Advertise on podcast: Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea

In this special edition of Futureproof, Jonathan joins researchers from DIAS as they travel to a volcano on the Galapagos Islands. Funded by Coimisiún na Meán with the TV licence fee. Also funded by the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies.

Jonathan speaks to Professor John Cryan from UCC

Scientists at Yale think freezing ovarian tissue at a young age could help us to postpone or event prevent the onset of menopause altogether. Jonathan speaks to Dr Kutluk Oktay, Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, and Director of the Laboratory of Fertility Preservation and Molecular Reproductive Biology at the Yale School of Medicine.

Researchers from Diageo have discovered that the yeast used to make Guinness is genetically different from any other Irish beer. Joining Jonathan to discuss this is Daniel Kerruish, Group Microbiologist at Diageo.

This week Elon Musk announced his Neuralink company has implanted a wireless brain chip into a human for the first time. But how significant is this step and how exactly does a brain implant affect the mind? Joining Jonathan to discuss this is Dr. Manus Biggs, Associate Professor at the University of Galway and Investigator with Curám, the SFI research centre for medical devices. Also joining Jonathan for this week's installment of Newsround is Dr. Ruth Freeman from Science Foundation Ireland & Laura Healy, Sustainable Food Production Scientist.

As we’ve discussed before on Futureproof, nature has some strange but very cool patterns - one such pattern is the Coriolis Effect. Joining Jonathan to explain this is Dr. Conor Sweeney, Lecturer in Applied and Computational Mathematics in the School of Mathematical Sciences at UCD; Deputy Director of the UCD Earth Institute; and President of the Irish Meteorological Society.

Scientists in Maryland in the United States are exploring what a lab-grown retina can tell us about how we can see millions of colours. Joining Jonathan to explain more about the research is Robert J. Johnston Jr. Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Johns Hopkins University. Also joining Jonathan for this week's Newsround is Dr. Susan Kelleher, School of Chemical Sciences, DCU & Dr Fergus McAuliffe, Communications and Engagement Manager, iCRAG.

As we grow older, we experience a multitude of changes - both emotionally and physically - and while those changes can be challenging at times, it is inevitable. One way we see the process of ageing is right in front of us with the skin on our faces, our hands, and the rest of our body - in many ways telling the story of our lives. But what is actually happening as our skin continues to age throughout our lives. Joining Jonathan to discuss this is consultant dermatologist, Professor Caitriona Ryan.

That old maxim of “knowledge is power” is as true today as it was when Francis Bacon first coined the term back in the late 1500s; and while that is itself still true, the speed at which we send and receive knowledge and information can be just as powerful. We have been witnesses to this through the years as we laid Atlantic telegraph cables in the 1860s, sent satellites into space, and now we may stand again on the precipice of a new age of rapid communication with groundbreaking research into “teleportation”. Joining Jonathan to discuss is Prof Andrew Forbes from the School of Physics at Wits University in South Africa. Also joining us for this week's installment of Newsround is Lianne Shanley, PhD Researcher from the School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity College Dublin & Dr. Shane Bergin, Assistant Professor in Science Education, UCD.

Researchers from University College London have developed an electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI) vest that might help identify individuals at a higher risk of sudden cardiac death. Joining Jonathan to explain how it works is Gaby Captur, Consultant cardiologist in Inherited Heart Muscle Conditions at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust & Senior lecturer at the UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science.

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.