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FUTURE ISLAND ***New***

Anna Daly, Future Island Image Name: Anna Daly, Future Island
Anna Daly, Future Island Image Name: Anna Daly, Future Island

Presenter Anna Daly will employ her curiosity for how things work and how science might make the future better for her children, embracing the “infinite possibilities” of science that are the theme of this year’s Science Week. Anna will be joined on the series by a panel of experts, among them Dr. Shane Bergin, physicist and Assistant Professor in Science Education at UCD’s School of Education, and Dr Jessamyn Fairfield, an American physicist who researches biocompatible nanomaterials and neuromorphic devices at University of Galway, and who is also a stand-up comedian. 

The series will feature a mix of live studio guests and demonstrations, as well as a selection of illuminating films. It will sift the science fact from the science fiction and look at how Irish innovators are currently trying to change the world for the better. 

Future Island will cover subjects like sustainability, future health, technology, climate change and future energies. The series will also work closely with Birdwatch Ireland in order to build on the biggest citizen science project in the country: asking viewers to collect invaluable data regarding the birdlife that exists in their gardens.

Over three consecutive nights on RTÉ One, Future Island will examine innovations from all around the world, as well as profiling the work of Irish scientists Hamilton and Tyndall, who have left profound legacies.   

Broadcast live from the O’Brien Science Building at UCD, each show will throw down a specific challenge. Can we affect the air quality around us by making simple lifestyle changes that could save lives? Is it possible to create a musical ensemble from scrap, using the science of various instruments to create a musical finale?

Episode One will cover:

  • New thinking on, and treatments for, obesity.
  • How we might keep the lights on in the future: where is the power coming from and can Ireland become more self-sufficient ?
  • The fastest man in Ireland reveals how he hopes science will help him to become even faster.
  • The gadgets that will make life either more efficient, or more complicated, depending on your point of view.
  • The latest scientific innovations from around the world.
  • What the movies correctly predicted …  years in advance.
  • The science of music. Using the scientific principles that make instruments work, can we create an orchestra from scrap?

Episode Two will cover:

  • New thinking on – and new treatments for – leukaemia.
  • How the forward thinking of Irish scientist William Rowan Hamilton has enabled space travel and video games.
  • Agriculture: Is it remotely possible that farmers can achieve 25% cuts to their emissions without a culling of the national herd?
  • Gadgets that will make life either more efficient, or more complicated … depending on your point of view.
  • More of the latest scientific innovations from around the world.
  • The things that the movies haven’t correctly predicted … yet.
  • And the science of AI – what are the benefits and downsides to using Artificial Intelligence and how has its use affected Bruce Willis and Darth Vader?

Episode Three will cover:

  • New thinking on – and new treatments for – Alzheimer’s.
  • The science of the body’s largest organ: skin.
  • The gadgets that will make life either more efficient, or more complicated … depending on your point of view.
  • More of the latest scientific innovations from around the world.
  • The things that Star Trek correctly predicted, years in advance.
  • And the science of air quality – how much can we change the air quality around us?

Future Island is an indiepics production for RTÉ and is made with the support of Science Foundation Ireland. It airs as part of Science Week on RTÉ One & RTÉ Player at 7pm on 15th, 16th, 17th November.