Futureproof With Jonathan Mccrea

We all know that our urine is yellow, or at least, it should be. While we have known for some time that it is urobilin that's responsible for the yellow pigment, it was unclear what was responsible for the urobilin's production - that is of course, until very recently. Brantley Hall, Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Maryland joins Jonathan to discuss.Also joining us for this week's installment of Newsround is Fergus McAuliffe, Education, Public Engagement, and Communications Manager at iCRAG & Dr. Oran Kennedy, Associate Professor in Anatomy and Regenerative Medicine at RCSI.

This year we will come closer than ever to touching the Sun than ever before. That’s because of an upcoming NASA mission called the Parker Solar Probe that has been compared in significance to that of the Moon landing. Joining Phil Smyth to discuss is one of the scientists involved, Dr Nour Raouafi from Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

Road safety has been at the forefront of the minds of many of us with the significant death toll last year but scientists at the University of Cambridge are exploring a new way of warning drivers of road obstacles through 3D holograms. Joining Phil Smyth to discuss this is Jana Skirnewskaja from Cambridge’s Department of Engineering.Also joining Phil for Newsround is Lianne Shanley, Ph.D. Researcher from the School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity College Dublin & Dr. Fergus McAuliffe from iCrag.

Looking back at the best episodes in 2023: Have you ever wondered how humans came about the concept of ‘measuring’ things? How did Ancient Egyptians use giant rulers to predict the harvest in coming months? James Vincent is the author of ‘Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement from Cubits to Quantum Constants’ and he joined Jonathan to talk about how this concept shapes the way we see the world.

One of the best conversations from 2023: Ryan Kerney, organismal biologist at Gettysburg University, joined Jonathan to discuss why humans can’t breath underwater and what the likelihood is of us ever developing that ability again.

The notion of human beings getting to and settling on Mars has been a staple of science fiction for decades.But what are the social, scientific, and engineering constraints for establishing a colony, and what are the current blueprint and design concepts for the settlement of an entire Martian city?Justin Hollander, Urban Planning Professor at Tufts University and the author of ‘The First City on Mars: An Urban Planner’s Guide to Settling the Red Planet’ joins Jonathan to discuss.https://jholla03.pages.tufts.edu/

Professor Mike Tipton from the University of Portsmouth joins Jonathan to discuss the effect of the extreme cold on our bodies and how we try to stay warm.

Claire Gasque, physics graduate at the University of California, Berkeley, joins Jonathan to discuss the mysterious atmospheric phenomenon only known as STEVE.Also joining Jonathan for the Newsround is Dr Ruth Freeman from Science Foundation Ireland and Shane Bergin from UCD to look back on 2023's biggest science stories.Image by Elfiehall - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58633661

Did you know that your organs can be a different age than your body? Jonathan is joined by Jarod Rutledge, longevity scientist and Stanford Excellence Bridging Fellow to discuss what this means.

If you’ve ever experimented with VR, you know it can trick your brain into thinking that what you see is real.But in the United States, they are taking this technology to a whole new level – a minuscule one. Scientists there have created miniature VR goggles for mice to wear, but why?Professor Daniel Dombeck, Department of Neurobiology, at Northwestern University, joins Jonathan to discuss.Also joining Jonathan for this week's Newsround is Lianne Shanley, PhD Researcher from the School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity College Dublin & Dr. Ruth Freeman from Science Foundation Ireland.

Jonathon is joined by Prof. Daniel Granato, course director for Functional Foods and Product Development at the University of Limerick to discuss functional foods and what benefits they can give to us.

Hypoxia training could help patients at risk of health complications ahead of surgery, scientists at the University of Limerick have found. Joining Jonathan to discuss more is Professor Phil Jakeman, Professor of Sport and Exercise Sciences at UL.

Leaves have many different jobs: photosynthesis, gas exchange, water exchange, and more. But how do they end up in the shapes that they are? Joining Jonathan to discuss is Dr Katie Gray Ferris, Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Tulane University in the United States.

For centuries we have been marketed and sold products that claim extraordinary things only to find out that the evidence and application don’t match up.So-called snake oil products have littered the internet recently and despite pretty clear regulations, the internet has turned on the firehose when it comes to advertising and marketing, to the point where regulators can’t keep up.So, to protect ourselves we should be developing a sceptical approach, so says Nick Teller, the author of 'The Skeptic’s Guide to Sports Science' - he joins Jonathan to discuss.Also joining Jonathan for Newsround is Catherine McGuinness, Research and Education Officer at Cavan County Museum & Lianne Shanley, PhD Researcher from the School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity College Dublin.

Our brain has about 86 billion neurons making it a pretty busy place but how much of that space is dedicated to storing our memories and where exactly does that happen? Joining Jonathan to get a better understanding of how we store memories is Tomás Ryan, Associate Professor in Trinity’s School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, and the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience.

Joining Jonathan to discuss new research that indicates that a delay in clamping the umbilical cord of premature babies could decrease the risk of death by as much as two-thirds is Professor Eugene Dempsey, Horgan Chair in Neonatology at the INFANT Centre at UCC.Also joining Jonathan for Newsround is physicist, Philip Smyth, and sustainable food production scientist, Laura Healy.

When it comes to the end of humanity, there are numerous ways it might come to pass - be it a wayward asteroid, the eruption of a super volcano, the ever-growing presence of Artificial Intelligence in our lives, or the unseen spores of a killer fungus. But which one of these poses the greatest risk? This is the question posed by Jonathan in this very special episode of Futureproof which was recorded in front of a live audience at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre.Joining us to discuss is:Dr. Robert Ross, Senior Lecturer in the School of Computer Science at TU DublinProfessor Chris Bean, Senior Professor and Head of Geophysics at the Dublin Institute for Advanced StudiesProfessor Caitriona Jackman, Senior Professor of Space Physics at Dunsink ObservatoryJerry Clancy, PhD student at the School of Chemical Sciences in DCUDr. Shane Bergin, physicist and an assistant professor in science education at UCD's School of Education & Immunologist, Dr. Lara Dungan, also join Jonathan for this week's Newsround.With

There are around 400 million global cases of UTIs or urinary tract infections per year, and they can often persist, but why? Researchers in the UK have been using artificial bladders to find out what makes them stick around. Joining Jonathan to discuss is Prof Jennifer Rohn, Professorial Research Fellow in Renal Medicine at University College London and Head of the Centre for Urological Biology.

The Educational Irish Research Satellite 1 (EIRSAT-1) is set for launch in November, which will make it Ireland’s first venture into space. To discuss, Jonathan is joined by Dr. David McKeown, Assistant Professor/Lecturer in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at UCD, and the Engineering Manager for the EIRSAT-1 project.For this week's episode of Newsround, Jonathan is joined by Dr Oran Kennedy, Associate Professor of Anatomy and Regenerative Medicine, RCSI & Dr. Fergus McAuliffe, Communications and Public Engagement Manager at iCRAG, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Applied Geosciences.

On this episode of Futureproof, Jonathan McCrea interviews Johann Hari, author of ‘Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention'.