Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea

As we know, the first people to be overcome and subjugated by the Nazis were the German people themselves.

And as a result - in the years prior to WWII as Hiter consolidated power and set out to eradicate any and all of those deemed to be inferior to his notion of Aryan supremacy - millions fled.

But not everyone - as some would-be outcasts thrived in Hitler’s Germany despite their genes.

Sam Apple is on the faculty of the MA in Science Writing and MA in Writing programs at Johns Hopkins and author of ‘Ravenous: Otto Warburg, the Nazis, and the Search for the Cancer-Diet Connection’ - he joined Jonathan to discuss.

Dr. Jessamyn Fairfield and Dr. Susan Kelleher also joined Jonathan to run through this week's top science news stories.

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WHY IT’S HARD TO BREAK BAD HABITS

This is what Jonathan McCrea asked Russell Poldrack - Professor at Stanford Psychology and Director of Stanford Center for Reproducible Neuroscience and author of 'Hard to Break: Why Our Brains Make Habits Stick'. 

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As a country of storytellers, we all grew up with tales of tragic heroes, lost lands, and mystifying creatures that captured our imagination.

But where do these myths and legends actually come from and should they be casually disregarded as complete fiction?

Patrick D. Nunn, is Professor of Geography & Co-Director of the Sustainability Research Centre at the University of the Sunshine Coast and author of ‘Worlds in Shadow: Submerged Lands in Science, Memory, and Myth - he joined Jonathan to discuss whether the myths and legends we know and love could be the scientific residue of a preliterate culture.

Dr. Ruth Freeman and Dr. Shane Bergin also joined Jonathan to run through this week's top science news stories.

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The universe is expanding and fast - but how fast?

The answer lies in the 'Hubble Constant' but what is that?

Steffen Hagstotz - Astronomer & Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Physics at Stockholm University explained all to Jonathan McCrea on Futureproof. 

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On this week's Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea -  he looks at the myth and mystery of the fireproof super material known as 'Starlite' with Ben Cusick - Creator of the NightHawkInLight YouTube Channel

Also on the show, Jonathan is joined by Dr Share Bergin and Dr Susan Kelleher of UCD to look at the science news stories of the week.

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PIXAR & THE PIXEL

What is a pixel? To answer this difficult question Johnathan McCrae was joined by Alvy Ray Smith - Co-founder of Pixar and Altamira Software, the first Director of Computer Graphics at Lucasfilm and the first Graphics Fellow at Microsoft and author of ‘The Biography of the Pixel’ . 

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For a number of years, U.S. and Canadian diplomats based in Cuba have been complaining of unusual, and unexplained health issues.

The individuals, after hearing a buzzing sound, would soon thereafter be struck with bouts of dizziness, memory loss, or even brain injury.

This strange phenomenon has been dubbed 'Havana Syndrome' and experts are still unsure of the root cause - with some saying it is some kind of elaborate weapon used by nefarious foreign actors.

But is there a more straightforward explanation?

Dr. Robert W. Baloh, Professor of Neurology at UCLA Medical Centre joined Jonathan to discuss.

Dr. Jessamyn Fairfield and Dr. Shane Bergin also joined Jonathan to run through the top science stories from the week.

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In the animal kingdom "Strangers are Danger!" So how is it then that humans are tolerant? How do we build a society where strangers feel safe among us and we among them?

Well to answer those questions, Johnathan McCrea was joined by Mark Moffett - Research Biologist at the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian and the author of ‘The Human Swarm: How Our Societies Arise, Thrive, and Fall’

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Last month there was quite a stir concerning a US intelligence report based on 144 UFO sightings by US military personnel.

At just nine pages in length, it was a fairly scant report, but it did make for some interesting reading nonetheless.

Chris Impey, Professor and Deputy Head of the Department of Astronomy at the University of Arizona joined Jonathan to discuss.

Also on the show, Jonathan was joined by Dr. Susan Kelleher and Dr. Shane Bergin to look at the top science news stories of the week.

Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

  

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It’s over 50 years that a human being first landed on another world. It is undoubtedly one of the most monumental moments in human history.

This week's Futureproof we look back at our special show to try to bring home the sheer audacity of what happened half a century ago on this day.

We’ll hear about Ireland’s very own piece of the moon. Planetary Scientist and Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the UC Davis, Sarah T Stewart, tells us how the rocks that Apollo astronauts brought back have helped us come up with a new understanding of how the moon formed in the first place.

And Senior Editor at The Economist and author of The Moon: A History For The Future, Oliver Morton, explains that July 20th 1969 wasn’t actually our first successful moon landing.

So, when did we first get there and when are we going back?

Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

  

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