Why is castor oil a laxative?THAT’S THE WHY: Castor oil – it might not be the most pleasant of remedies, but it has reportedly been in use for millennia…Tue May 29 2012 - 01:00
Why is the apoe4 gene linked with Alzheimer's risk?THAT’S THE WHY: WHEN IT comes to genes and the risk of developing a disease, the relationships are seldom clear-cutTue May 22 2012 - 01:00
Health gemIf you do one thing this week... offer water to drink with vegetablesTue May 22 2012 - 01:00
Seeing the light - without wiresSMALL PRINT: IT SOUNDS LIKE something out of science fiction, but researchers in the US have developed a “solar” implant for…Thu May 17 2012 - 01:00
Why is our skin waterproof?THAT’S THE WHY: It’s an everyday occurrence: you wash your hands, have a shower or go for a swim, and your skin doesn’t let …Tue May 15 2012 - 01:00
Treating Ireland to early phase trialsIRELAND NEEDS to increase its early phase clinical trials activity so that patients have a greater chance to access innovative…Tue May 15 2012 - 01:00
What makes the perfect Olympian?THIS SUMMER, top athletes from around the world will converge on London to try (among other things) to run, swim, cycle and walk…Thu May 10 2012 - 01:00
The mystery of the Antarctic octopusSMALL PRINT: WHAT’S in an octopus? Not just brains to burn, but also significant new clues that could justify concerns about…Thu May 10 2012 - 01:00
How love is blind for spermHOW DO SPERM swim? A new study highlights that the journey of human sperm toward the egg may not be straightforward.Thu May 10 2012 - 01:00
Why can we listen to one person at a party?THAT’S THE WHY: Sometimes parties can get a bit noisy, particularly if they are any goodTue May 08 2012 - 01:00
Why do some movie quotes stick in our heads?THAT’S THE WHY: WHAT IS it about some movie quotes that make them stick in our heads?Tue May 01 2012 - 01:00
Why are the pupils in your eyes so dark?THAT’S THE WHY: ARE YOUR eyes blue? Brown? Maybe green or grey? When we talk about eye colour, we refer to the coloured ring…Tue Apr 24 2012 - 01:00
Health gemIf you do one thing this week... make your garden more asthma and allergy friendlyTue Apr 24 2012 - 01:00
Antibiotic resistance is nothing newSMALL PRINT: TODAY WE think of antibiotic resistance in bacteria as a result of overusing certain drugs to treat infectionsThu Apr 19 2012 - 01:00
Picking up half a million penguins - from spaceSMALL PRINT: COUNTING PENGUINS can be a tricky business, but a study out this week shows how it can be done from space.Thu Apr 19 2012 - 01:00
Why does fish smell?THAT’S THE WHY IF YOU’VE ever encountered a fish that has been out of the sea for a while, you’ll know the whiff that hits you…Tue Apr 17 2012 - 01:00
Help in renewing a lost sense of self and worthMANY MISPERCEPTIONS and myths surround the topic of suicide, and they are not necessarily helpful to the suicidal person or those…Tue Apr 17 2012 - 01:00
Phage fightersA new study shows how some viruses can be harnessed to help fight bacterial diseaseTue Apr 10 2012 - 01:00
Why do we have a sense of smell?THAT’S THE WHY: WHY DO we have a sense of smell? On the face of it, that sounds like a ludicrous questionTue Apr 10 2012 - 01:00
A new step in the fight against MRSANew research has found that as the superbug resists antibiotics, it becomes less virulentTue Apr 10 2012 - 01:00
Lumberjacks go digitalSMALL PRINT: CORK-BASED company TreeMetrics is set to harness satellite communications technology to help foresters get more…Thu Apr 05 2012 - 01:00
Supermassive space snacksSMALL PRINT: HOW DO supermassive black holes at the centres of galaxies grow?Thu Apr 05 2012 - 01:00
Why are early childhood memories not remembered?THAT’S THE WHY: What’s your earliest memory? The first one I can time-stamp is on my fourth birthday: it’s of my aunt Sol handing…Tue Apr 03 2012 - 01:00
Inflammatory researchIF YOU’LL PARDON the pun, inflammation has become a hot topic in recent yearsFri Mar 30 2012 - 01:00
Setting cancer cells up to be gobbledSMALL PRINT: COULD BLOCKING a “don’t eat me” signal present on the surface of cancer cells help the immune system to better …Thu Mar 29 2012 - 01:00
Measuring time and how that can help us to find our way in the worldSMALL PRINT: ARE YOU running late for a meeting? Or maybe you woke up before the alarmThu Mar 29 2012 - 01:00
Why can vitamin C help iron absorption?THAT’S THE WHY: We all need iron for our bodies to function: it’s an important component of haemoglobin, which carries oxygen…Tue Mar 20 2012 - 00:00
Health GemIf you do one thing this week... Take active breaks from prolonged sittingTue Mar 20 2012 - 00:00
Fancy feathers of oldSMALL PRINT: TODAY, FEATHERS are an important feature that help birds fly, keep them warm, and, in some cases, provide camouflage…Thu Mar 15 2012 - 00:00
An ethical approach to roboticsHOW CAN WE make sure robots uphold moral standards? There’s a need to address questions about ethical behaviour in autonomous…Thu Mar 15 2012 - 00:00
Got a science problem? Give it a hackThe bright ideas came thick and fast at Dublin’s Science Hack Day – and creative solutions were never far behindMon Mar 12 2012 - 00:00
Give me a crash course in . . . solar stormsNews reports have been mentioning a solar storm this week. What’s that? The sun is a fiery and gaseous placeSat Mar 10 2012 - 00:00
Why might cardiovascular disease not be so modern?THAT’S THE WHY: It’s easy to think of cardiovascular disease as a “new” problem – and indeed it’s one of the leading causes …Tue Mar 06 2012 - 00:00
Health gemIf you do one thing this week... exercise to help your bones while youngTue Mar 06 2012 - 00:00
Wanted: overweight teens for health and nutrition studyRESEARCHERS IN Dublin are looking to recruit overweight teenagers to take part in a study on teen health and nutritionTue Mar 06 2012 - 00:00
Grey parrot was colourful at mathsSMALL PRINT: BACK IN 2010 we were fascinated by Paul the octopus and his ability to “predict” the winners in matches in the …Thu Mar 01 2012 - 00:00
A red light for the immune systemWHEN A bug threatens to make you sick, your immune system typically swings into action to deal with the threatThu Mar 01 2012 - 00:00
Health gemIf you do one thing this week... avoid cigarettes for your mouth bacteriaTue Feb 28 2012 - 00:00
Why does Huntington's Disease run in families?THAT’S THE WHY : Huntington’s disease is a cruel condition: cells die away in particular regions of the brain and the patient…Tue Feb 28 2012 - 00:00
The keyring that can sequence DNASMALL PRINT: WE ARE all used to phones getting smaller and handier, but how about this: a device the size of a computer memory…Thu Feb 23 2012 - 00:00
