The relentless rise of Homo sapiensSapiens: A Brief History of Humankind — splendidly told story about our evolutionary historyThu Nov 17 2022 - 06:07
On apologising for the historical sins of scienceGalton is remembered most for eugenics, the study of human inheritance with the aim of improving the human species through selective breedingThu Nov 03 2022 - 05:00
Why science remains silent on the morality of abortionScience cannot assign a moral value to the developing human zygoteThu Oct 20 2022 - 06:00
Ireland needs to bite the bullet on nuclear energySmall modular reactors can be mass-produced at relatively low cost and riskThu Oct 06 2022 - 06:00
Jumping to conclusions … the inside track on reasoning and decisionsThe merits of spending a little time on reflection before making that decisionThu Sept 15 2022 - 05:56
The big problem with organic farming is it cannot produce enough food to feed the world’s populationAlthough the synthetic fertiliser ban was not the sole cause of Sri Lanka’s economic crash, it was a significant factorThu Sept 01 2022 - 05:31
Climate anxiety can stop people vigorously tackling global warmingWe should support politicians who pursue climate action and punish them electorally if they fail to actThu Aug 18 2022 - 05:52
Is Google’s new chatbot a person?LaMDA is sentient and self-conscious — in other words, it has the chief characteristics of a humanThu Aug 04 2022 - 07:00
Aspects of Irish science and cultureThe essential difference in approach between scientists and artistsThu Jul 21 2022 - 06:51
Could head transplantation be a path to immortality?Under development by a team of surgeons, the project raises a host of philosophical and bioethical issuesThu Jul 07 2022 - 05:58
A fire in the sky: our planet’s relationship with the sunIn its absence, life on earth would be impossible, but the effects of the sun are not entirely benignThu Jun 16 2022 - 05:44
Sucking carbon dioxide from the air just one way we can control global warmingHuman ingenuity is providing ways to get us past this pressing problem – which we caused in the first placeThu Jun 02 2022 - 05:01
The creative sweet spot: you can find it in your (very early) sleepResearch shows accessing a hypnagogic state as you drift into sleep can unlock creativityThu May 19 2022 - 03:00
The clever enigmatic octopus and what we know about the species so farGiven the animal’s capacity to learn about the world, their short life span is a mysteryThu May 05 2022 - 01:00
Exploring the birth of the universe from the far side of the moonMoon-based telescopes should be able to resolve the immediate events after the big bangThu Apr 21 2022 - 01:00
Protecting the Earth from killer asteroidsSpace is filled with potentially dangerous objects whose paths scientists can alterMon Mar 28 2022 - 15:29
New research may open door to treating Alzheimer’s and other dementiasPlugging leaks in the blood-brain barrier could prevent or even reverse dementia onsetThu Mar 17 2022 - 05:00
The sophisticated life of plants deserves far greater attentionLessons from their world may help human species increase its chance of long-term survivalThu Mar 03 2022 - 01:30
Fundamental questions science cannot yet answerMystery of life on earth and beyond extends to the Big Bang, dark matter and much moreThu Feb 17 2022 - 06:00
How the sea otter stays warm: a mystery that was recently solvedUnlike larger marine animals, species has no fatty blubber to rely on to retain body heatThu Feb 03 2022 - 01:05
Ideas in philosophy on human extinction are toxic seeds that must be dealt withSuffering is an unavoidable part of the human condition but can serve useful purposesThu Jan 20 2022 - 06:00
Our meritocratic educational system serves us wellMeritocracy has flaws but critics have yet to come up with a superior systemThu Dec 16 2021 - 06:00
Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide not fit for purposeWhen these options are available, those in severe distress can feel pressured to make a choiceMon Dec 13 2021 - 16:35
‘Following the science’ is not enough in a pandemicMaking policy is the task of Government, not to shelter behind ‘objective science’Thu Dec 02 2021 - 01:00
