Show Me the Science with Luke O'Neill

This week on the podcast, Professor Luke O’Neill turns his attention to a condition that’s often misunderstood and far more common than many people realise: Lewy Body Dementia. Requested by listener Eben Stewart ahead of World Lewy Body Dementia Day on January 28th, the episode looks at what causes LBD, how it differs from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and why so many people are living with it without a diagnosis. Around 10,000 people in Ireland are believed to have Lewy Body Dementia, yet only a fraction are formally on the register — a gap that has real consequences for care, treatment, and awareness. Luke explains how abnormal protein clumps, known as Lewy bodies, build up in nerve cells and trigger inflammation and neurodegeneration. LBD affects both cortical and sub-cortical regions of the brain. That helps explain why early symptoms are often cognitive rather than physical — confusion, memory problems, difficulty with decision-making, and, in many cases, vivid visual hallucinations and delusions. As the condition progresses, Parkinson’s-like symptoms such as tremor and rigidity usually emerge too. Treatment is complex and requires care, with some anti-psychotic medications risking a worsening of symptoms, while drugs like L-Dopa can help manage movement issues. Luke also talks about ongoing research, including work happening in his own lab on potential new treatments now in clinical trials. The episode also touches on why Lewy Body Dementia is more common in men, why it typically appears after the age of 50, and the role family history can play. And it reflects on the stories of well-known figures who lived with Parkinson’s and LBD, including Robin Williams, Glen Campbell and Michael J Fox, whose experiences helped shine a light on just how challenging — and misunderstood — LBD can be. Trinity College Dublin will host a Lewy Body Dementia awareness event on January 28th in Unit 18 on the Pearse Street campus from 12pm, as part of efforts to improve understanding and recognition of the condition. 

Why do some people love wine, while others can’t stand it? Why did Covid strip food of its pleasure for so many? And how much of what we call “taste” is really happening in the nose, the brain, and even our memories? This week's podcast takes on a listener-requested topic: the science of taste and flavour. Professor Luke O’Neill explains why taste is far more complex than the tongue alone, with up to 80% of flavour driven by smell and only around 20% by taste itself. He walks through the five core tastes — sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami — and explains how specialised receptors in the tongue, nose, throat and even the stomach detect chemicals in food. These discoveries were so fundamental they led to Nobel Prizes. The episode also explores how nerves shape flavour: why chilli feels hot, mint feels cool, and fizzy drinks tingle. Texture matters too. Creaminess, crispiness, and mouthfeel all shape how food is experienced. Vision and psychology play their part as well, from expectation bias to the power of nostalgia, famously captured by Proust’s madeleine. Genetics turn out to be crucial. Some people find coriander tastes like soap; others find it fresh and citrusy. Some recoil from sprouts, broccoli, chilli or umami-rich foods, while others seek them out. Finally, Luke looks at how chefs have been quietly mastering this science for centuries, using fat to enhance flavour, stacking umami to build intensity, and manipulating texture and aroma to transform how food tastes. This episode was prompted by listener requests from Stephen and Eoin. If there’s a science topic you’d like Luke to tackle next, you can email laoneill@tcd.ie. 

Ireland, like much of Europe, is in the middle of a serious flu outbreak. This week’s podcast focuses on why this year’s influenza wave is hitting so hard, who is most at risk, and what actually helps. Professor Luke O’Neill explains why flu thrives in winter, spreading easily indoors where ventilation is poor. He outlines the classic flu symptoms — high temperature, severe fatigue, aches and pains, cough and runny nose — and why this strain is leaving many people bedridden for days rather than just mildly unwell. Flu is currently a bigger problem than Covid — widespread immunity has made Covid more benign, while influenza continues to evolve, throwing up new variants every winter. The episode looks at who needs to be especially careful, and why flu season is such a concern for hospitals, with emergency departments under pressure and trolley numbers rising. Luke also discusses why this year’s vaccine has been less well matched than usual, after the virus mutated on its way from the southern to the northern hemisphere — and why it still matters. And if flu symptoms do strike, Luke’s advice is simple: rest, stay hydrated, manage fever and pain, and don’t panic. 

