Show Me the Science with Luke O'Neill

Ever wondered what Sepsis is? Or how it is caught? Listen this week as Luke analyses the disease and potential artificial intelligence that could be used to spot other diseases. Luke explains how complex the immune system and how different treatments and therapies are used to treat the disease.

Ever wondered about the deep depths of the ocean and what creatures lie beneath the mysterious deep blue?? This week Luke explores the science of the ocean and the incredible creatures that have been discovered as a result of scientists testing the limits and reaching the furthest depths a human has ever been before.

Do you believe in ghosts? Are stories of apparitions and hauntings verifiable truths, or fanciful falsehoods? This week Luke explores the science behind ghosts, hauntings and all things spooky, looking at some examples from the modern day and famous incidents in the past to try to help us understand a little more - and to explain why horror can be good for your health.

This week Luke O'Neill tells us all about the beginning of time and updates us on the current asteroid activity in space. Ever wondered how fast they travel, and what are the odds of them happening again? Listen now to this weeks episode.

Ever wondered about the Science behind evolution or how evolution started? Wonder what the fastest evolving gene in humans are? Well Luke O'Neill has all the answers as he deep dives into the evidence that shows us how we are gradually evolving as humans and connected to everything from mice to trees and chimpanzees.

Did you know that the Irish are the biggest tea drinkers in the world? Ever wondered what the benefits of tea are? Green tea, Black tea, Hibiscus Tea, Oolong tea. Listen as Luke O'Neill explores the world of teas and the variety of benefits each offers us. From our health, mood and overall behavior listen how a cup of tea can do you the world of good.

Feeling Cheerful or wanting to feel cheerful? Ever wondered why upbeat music makes you smile? In this weeks episode we discover why we are social creatures and learn some literary references to cheerfulness including some iconic tales from Shakespeare. We learn all about the benefits and immense power of positive thinking, with a few quotes from Dame Judi Dench along the way.

The world's most glamorous, exotic or intriguing food they may not be (particularly if you're Irish) but the humble spud is no less than the world's super-food, with hidden depths and gifts beneath the skin. In this episode Luke explains why, when the chips are down (or you find yourself living on an alien world) a sack of potatoes is all you really need.

Luke returns with tales of a potentially life altering breakthrough in the world of proteins - or the hunt for proteins to be more precise. Through an incredible new discovery the very building blocks of life are now at our fingertips, but how could it change our world?

Pancreatic and colorectal cancer are two of the most deadly forms of the disease, and science has struggled to ever come t grips with them. However a new breakthrough in treatment could mark the beginning of the turning of the tide, and impact cancer treatment of all kinds. Luke looks at the good news and explains why it could prove to be a landmark moment.

Did you ever meet an optimistic pig? This week Luke looks at the cleverest of animals, from piggy of a sunny outlook, to birds who have taken up tools, and the bees who Luke wants to turn into the world's greatest (bee) football team.

It can feel like a lifeline in the morning, or when you need a boost during a long day, but could our daily coffee be doing far more for us that just that caffeine kick? Luke explores the findings of a major new study that has made some startling findings about the powers of the coffee bean, and how just two cups a day can have a staggering impact on your life, for the better. There's also good news for those people who enjoy a late night coffee, but avoid it for fear it might disrupt sleep.

IT will come as no revelation that exercise is good for us, and good for our mental health. But the reality is science does not fully understand why it is so good for us. This week Luke delves into the factors behind the benefits of fitness, including the chemical BNDF, and why it is crucial to the link between exercise and our mental health, from battling depression to PTSD.

While most of us might associate the rise of drones as the world of hobbyists, or tools used for photography, in many parts of the world they are being utilised in creative ways to bring emergency medical care to people beyond the reaches of more traditional delivery methods. this week Luke explores the science of drones, and the revolutionary impact they are having on the world of medicine.

It's a culinary favourite for many of us, but could curry hold the secret to health? This week Luke explores the science behind a particular spice at the heart of curries, and explains why it could continue serving us long after dinner is done.

Irritable bowel syndrome or IBS, is an affliction that comes in several forms and impacts a lot of us. This week Luke explores what we know about crohn's and colitis, how treatments have evolved over time and why a new breakthrough may be able to offer far more insight for doctors, and better outcomes for patients, in the near future. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science 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'.

It's called the "motivation molecule" and it is a central factor why we do what we do every day. This week Luke explores the science of dopamine, explains why certain activities cause it to spike and fall, and how we can better handle it to avoid dramatic swings in our dopamine levels, and coach our bodies to better handle it. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science 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'.

Enceladus is a moon of Saturn, and it perhaps offers the best chance of finding life beyond Earth Scientists have been exploring and probing Enceladus for decades, and discovering more about the mysteries contained within. And now new findings, and one in particular, has some people excited that we could be closer than ever to discovering extra terrestrial life. This week Luke takes us through the story of how we have come to know Enceladus and what this new discovery could mean. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science 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'.

Can the humble mosquito be genetically altered to become not a spreader of disease, but rather something far more beneficial to the environment? This week Luke delves into the science behind mosquito modification and explains why life on earth could be changed hugely with some minor alterations to these insects. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science 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'.

