Futureproof Gold: The Evolution of the Anus

On the program this week Jonathan chats to world-renowned Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson about his new book as well as all things cosmos related. This week for the Newsround Jonathan McCrea was joined by Dr Fergus McAuliffe and  scientist Jessamyn Fairfield. They discussed a recent incident in which the US has condemned a Russian anti-satellite test this week which forced crew members on #ISS to scramble into their spacecraft for safety! Amongst other interesting stories in the News this week. Science Communicator extraordinaire Neil deGrasse Tyson joined Futureproof this week to discuss his new book ‘A Brief Welcome to the Universe: A Pocket-Sized Tour’ in which he makes the science of the universe accessible and easy to comprehend. The astrophysicist covers everything from the cosmos, to planets, stars, and galaxies to black holes and time loops! Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan 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'.

Futureproof Extra: The Invisible Universe

Every time you get behind the wheel of the car you will have to deal with countless driving decisions that get you safely from A to B, and it could be argued that those decisions amount to what are essentially life-or-death considerations. But self-driving cars might soon have to make those kinds of judgements and settling on a universal moral code for the AI that drives them could be a problem.  Jean-François Bonnefon, Research Director at the French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and author of ‘The Car That Knew Too Much’ joined Jonathan to discuss. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan 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'.

In your news feed or the newspapers or on television, there is probably a recent story on the explosion of some kind of improvised explosive device (IED). For us here in Ireland, those occurrences are nowadays quite rare. However, there are many countries where explosives are a regular occurrence and every day there are men and women who put themselves in harms way in order to deactivate these devices. These are the bomb disposal experts who make a living from switching off devices designed to maim and kill. Many people will have the movie 'The Hurt Locker' in mind when thinking of Bomb Disposal Experts but it is a position that carries many risks and doesn't necessarily match with portrayals depicted in Hollywood movies. In this exclusive and rare interview Jonathan speaks to a bomb disposal expert from the Irish Defence Forces, where for operational reasons the identity of the bomb expert are kept anonymous. On Futureproof today, Jonathan speaks with a bomb disposal expert on what skills are required to diffuse a bomb. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan 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'.

Futureproof Extra: Fighting Infectious Diseases