Every January, millions of us promise that this will be the year we finally change our habits. We’ll sleep more, stress less, move our bodies, eat better, learn something new, or finally tackle the clutter that’s been quietly judging us from the corner of the room. But by spring, most of those resolutions are long forgotten. On this week’s podcast, Professor Luke O’Neill digs into what research really tells us about New Year resolutions — why we make them, why so many fail, and how we can dramatically improve our chances of sticking with them. Luke explains why the pandemic triggered a surge in resolution-making, how the brain responds to fresh starts, and why January gym memberships soar even as long-term attendance collapses. He also shares evidence-based strategies that actually work, from setting specific and measurable goals to harnessing social support, using apps, and learning new skills that boost brain health as well as motivation. This isn’t about willpower or guilt. It’s about understanding how humans change — slowly, imperfectly, and with the right conditions. If you’re setting intentions for the year ahead, this is the science you want on your side. You can email Luke with questions or suggestions for future episodes at laoneill@tcd.ie. 

For his Christmas podcast, Professor Luke dives into one of the oldest, strangest and most delightful human behaviours: kissing. And yes, there really are scientists who study it. Kissologists? Why not. Someone has to keep the flame of enquiry burning under the mistletoe. Kissing isn’t new. In fact, our primate ancestors may have been at it 21 million years ago. Humans, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans all kiss, and the trail of evolution suggests the ancient snog goes back to a shared forebear long before Christmas was invented. So why do we do it? Luke’s answer brings joy to his immunologist’s heart: kissing is fundamentally about the immune system. It’s bonding, soothing, socially rewarding… but it’s also a biological exchange of information. When we kiss, we taste another person’s immune profile through their saliva. We’re wired to choose partners whose immune systems are similar enough to blend but different enough to give our potential offspring an advantage — the Goldilocks zone of mate selection. Kissing is also bound up in how humans live. We’re pack animals; our wellbeing depends on social closeness. For parents, early kissing and mouth-to-mouth feeding once helped babies survive. For adults, it floods the brain with oxytocin — the same hormone released during breastfeeding — building trust, comfort and connection. And yes, kissing is… messy. Saliva production surges to dissolve bacteria. Mouth microbes are swapped. Germs hitch a lift. Glandular fever is the classic “kissing disease,” especially among teenagers, and herpes simplex moves easily through saliva. The upside? Some research shows kissing can reduce allergic reactions — including a study where hives became less severe after a 30-minute smooch. The benefits stack up: reduced stress, better bonding, endorphin release, raised heart rate, improved mood, and even potential perks for your complexion. A deep kiss works 24 facial muscles, stimulates circulation and boosts collagen. Science says the Christmas kiss might be good for your skin as well as your soul. 

It’s that time of year when the big nights out collide with the biological reality of the morning after… and Professor Luke is here to explain exactly what’s going on in your head, your liver and your rattled nervous system. Hangovers are ancient — literally. Chimps get tipsy on fermented fruit, so our ancestors were drinking alcohol millions of years before the first Christmas party. Humans began brewing around 10,000 years ago… and the first hangover probably arrived right on cue. Luke breaks down why hangovers feel so grim: the acetaldehyde formed when alcohol is broken down in the liver; the dehydration caused by alcohol acting as a diuretic; and the rebound in neurotransmitters like glutamate that may fuel “the fear”, the “living horrors”, and that uneasy post-session anxiety listeners know too well. He runs through the classic symptoms — headache, fatigue, nausea, tremors, dizziness, sweating, irritability and a heart that seems to have joined a drum circle — and explains why some drinks make it all worse. Darker alcohols carry extra chemicals like tannins and methanol that crank up the misery, while clearer spirits tend to be less punishing. Luke also notes a surprising trend: alcohol consumption in Western countries has fallen by a third since 2001, while alcohol-free beer is booming. Even French vineyards are pulling up vines because people are drinking less wine. Maybe we’re finally copping on — and our livers are grateful. And of course, we get to the good stuff: how to avoid a hangover, and how to treat one. Hydrate between drinks, rotate in 0.0% options, eat beforehand, skip the full Irish, take B-vitamins or clove-based remedies if they help you, steer clear of paracetamol, and leave “the hair of the dog” to folklore. Sugar helps, rest definitely helps, and moderation helps most of all. Luke’s holiday message? Enjoy yourself — but pace yourself. Your future self will thank you when the sun rises on December 26th. 

