Show Me the Science with Luke O'Neill

It can seem as though nature has an incredible, unlimited imagination, and it is no surprise that some of the creatures of scary books and movies might take their inspiration from the natural world. This week Luke looks at some of the most terrifying creatures on our planet, from bleeding fungi to vampires of the deep. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google Podcasts ...

From mysterious mushrooms to synthetic, mind-altering substances, humans have long used psychedelic drugs, leading to bouts of brilliant creativity and also dangerous delusional hallucinations. Science is exploring why they work, what they do to our brains, and why the potential uses could yet be unexplored. This week Luke explores the strange world of psychedelic substances. Listen and subscribe...

This week Luke brings us the story of a comet, or more precisely the story of the woman the comet was named after, the incredible Carolyn Shoemaker, who began her astronomy work later in life but left a huge mark on the world of science. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google Podcasts and Spotify.    Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.     You can als...

Humans rely on our bodies' sense to survive and explore our world, but while we know a lot about some sense - like smell, hearing and vision - we know a lot less about others. This week Luke explains how they year's Nobel Prize winners made some fascinating discoveries about the body's sense of touch. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google Podcasts and Spotify.    Do...

This week Luke looks at the biggest machines ever built, and explains why they are not only a testament to humanity's never ending curiosity and ambition, but also how they could soon change how we understand the universe and life itself. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google Podcasts and Spotify.    Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.     You can al...

This week's episode might sound like it's pulled from a Hollywood screenplay - the rapidly moving plan for a resurrection of the long extinct Wooly Mammoth. This week Luke tells us about a fascinating scientific project underway to bring the animal back, and why it's being done in the name of fighting climate change. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google Podcasts an...

The Ig Nobel awards are the silliest prizes in science, with experiments on everything from the power of beards to protect a face, to the best ways to kill a cockroach on a submarine. This week Luke looks at this year's winners and asks what the science behind the silliness might one day teach us about our world. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google Podcasts and Sp...

We all want more free time, more time to do what we want with our lives - from hobbies to simply sitting around with our feet up. But can we have too much down-time? Is there a point where relaxation becomes detrimental to us? And what does science tell us is the way to get the most bang for our buck from our previous few hours away from it all? This week Luke explores the science of leisure time...

Whether deep in our oceans, stretching across our deserts, or even lurking in suburban neighbourhoods, there remain mysterious sounds even science cannot yet explain. This week Luke explores some of the noises that continue to leave even the experts baffled, as well as some of the loudest noises ever produced by humans, machine or the natural world. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on A...

It is the most famous number of them all, and key to so much of what makes our lives tick - but what is Pi and why is it so central to our lives? This week Luke delves into the story behind the seemingly never-ending number, and he even has pi jokes too (if you can believe that). Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google Podcasts and Spotify.    Download, listen and sub...

What was once the dreams of world leaders has now become the plaything of the super-rich, as space flight has very recently opened up to billionaires and their paying customers for the first time. This week Luke explores the science of private space flight, and the people behind it. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google Podcasts and Spotify.    Download, listen and...

Humans have been indelibly marking their skin with ink for thousands of years, but why did we start to tattoo ourselves and how does it work? As always science has the answers, and this week Luke has been delving into the research and experiments to bring us the most fascinating knowledge - including why getting a tattoo can have a positive impact on your mental health, and why our own immune syst...

This week it’s all about celebrating grandmothers. Luke explores the science that explains how grandmothers are the secret to humanity’s success, and why genetics may be at play in a grandmother's care for her grandchildren. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google Podcasts and Spotify.    Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.     You can also listen to N...

It's where life began for humans and animals of all kinds and it is essential to all life, but why exactly does the sea smell the way it does? Well, scientists are a strange bunch and they ask sometimes odd questions and, in that spirit, this week Luke explores the science behind the scent of the sea and explains just why that ocean stink is so important to life. Listen and subscribe to Show Me th...

They're not just cute, they also happen to carry some quite incredible super powers. From underwater survival to growing like giants, this week Luke explains why baby humans are a scientific marvel all of their own. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google Podcasts and Spotify.    Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.     You can also listen to Newstalk l...

Why do we sweat? How important is it? What is the function and why does it smell do bad? And just how big is the deodorant business? This week Luke dives into the fascinating, stinking world of human sweat and explains one of our most important, but smelly, functions. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google Podcasts and Spotify.    Download, listen and subscribe on th...

Could we have found humanity's long lost cousin? A stunning discovery in China has led scientists to think it could be more closely related to humans than Neanderthals, and in doing so raises big new questions about our own evolution. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google Podcasts and Spotify.    Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.     You can also l...

This week Luke takes a look at the recent US government report looking at mysterious sightings in the skies. What does the report tell us that we didn't know before, and what does it mean for our chances of meeting visitors from outer space? Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google Podcasts and Spotify.    Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.     You can...

Alzheimer's is one of the cruelest diseases we can face, robbing someone of their most cherished memories. Long ago thought of as an random affliction in older age, we are now beginning to understand the causes and ways to fight it. This week Luke explores the science of Alzheimer's and also a new drug that could change the way we think about the diseases, but a drug that has not escaped controver...

The human body is an incredible machine, capable of spectacular speed, strength and feats of endurance. But how far can it go? How far can we push our bodies before they give in? And how powerful can the mind be when it comes to pushing the body beyond its limits? This week Luke explores the science of human limitations, and asks where the line really is. Show me the Science is with thanks to B Br...

Would you re-design yourself? Would you re-draw the very building blocks of your body and customise yourself as your vision of the ideal specimen of the human body? What if you had that option for your child? Over the decades scientists have been making huge advances in mapping the human genome, and with it opening up potentially major benefits, and major controversies, to the world. With the rece...

Its the bedrock of the immune system from birth and it's the fascinating, wonderous key to life of all mammals and one that only made its way into human life through a genetic oddity. This week Luke explores the science of milk, the complete food. Show me the Science is with thanks to B Braun. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google Podcasts and Spotify.    Download,...

This week Luke heads for the junction of science and old wives' tales, and seeks to dispel some popular myths about our world, from the true memory of a goldfish to the luckiness, or otherwise, of the number 13. Show me the Science is with thanks to B Braun. Listen and subscribe to Show Me the Science on Apple Podcasts ,Google Podcasts and Spotify.    Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk...