Within the next 15 years, we may not need to rely on the good will of blood donors. In pioneering work being carried out in Scotland into the manufacture of blood on demand, lives could be transformed. Pennie Latin meets Dr Jo Mountford of Glasgow University who is researching the manufacture of blood from embroynic stem cells, Professor Marc Turner of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service and Trina who suffers from a rare blood disorder called thalassemia and relies on regular blood transfusions.

In Brainwaves this week Pennie meets Dr Caroline Watt, a founder member of the Koestler Parapsychology Unit at the University of Edinburgh.

Stop for a minute and listen. Really listen. What does your typical day sound like? Pick out every sound and consciously decide if you like it or not. How does the sound around us affect us? What impact can sound have on our brain and body? In this week's Brainwaves, Pennie Latin explores the world of noise.

Professor Stuart Cunningham is the principal investigator in Physical Oceanography at the Scottish Association for Marine Science in Oban. In 2014 he was named as oceanographer of the year for his "outstanding" contribution to the field. He talks to presenter Pennie Latin about sea gliders, sailing around the west coast of Scotland, ocean currents and climate change.

Does the life of a forensic pathologist bear any resemblence to their TV or fictional counterpart? Professor James Grieve has spent his whole working life as a forensic pathologist investigating murders, suicides and accidents in the north east of Scotland. He's been involved in many high profile cases alongside breakthroughs in genetic medicine at Aberdeen University. In Brainwaves, Pennie Latin meets Emeritus Professor in Forensic Medicine James Grieve to get an insight into the real world of forensic pathology whilst debunking a few myths along the way.

It's tempting to draw lots of parallels between us and our closest relatives in the primate world but the bottom line is that whilst we humans have evolved over the centuries, monkeys and chimpanzees haven't.

In Brainwaves, Pennie Latin visits The Living Links Centre for the study of primates at Edinburgh Zoo to find out why our cultures and traditions are just so different. Professor Andy Whiten, Lewis Dean and Lara Wood of St Andrews university demonstrate to Pennie what the capuchin and squirrel monkeys at the Living Links field station are capable of.

Professor June Andrews is the head of Stirling University's Dementia Services Development Centre. She talks to presenter Pennie Latin about her career in nursing, what has kept her so deeply interested in geriatric care and why we should all be more open to talk about death and dying. Plus, how good lighting is just as effective as medication when it comes to treating dementia and why June herself doesn't fear the condition.

The protein P53 could hold the key to tackling cancer. Much of what we know about it comes from the work of Professor Karen Vousden, Director of Cancer Research UK at the Beatson Institute in Glasgow. In Brainwaves, Pennie Latin discovers how Karen's career path led her into the world of cancer research.

Astrophysicist Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell was appointed as president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in October 2014 - the first female president of the 350-year-old organisation. In her first public engagement in the role, she speaks to presenter Pennie Latin in front of an audience at Irvine Royal Academy. The pair explore the deepest reaches of the universe in a conversation about pulsars, black holes, gender and Nobel Prizes.

This week Brainwaves looks into cyber security and privacy and finds out about a new breed of spy that has emerged in today's connected world. Presenter Pennie Latin talks to one woman who was targeted by a hacker who broke into various online accounts, gaining access to her friends and family. We'll also hear from the new centre for cyber security at the University of Edinburgh where researchers are trying to find better ways to protect our data. Are we likely to be using passwords in the future, or will there be far more sophisticated ways of keeping our digital life safe? And just how careful is Pennie with her own data? An ethical hacker delves into her digital footprint.