This week, Professor Luke dives into a condition that affects Ireland more than almost anywhere else on Earth: haemochromatosis, the iron-overload disorder sometimes dubbed “the Celtic disease”. And we owe this one to two listeners, Kayden and Kari, who emailed Luke asking him to shine a light on it. Here’s the remarkable thing: 1 in 83 Irish people have haemochromatosis. Globally, it’s closer to 1 in 10,000. Why are we so unusually affected? Luke explores the Founder Effect, seen in remote and island populations, where one ancient genetic mutation spreads widely over generations. Some researchers even wonder if it goes back to a single ancestor in early medieval Ireland… perhaps as far as Niall of the Nine Hostages in the 4th century. The science is striking. Haemochromatosis is caused by mutations in the HFE gene, which tell the body to absorb far too much iron from food. Instead of being flushed out, the excess iron lodges in tissue and organs, and in severe cases can damage the liver, pancreas, heart and joints. Luke explains why the iron in our blood reddens when exposed to oxygen — essentially a biological version of rust — and how that same chemistry becomes dangerous when iron builds up inside the body. Symptoms often creep in slowly: persistent fatigue, joint pain (especially in the hands), abdominal discomfort, and in more advanced cases, sallow or bronzed skin, an enlarged liver, and a higher risk of diabetes. People with haemochromatosis are also more vulnerable to infections such as listeria and hepatitis because iron can fuel bacterial growth — something pathogens love. Treatment, however, is wonderfully simple and astonishingly old-school: you remove blood. Phlebotomy — supervised blood withdrawal — lowers iron levels safely and effectively. Women often experience milder symptoms before menopause because regular blood loss naturally curbs iron accumulation. There are also medications that help reduce iron levels when needed, and lifestyle tweaks matter too: avoid iron supplements, and keep alcohol intake modest, because alcohol increases iron storage. Luke also explores a fascinating evolutionary angle: in times of famine or scarcity, people genetically predisposed to absorb more iron may have been better equipped to survive. That survival advantage could explain why the mutation became so common in Ireland and neighbouring regions — another classic Founder Effect story. It’s a condition that’s easy to diagnose, highly treatable, and crucial to catch early — and now, thanks to Kayden and Kari, you’ll understand the science behind it. Email Luke anytime with your own ideas for future episodes at laoneill@tcd.ie — your question might inspire the next podcast. 

This week, Professor Luke digs into one of the biggest questions in cancer research: how to train the immune system to hunt tumours. Immunotherapy already works in cancers like melanoma and lung cancer — but only 20–30% of patients respond. A major new study in Nature Medicine may shift that. It tracked more than a thousand patients and found that people who’d had the Covid-19 vaccine responded twice as well to immunotherapy. Lung cancer patients lived an average 18 months longer; melanoma patients 14 months. Why would a Covid vaccine help? The RNA technology gives the immune system a jolt, boosting interferons — the proteins Luke’s lab studies — which “wake up” tumours that normally hide. Immunotherapy works best on “hot” tumours; the vaccine helps turn “cold” ones hot. Luke explains how checkpoint inhibitors remove the brakes from immune cells, dramatically extending life for some patients, though 70% still don’t benefit. Push the immune system too far and it risks attacking healthy tissue, so reaching even 50% response rates would be a huge win. Luke also recalls how science turned HIV from a death sentence into something people can live with for decades — a reminder of what long-term research can achieve. Which is why he’s dismayed that the US has cut almost half a billion dollars from RNA-vaccine research. Especially when RNA vaccines for malaria and TB are now in development. Immunotherapy isn’t a cure yet — but the science is heating up fast. 

