Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea

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.