The Trouble With Moon Dust

03/20/21 • 39 min

With no gravity or atmosphere to speak of, and temperatures lurching from 127C to minus 173C - the Moon is a dangerous place. That being said, certain death if exposed to its environment isn’t stopping us from trying to get back up there - far from it. But there is one tiny thing that might put a spanner in the works if we do ever manage to land on the Moon’s surface again...and it isn’t the lack of oxygen or the solar radiation. Dr Philip Metzger, Planetary Scientist at the Florida Space Institute from the University of Central Florida 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'.

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Futureproof Extra: The Life of Flies

When we think of flies we generally think of pretty nasty things. Pestilence, death, and decay - loud, irritating and dirty little insects with no redeeming qualities which are probably close to the top of the list of things that people have absolutely no problem with killing. But are we doing flies a disservice? Is there more to these insects than meets the eye? Dr. Erica McAlister, Senior Curator of Diptera and Siphonaptera at the Natural History Museum of London & author of ‘The Secret Life of Flies’ & 'The Inside Out of Flies' 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

Futureproof Extra: The Eight-Sided Robin's Egg

In the natural world, mimicry can be a very useful trait - one that might serve any number of purposes. It is so ubiquitous, and seen in so many species, that animals have to be quite discerning when trying to weed out a pretender. But it can be pretty hard even for animals who are constantly targeted - like Robins, and their beautiful blue eggs. But how sensitive are they to foreign invaders? Dr Mark Hauber, Professor of Host-Parasite Interactions in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign joins 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'.