Ireland has finally joined CERN as an associate member, opening the doors of the world’s biggest scientific instrument to Irish researchers for the first time. And what a machine to step into. This week, Professor Luke takes us deep inside the Large Hadron Collider — the 27-kilometre, super-cooled, magnet-driven particle racetrack buried under the Franco-Swiss border, where protons are hurled around at 99.99991% of the speed of light and slammed together to reveal the hidden architecture of reality itself. It’s a place colder than outer space, powered by magnets a hundred thousand times stronger than Earth’s gravity, and fuelled by Einstein’s famous equation, E = mc², made real at staggering energies. Luke revisits the extraordinary discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 — the so-called “God particle” that explains why anything in the universe has mass in the first place. He shares the joyful chaos of that summer, including the fact that the announcement itself was made in Dublin at a conference he chaired, months before Peter Higgs shared the Nobel Prize for the theory he first proposed back in the 1960s. And in classic Luke fashion, he uses a couple of gloriously groan-inducing Higgs jokes to explain what the particle actually does. There’s plenty of Irish flavour threaded through the science too. The very word “quark” comes from Joyce’s Finnegans Wake. The first particle accelerator ever built was constructed by Irish Nobel laureate Ernest Walton, and that original device now sits in the lobby of CERN like a relic from the dawn of the scientific universe. And Luke even finds time to salute Nick Cave, whose song about the Large Hadron Collider he reckons might be the greatest science song ever written. With 23 member states, 17,000 scientists on site, €4.6 billion spent on building the LHC, and €1.2 billion each year to keep it running, CERN is a cathedral to curiosity — powered by collaborations, cold atoms, and a lot of superconducting metal. As Luke explains, the collider is now undergoing enormous upgrades that will push particle physics even further into the unknown, from micro black holes to new forces of nature. It’s a reminder that when you smash particles together at nearly the speed of light, the universe doesn’t just give up its secrets… it gives up entirely new questions. For topic suggestions or comments, email Luke at laoneill@tcd.ie. 

Why do so many of us feel the gloom set in when the clocks go back and the days get short? In this week’s podcast, Luke O’Neill delves into the biology of Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, a form of depression that appears in winter and lifts again when the light returns. First identified about fifty years ago in northern Europe, SAD affects around one in every hundred people severely, and up to one in five to a milder degree. Women are three times more likely to experience it than men. Geography plays a big part too: roughly 1% of people in Florida report symptoms, compared to 10% in Alaska. Around 7% of people here in Ireland can be badly affected each winter. Luke explains that it all comes back to our circadian rhythms — the body’s internal clock that runs on a 24-hour cycle. In low light, this rhythm can drift off course, affecting hormones like melatonin (which regulates sleep) and serotonin (which affects mood). The good news? Light therapy works. Recent studies show that 30 minutes a day in front of a light source of 10,000 lux can help reset your body clock and ease symptoms. For comparison, moonlight gives off just 1 lux, normal indoor lighting about 300, while a bright winter’s day can reach 20,000. So, step outside when you can — daylight is the best medicine. The Mayo Clinic also recommends using a lightbox for about 20 minutes within an hour of waking during the darker months. SSRIs, the antidepressants that boost serotonin, can also provide relief. Scientists even suggest SAD could have evolutionary roots, a leftover human tendency to “hibernate” through the bleakest months by conserving energy, withdrawing socially, and staying indoors. Luke ends on an optimistic note: winter may mess with our body clocks, but it doesn’t last forever — the light always comes back. ✨ This episode was suggested by listener John O’Reilly. 💡 Got a question or topic for Luke? Email him at 📩 laoneill@tcd.ie 

