Futureproof's Moon Special

07/28/21 • 43 min

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. 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'.

Previous Episode

Futureproof Extra: How Does Our Brain Get Things Done?

Every minute of every day we are forced to make split-second decisions in order to navigate the worlds we have cultivated for ourselves. The most amazing thing is that all of these actions come as second nature - we don’t even realise we’re actually engaged in a highly sophisticated dance of thought and action. But how do we actually do this? How do we get from the formation of a thought to taking the right course of action? In other words - how do we get things done? David Badre is Professor of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences at Brown University, on the faculty of the Carney Institute for Brain Science at Brown University, and author of ‘On Task: How Our Brain Gets Things Done’ he 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'.

Next Episode

Are UFOs Actually Alien Spacecraft?

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. 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'.