, Immunologist and Medic

    Why should we avoid creating contrails?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2026 31:36


    Guests:Dr Jessie Smith, Research Associate in Sustainable Aviation at the Department of Engineering at the University of CambridgeDr Fergus McAuliffe, Head of Research Engagement and Impact at Trinity College DublinDr Shelley Brady, Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics at DCU

    Extra: Movies reconstructed from mouse brain activity

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2026 15:41


    Guest: Dr Joel Bauer, Research Fellow at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour at UCL

    What happens during a hallucination?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2026 36:44


    Guests:Dr Anna Georgiades, Lecturer in Early Intervention in Psychosis at King's College LondonDr Ruth FreemanDr John Regan

    Extra: The Origins of Our Musical Ability 

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2026 15:55


    Guest: Dr Ani Patel, Tufts University, Massachusetts

    How The Brain Can Recover Forgotten Memories

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2026 33:55


    Guests:Dr Benjamin J. Griffiths, University of NottinghamDr Ruth Freeman, Research IrelandDr Tara Shine, Environmental Scientist

    Extra: Why animals see the world at different speeds

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2026 13:25


    Guest: Dr Kevin Healy, Lecturer in Zoology at the University of Galway

    What you don't know about respiration

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2026 38:15


    Guests:New York Times bestselling author and Science Journalist James NestorDr Ruth FreemanDr Lara Dungan

    Extra: What influences your willingness to be helpful towards strangers?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2026 18:25


    Guest: Dr Todd Vogel, Research Fellow in Psychology at the University of Birmingham

    Clothes with health tracking technology

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2026 32:40


    Guests:Professor Steve Beeby, Chair in Emerging Technologies and Director of the Centre for Flexible Electronics and E-Textiles at the University of SouthamptonDr Tara Shine, Environemental ScientistProfessor Matthew Campbell, Head of Department at the Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin

    Extra: What drives the power of our tides and waves?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2026 14:11


    Guest: Prof Iris Möller, Coastal Geomorphologist and Chair of the Geography Department at Trinity College Dublin

    Predicting Scorpion Strikes

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2026 35:53


    Guests:Dr Michel Dugon, Assistant Professor in Zoology and Principal Investigator of the Venom Systems Lab at the University of GalwayDr Jessamyn Fairfield, Lecturer in the School of Natural Sciences at the University of GalwayDr Laura Hayes, Research Fellow at the School of Cosmic Physics at DIAS

    Extra: Does the Earth's core hide vast hydrogen reservoirs?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2026 15:57


    Guest:With Prof Jon Wade, Associate Professor of Planetary Materials, Dept. of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford

    Making Life with Artificial Biological Intelligence

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2026 34:30


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

    Extra: Solar Maximum and the Northern lights explained

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2026 14:49


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

    What is Aphantasia? Why some brains can't visualize

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2026 35:36


    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

    Extra: What Is Childhood Dementia?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2026 11:40


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

    Building a womb lining in the lab

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2026 36:20


    Guests: Dr Susan Kelleher, School of Chemical Sciences at DCUDr Shane Bergin, physicist at University College DublinDr Peter Rugg-Gunn, group leader at the Babraham Institute at the University of Cambridge

    Extra: Turning muscle signals into speech

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2026 14:23


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

    Why some wounds won't heal

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2026 31:04


    Guests:Professor Kimberly Kline, Professor in Microbiology and Molecular Medicine at The University of Geneva and Visiting Scholar at Nanyang Technological University, SingaporeDr Shelley Brady, DCU's Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data AnalyticsDr John Regan, Research Fellow in the Department of Theoretical Physics at Maynooth University

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

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2026 13:51


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

    Tackling Space Debris

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2026 31:42


    Guests:Dr Penelope Wozniakiewicz, Senior Lecturer in Space Science at the University of KentDr Shane BerginDr John Regan

    Extra: What exactly is DNA?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2026 13:29


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

    How blood vessels boost lab-grown mini-brains

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2026 31:51


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

    Extra: Earth's Early Wildfires

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2026 12:11


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

    The Surprising Flaws of Evolution

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2026 21:45


    Dr Andy Dobson, author of ‘Flaws of Nature: The Limits and Liabilities of Natural Selection'

    Sustaining human life on the Moon and Mars

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2026 15:06


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

    Extra: CAR T-Cell Therapy (Best of)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2025 19:40


    Guests:Dr Larry Bacon, Consultant Haematologist from St James's HospitalDr Nicola Gardiner, Chief Medical Scientist at the Cryobiology Laboratory Stem Cell Facility at St James's

    Best of Futureproof: Creating Dark Matter, Curing Addiction

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 28, 2025 33:34


    Guests:Dr John Regan, Maynooth UniversityYale Neuroscientist Vaughn Steele

    Extra: Obtaining Fingerprints from Ammunition (Best of)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2025 14:09


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

    Best of Futureproof: Mirror Life & The Science of Embalming

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2025 44:41


    Guests:Kate Adamala, Associate Professor of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development at the University of MinnesotaGlyn Tallon, Founder of Tallon Mortuary Specialists in Navan

    Extra: Is butt breathing achievable?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2025 14:51


    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.

    The winter hibernation gene in animals

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2025 32:50


    Guests:Professor Tyler Stevenson, Head of Physiology, Ageing & Welfare at the University of GlasgowDr Ruth Freeman of Research IrelandDr Fergus McAuliffe, Head of Research Engagement and Impact at Trinity College Dublin

    Extra: Vitamin D is linked to BMI?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2025 13:30


    Guest: Prof Lena Zgaga, Professor in Epidemiology at the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the School of Health in Trinity

    Can we witness stars form planets?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2025 34:27


    Guests:Dr Emma Whelan, Department of Experimental Physics, Maynooth UniversityDr Tara Shine, Change by DegreesDr Ruth Freeman, Research Ireland

    Extra: How we exploit artificial intelligence

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2025 15:14


    Guest: Taha Yasseri, Director of the Joint Centre for Sociology of Humans and Machines at Trinity College Dublin

    Is the human mind the next frontier in warfare?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2025 29:06


    Guests:Malcolm Dando, Emeritus Professor at the School of Social Sciences at the University of BradfordDr Shelley Brady of DCUDr Shane Bergin of UCD

    Extra: The one thing you need to know about electricity

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2025 19:56


    Guest: Marcus Chown, Science Writer and author of ‘The One Thing You Need to Know'

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