This week, Professor Luke O’Neill turns his microscope to a condition he knows all too well — cellulitis. It’s one of the most common bacterial infections there is, affecting about one in every 500 people each year. The skin turns red, swollen, and sore, and you might even feel flu-ish as your immune system fights back. Left untreated, it can spiral into sepsis, making early diagnosis vital. Listener Joanie suggested this week’s theme, and you can do the same by emailing Luke at laoneill@tcd.ie. As Luke explains, cellulitis happens when bacteria slip through tiny breaks in the skin — a scratch, a cut, even an insect bite — and start multiplying. He suspects that’s how he picked it up himself earlier this year. Rates of cellulitis are on the rise, with hospitals seeing more admissions, especially in settings where people live in close quarters: nursing homes, homeless shelters, and college dorms. Obesity and antibiotic resistance may also be fuelling the increase. Treatment is straightforward (antibiotics usually clear it up) but prevention is even better. Keeping skin clean and moisturised, and treating any breaks promptly, can stop it taking hold. And it’s not just humans. Cats, dogs and even horses can suffer from cellulitis, with vets watching closely for swelling and lameness. In fact, that old-fashioned poultice once used to “draw out” infection still has its place — at least in the stable. From microbes to moisturiser, Luke explores how our skin keeps the world out. And what happens when it can’t.  

This week, Show Me The Science gets a little darker — and a little stranger. Professor Luke O’Neill dives into the science of Hallowe’en, tracing its roots back to the Celtic festival of Samhain, the ancient Irish celebration marking the start of winter — that “dead time” when the veil between worlds was said to thin. It’s not about ghosts and ghouls, Luke explains, but about remembering ancestors, lighting bonfires, and wearing masks to mark the turning of the seasons. Around those fires, people bonded, built resilience, and reaffirmed community — something modern psychology still recognises as vital in times of darkness and uncertainty. Luke explores the science of fear: how the body reacts when startled, from adrenaline spikes to endorphin release, and why a good fright, once we recover from it, can actually make us stronger. Researchers have even measured these effects in saliva! But don’t expect Luke to be queueing up for a horror marathon — he admits he doesn’t get the same thrill others do from being scared senseless. There’s also a scientific story behind our favourite monsters. The myths of vampires and werewolves, Luke reveals, may have stemmed from a rare inherited condition called porphyria, which causes sensitivity to light, red-stained teeth, and even hair growth and behavioural changes — symptoms that once seemed supernatural. And diseases like plague or tuberculosis, which sometimes left victims appearing to rise from the dead, helped fuel the legend of the undead. From Bram Stoker’s Dracula — possibly inspired by both the actor Henry Irving and the medical realities of syphilis — to the theory that “Dracula” could derive from the Irish “droch fhola,” or “bad blood,” Luke connects folklore, medicine, and etymology in classic Show Me The Science style. And there’s even a royal twist: King George III famously suffered from porphyria, and through royal intermarriage, the disease spread across Europe’s bloodlines — adding a touch of genetic truth to the vampire myth. This special Hallowe’en edition was produced in collaboration with the Music Technology course at South East Technological University. The haunting original music was composed and recorded by Billy Doran. 

Ever wondered what keeps your immune system in check when it starts misbehaving? On this week’s podcast, Professor Luke O’Neill explains the world of regulatory T cells—the immune system’s very own “military police.” These tiny guardians stop other cells from attacking the body, helping prevent autoimmune diseases and keeping us healthy. Luke takes us through the Nobel Prize-winning discoveries of Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi, who cracked the secrets of immune tolerance. Back in 1995, Sakaguchi discovered these remarkable regulatory T cells, proving that the immune system is far more sophisticated than previously thought. Brunkow and Ramsdell uncovered the critical role of the Foxp3 gene in autoimmune diseases, and Sakaguchi later linked the Foxp3 gene to the development of these life-saving cells. Luke even shares insights from a recent encounter with Sakaguchi himself! If you’ve ever been curious about how the body avoids attacking itself, or how groundbreaking immunology research leads to real-world insights, this episode is your backstage pass to the science of regulatory T cells. Got questions, ideas, or thoughts for Luke? Email him directly at laoneill@tcd.ie 