Left-wing authoritarianism mirrors far right, research findsMore similarities than differences between left-wing and right-wing authoritarianismThu Nov 18 2021 - 06:00
Grade inflation: lowering standards in higher educationIt is denied as a serious problem but could cause reputational damageThu Nov 04 2021 - 06:00
Tackling our high anxiety over climate changeFurther global warming will cause more trouble, but there is much we can still doThu Oct 21 2021 - 06:00
There is an unequal human sex ratio of males to females at birthAll countries with strongly skewed sex ratios at birth in favour of males have cultures that display a preference for sonsThu Oct 07 2021 - 01:13
Collateral damage from the Covid-19 pandemicDamage to mental health and economy may rival damage caused by virus itselfTue Sept 07 2021 - 15:36
Conspiracy theories stubbornly impervious to scientific methodIt would be unwise to ignore or patronise the phenomenonThu Sept 02 2021 - 06:00
West in danger of repeating Soviet ideological assault on scienceNew ideologies should be carefully discussed, not uncritically insinuated into general cultureThu Aug 19 2021 - 01:00
There is no need for vaccine hesitancy among the youngLet us count our blessing vaccines against so many diseases are availableThu Aug 05 2021 - 01:00
Nuclear waste is not the hellish material of popular imaginationStudies have shown it can be stored safely for millennia in geological repositoriesThu Jul 15 2021 - 01:04
Covid-19 vaccines have weakened the anti-GMO movement‘Genetic modification has much to offer as everyone who offers their arm to the vaccination needle can confirm’Tue Jun 22 2021 - 01:00
You’re only as old as you feel – research says soGerman study finds feeling younger protects middle-aged against damaging stressThu Jun 17 2021 - 01:04
A pandemic problem: Too much cleaning is bad for your healthSterilising surfaces will have damaged microbiome biodiversity, essential for healthThu Jun 03 2021 - 07:00
How useful is the Copernican principle of mediocrity?The assertion that humans are not special creatures is unwarrantedThu May 20 2021 - 01:00
Aggressive de-growth needed to avoid climate nightmareThis would require prioritising generosity and sustainable living, and measuring success in terms of contentment not GDPTue Apr 20 2021 - 16:11
We need nuclear power to manage climate changeProven technology emits little or no greenhouse gasThu Apr 15 2021 - 06:00
Doctors weigh in on importance of BMI in health outcomesSome are moving from ‘weight-centric’ model to prescribing healthier behaviourThu Apr 01 2021 - 06:00
GDP measures economic activity but misses the pointReliance on GDP as a measure of wellbeing has worsened people’s health and happinessThu Mar 18 2021 - 03:00
Reducing world population may be a bad ideaCollapsed birth rates likely a greater threat to humanity than climate changeThu Feb 18 2021 - 06:00
Vaccinations: Jewel in the crown of modern medical scienceHumanity was vulnerable to a plethora of deadly diseases before jabs arrivedThu Feb 18 2021 - 05:00
Constant bad news about Covid is enough to make you sickMuch research demonstrates that consuming too much bad news takes a toll on healthThu Feb 04 2021 - 01:08
What’s the story behind the mystery of Easter Island? It’s not set in stoneDeforestation, slavery and rats were all factors in the Pacific island’s population declineThu Jan 21 2021 - 06:00
Responding to disaster: Are we getting too soft?The Covid-19 pandemic is undoubtedly serious, but it should not debilitate our resilienceThu Jan 07 2021 - 06:00
Can breathing pure oxygen under pressure reverse ageing?Objective is to fill blood with enough oxygen to repair tissue corroded by advancing yearsThu Dec 17 2020 - 01:00
Fostering inventiveness is critical for societyHuman success depends on our ability to co-operate and organise while technology makes life easierThu Dec 03 2020 - 01:00
Science must not marginalise the humanitiesScience is acutely aware of its limits but scientism is dogmaticThu Nov 19 2020 - 06:00
Is it acceptable to use data from Nazi medical experiments?Unethical Nazi experiments yielded scientifically valid results in some casesThu Nov 05 2020 - 06:00