Saying goodbye to a beloved pet is a heartbreaking moment for anyone, and perhaps more than anything underscores just how deeply we come to care for the animals in our lives. But what if it need not be a final goodbye? Science is making the idea of cloning your pet a reality and this week Luke explores the origins of the groundbreaking tech behind it, gives us some notable examples of animal cloning that have driven the science forward, and asks is there potential for this to  mean we will one day be replicating humans. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science 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 may think we know it all about the dinosaurs, and their end, but new discoveries continue to emerge and this week Luke delves into all that is new in the prehistoric world – including the “ultimate dinosaur drumstick” and what this one special bone is telling us. We learn about the tiny shrew which arrived after the dinosaurs, and which we evolved from and how aerosols and dust were the ultimate end for the dinosaurs. It is a story of pure chance and random events that altered our earth entirely, and Luke is only too happy to dive in. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science 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 the course of Luke's career he has explored many areas and asked many questions, but one illness and the mysteries around it has taken up more of his life than almost any other - rheumatoid arthritis. This week he gives us a whistle stop tour through the science of a subject close to his heart, and explains why after decades of work there are today some potentially groundbreaking developments in motion. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science 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'.

Luke returns to one of his very favourite topics of discussion, music. Some exciting new info has emerged on the health benefits of a musical life, and the big part music has played in our evolution, and Luke is only too happy to explore it all. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science 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 some of us they are an ongoing and excruciating menace in our lives, and for scientists they remain an unsolved mystery in many ways. This week Luke explores the science of migraines - asking what causes them, and how they affect everyone differently. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science 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'.

It was the first ever drug ever made by a drug company, but  for decades nobody knew exactly how it worked. It is also a drug that has led to many other drugs we now know so well. This week Luke explores the science of aspirin, a drug that changed the world. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google 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'.

Are you tired of winters? Sick of the those long dark months when not a lot happens? Would a bout of hibernation interest you? Well, science and space travel may soon bring about that possibility, and this week Luke explores how it might work. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google 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'.

Sleep can be a tricky one for all of us - getting enough good quality snoozing time can seem an elusive, sometimes unattainable, goal in a busy life. But science may have some answers. This week Luke looks at why our sleep is disturbed, what impacts it can have on our bodies, and how we can make it better. One thing science tells us, as Luke learns, is if you want to sleep - don't count sheep. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google 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 earth's most fascinating creatures, and also perhaps the species with the biggest influence on the scientific life of one Professor Luke O'Neill. This week Luke explores the vast and complex world of whales, and why whale poo (or the artificial version of it anyway) could turn out to be quite an incredible resource for the planet. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google 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 better and worse beer has been intertwined with human history for centuries, but what is the science behind one of the world's favourite drinks? This week Luke explores the experiments and discoveries that have guided the evolution of beer, from the earliest imbibers to the tap in your local pub. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google 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'.

There are things in life you cannot change - the past, the weather, your family - but there could be one less sure thing in this world, because your blood group could soon become a lot less definite. This week Luke has news of a startling new development that could have huge positive implications for medicine and transplants in particular. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google 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 know dogs are close to the top of the pecking order of animal intelligence, but the breadth of dog intelligence might just surprise you, from empathy to jealousy, and lots in between, our canine companions have plenty on their minds. This week Luke explores how, and why, humans domesticated dogs, and what intellectual traits of those first wild animals remain today, and what upgrades and improvements domestication has conferred on them. And then, of course, there's the big event – ranking the most intelligent dog breeds. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google 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'.

It makes your belly shake, make your eyes water, and binds us to each other - the power of a good laugh can be monumental. But why do we laugh, why are we prone to giggling a lot more depending on how many people we are around, and are we humans the only species who enjoy a good chuckle? This week Luke explores the science of laughter, and why some things can be good when they're contagious. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google 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'.

This week Luke asks if it might all be in our heads? Or a lot of it anyway. While many of us are surely familiar with the idea of the placebo effect, what about the nocebo effect and the incredible power of suggestion on our minds? Luke picks apart the science that tries to understand why real physical conditions can be brought about not by illness, but by the power of suggestion. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google 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 humble fungi is the focus of this week's podcast, and it really is a lot more complex and brilliant than we might have expected. Luke explores the fascination of the "wood wide web", the beauty and benefits of fungi to life on earth, and why there wouldn't even be life on land, of any kind, if it weren't for fungi. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google 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'.

Why do we cry? What is it about humans that makes us shed tears due to sadness, laughter, anger or even onions? This week Luke explores the science of tears - an often under explored but fascinating corner of the biological world. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google 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'.

Science forges towards breaking another frontier this week, as Luke brings us news of a vaccine for ageing. Could we one day live forever? Could a simple jab protect us from what was is today considered one of the universe's few certainties? Luke explains why cheating time might be a lot closer than we think. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google 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'.  

A new year and for many a new commitment to shift those extra pounds. But how much of weight gain is down to bad habits, and how much is down to more unalterable factors, like your age? Luke explores the science of weight gain, and specifically how age affects your fat cells, and also looks at why gut microbiomes could be at the root of many of our cravings. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google 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'.

On the eve of the greatest journey of the year, as Santa and his reindeer depart the North Pole to cross the globe, Luke explores the science of the animals who make it all possible. From their specialised fur, to their speedy feet and red noses, Luke finds the science in the magic. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google 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'.

On cold, rainy winter nights Luke has found himself pondering a question - why on earth did humans end up coming to live in Europe? Why would we leave warmer climates and head north? So he set about finding the answer, and found some surprising factors - both as a result of evolutionary advances and total chance - played a big role, including the vast potentials opened up by the discovery of cheese. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google 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'.

Plastic waste is a problem that the world needs to solve, and this week Luke explains why new discoveries are offering a potential route away from the tonnes of waste we accumulate every year, and it involves a method that took him by surprise. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google 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 return to the question of the human genome this week, as Luke explores how recent breakthroughs are paving the way for medical interventions of a kind doctors could long only have dreamed of. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google 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 all know we should eat plenty of fruit and veg, but just why is a plant based diet so good for us? And is it able to give us all we need, without animal based foods? This week Luke explains the many complex ways in which our bodies react to a plant based diet, and why a little more veg and a little less meat might do us no harm. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google 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'.