An Irish Olympian has decided to take a bold and controversial leap. Swimmer Shane Ryan has retired from conventional competition to join the Enhanced Games, a new event where athletes will be allowed to use performance-enhancing drugs. In this week’s podcast, Professor Luke O’Neill looks at the science and the ethics behind this radical sporting experiment. The Games’ creator, Aron d’Souza, says he wants to celebrate human potential without the limits imposed by anti-doping rules. Backed by investors such as Peter Thiel and Donald Trump Jr, the Enhanced Games are due to take place in Las Vegas in May 2026, offering up to a million dollars for breaking a world record. Luke dives into the biology behind enhancement. He explains how testosterone builds muscle mass, how growth hormone boosts recovery, and how EPO (erythropoietin) increases red-blood-cell production and endurance. These substances can deliver extraordinary results, but they also carry dangerous side effects: heart damage, infertility, high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney failure, and even seizures. Beyond drugs, the Games will also allow prosthetic limbs and high-tech running shoes, pushing the boundary between sport and science fiction. Critics, including the IOC and US Anti-Doping Agency, say it will destroy fair play. D’Souza insists athletes will be medically supervised and screened for safety. Luke asks what this says about the times we live in — an “age of enhancement” where medicine, tech and ambition blur together. From longevity clinics to performance labs, we’re already chasing upgrades to our own biology. It might sound like The Hunger Games, but it’s very real — and it’s coming soon. 

Taylor Swift has changed her accent over the years – and science can prove it. A quirky new study from the University of Minnesota analysed hours of Swift interviews to show how her voice shifted depending on what era she was in. For Professor Luke O’Neill, it’s the perfect excuse to dive into one of his favourite subjects: accents and dialects. From the five distinct dialects of Ireland to the 30-plus versions of English spoken worldwide, this week’s podcast looks at why we sound the way we do – and why accents change over time. He explains how Elizabethan English is still alive in pockets of North America, why Irish “borrow words” like galore, slew, baloney and hooligan have shaped English, and how the Beatles made regional accents cool in the 1960s. There’s science, history, and plenty of fun in this trip through the way we speak – with Luke revealing his two favourite English accents (spoiler: think West Country warmth and Southern US drawl). And yes, he’s very happy that the Irish accent now ranks among the coolest in the world. Got an accent story of your own, or an idea for a future episode? Drop Luke an email at laoneill@tcd.ie. 

They look like alien spacecrafts under a microscope, but bacteriophages — viruses that infect and kill bacteria — could hold the key to one of the biggest medical challenges of our time: antibiotic resistance. First described more than a century ago, phages became a hot topic of research in the mid-20th century, especially in the Soviet Union, before slipping into obscurity with the rise of antibiotics. Now, with superbugs on the march and antibiotics losing their punch, phages are making a comeback. On this week’s podcast, Professor Luke O’Neill dives into the fascinating history and biology of these tiny viral predators, from the Soviet labs of the Cold War to today’s cutting-edge clinical trials. He explains how phages can target deadly bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, why their extreme specificity is both a blessing and a challenge, and how scientists are now combining phages with antibiotics to create new treatments. With fresh lab techniques making it easier to grow and manipulate phages, the field is buzzing with new potential. Expect alien-looking viruses, a dash of Cold War intrigue, and real hope for tackling infections that antibiotics can no longer beat. Got a topic you’d like Luke to cover? Email your ideas to laoneill@tcd.ie. 

Earth has always been a planet of comebacks. Life has thrived, collapsed, and reinvented itself in astonishing ways. Scientists call the five great wipe-outs of the past the “Big Five” – huge mass extinctions that reset the clock on life. Without them, we wouldn’t even be here to talk about it. This week, Luke O’Neill dives into what these extinction events can teach us - from the ancient Ordovician seas that suddenly emptied, to the Triassic era where one wave of destruction cleared the stage for the dinosaurs, and the dramatic end of the Cretaceous, when an asteroid put an end to their reign. The most catastrophic of all came at the end of the Permian, nicknamed “the Great Dying,” when nearly everything living was snuffed out. What’s extraordinary is the sheer gulf of time between these cataclysms. Tens of millions – even hundreds of millions – of years separated one mass extinction from the next. To put it in perspective, the gap between the end-Triassic and the asteroid strike that finished the dinosaurs is longer than the time between that asteroid strike and today. These are planetary rhythms on a timescale that makes human history look like the blink of an eye. But here’s the uncomfortable twist: many scientists now argue that we’re in the early stages of a sixth great extinction. And for the first time, it wouldn’t be volcanoes or asteroids doing the damage – it would be us. Human activity, from climate change to habitat destruction, is putting pressure on life everywhere. So what does history tell us? That life will recover. But whether we will be part of that story depends on what we do next. Luke explores how science is helping us understand extinction not as an abstract tragedy, but as a warning sign – and why the choices humans make in the coming decades matter more than ever. Send your feedback or ideas for future episodes to Luke at laoneill@tcd.ie. 

Breast milk is often called “nature’s first vaccine” and, in this week's podcast, Luke O’Neill explains why. From the moment a baby is born, its immune system is still immature and wide open to infection. Breast milk steps in as the baby’s first line of defence, passing on antibodies, immune cells and even the benefits of vaccines the mother has received.Luke explores how this “passive immunisation” works – from the placenta before birth to breast milk afterwards – and why it’s so powerful in protecting babies against infections, hospitalisations and even long-term risks like obesity and diabetes. He also looks at the benefits for mothers, including protection against breast and ovarian cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure.Along the way we learn why Ireland still struggles with low rates of breastfeeding, how more support for new mothers could ease pressure on the health system, and why vaccinating during pregnancy is such a vital public health tool. Luke highlights new research on the RSV vaccine, which shows up to 80% protection for babies when mothers are immunised, and pays tribute to Dublin-born scientist Francis Bramble, who first uncovered the secrets of mother-to-baby immunity back in the 1930s. With a wink, Luke suggests it might be time to “Make Bramble Great Again.”This episode is a reminder that breast milk isn’t just food – it’s medicine, protection, and an immune system tutor all rolled into one.Send your feedback or ideas for future episodes to Luke at laoneill@tcd.ie.

Professor Luke O’Neill dives into the science behind Type-1 Diabetes for this week's podcast, answering a question from listener Sarah. Luke explains the key differences between Type-1 and other forms of diabetes, guiding us through the early symptoms—intense thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, vision issues, and nausea—and highlighting the serious long-term complications, from kidney damage to blindness and ulcers.Luke also breaks down how Type-1 Diabetes isn’t purely genetic, exploring the role of psychological stress alongside hereditary factors. He takes listeners through the latest treatments, from insulin therapy and lifestyle adjustments to cutting-edge innovations like insulin pumps and artificial pancreases.The discussion moves into the exciting frontiers of research, including stem cell treatments targeting the pancreas, and Luke’s optimism that breakthroughs in Type-1 Diabetes could pave the way for tackling other autoimmune conditions. For anyone living with or curious about the disease, Luke’s insight offers both clarity and hope.Listeners can request future topics by emailing laoneill@tcd.ie.

Why do some speeches stick in your mind while others fade before the applause ends? In this unusual episode of Show Me The Science, Professor Luke O’Neill swaps the lab for the lectern to reveal the science of captivating public speaking. Drawing on decades of experience addressing audiences from classrooms to conferences, Luke shares his top tips for giving speeches that resonate, whether it’s a best man’s toast, a heartfelt eulogy, or a high-stakes commencement address. With a major speech coming up — delivering the honorary doctorate address at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland — Luke breaks down everything from crafting a strong opening and telling stories that emotionally connect, to structuring your talk so the audience follows every point. He stresses clarity and simplicity, authenticity over imitation, and the importance of ending on a note that inspires action. You can’t fake charisma, Luke warns, but you can sound inspired by yourself. And yes, he insists ChatGPT should stay out of your speech-writing. Along the way, Luke highlights the viral speech by American author Brad Meltzer, showing how structure, storytelling, and authenticity can make a short talk unforgettable. For anyone looking to improve public speaking skills, learn how to engage an audience, or simply survive the nerve-wracking moments of standing in front of a crowd, this podcast is packed with practical, scientifically-informed advice delivered with Luke’s trademark humour. Watch the Brad Meltzer speech that inspired Luke here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSO_t39lszo Got a quirky science topic you want Luke to tackle next? Send your suggestions to laoneill@tcd.ie — your idea could be featured in a future episode.