The pros and cons of fracking for natural gasTHE RECENT combination of hydraulic fracturing (commonly called “fracking”) with horizontal drilling has transformed previously…Thu Feb 16 2012 - 00:00
A healthier life? Your prayers are answeredDevoutly religious people tend to live healthier lives, but even non-believers can benefit from emulating the religious lifestyle…Thu Jan 05 2012 - 00:00
Overcoming stem cell research difficultiesPROPONENTS OF human embryonic stem cell research (HESCR) pitched their case for support on the basis that it would lead to cures…Thu Dec 15 2011 - 00:00
Flight of the bumble bee generating a lot of buzzI WAS recently listening to The Flight of the Bumble Bee , composed by Nikolai Rimski-Korsakov, which reminded me of the oft-…Thu Dec 01 2011 - 00:00
Scientists need to take the climate gloves offTHE BRITISH Nobel Laureate physiologist Sir Peter Medawar (1915-1987), justifiably described science as “incomparably the most…Thu Nov 17 2011 - 00:00
The great mysteries of life are biochemicalSOME OF THE greatest mysteries in science are chemical mysteriesThu Nov 03 2011 - 00:00
Explanation overdue for combustion of humansHow can a person burst into flames and burn almost completely while leaving the surroundings largely unscathed?Thu Oct 20 2011 - 01:00
Parents avoid child vaccines at their perilMANY PARENTS worry about the safety of the standard childhood vaccinations recommended by the health servicesThu Oct 06 2011 - 01:00
So why the mixed messages on salt?Despite the received wisdom, recent studies seem to say that reducing salt offers no benefitsThu Sept 01 2011 - 01:00
Sunspots indicate colder wintersBut will cold conditions in Europe have any impact on the problem of global warming?Thu Aug 04 2011 - 01:00
Beware of amateur scientistsBy all means listen, but paying undue attention to amateur opinion hinders progressThu Jul 07 2011 - 01:00
Gender can't be freely chosenTHE RECENT decision by Canadian couple Kathy Witterick and David Stocker to withhold knowledge of the sex of their third child…Thu Jun 16 2011 - 01:00
Bias clue in explaining false beliefIT IS COMMON for people to pay attention to evidence that supports what they want to believe and to ignore evidence to the contrary…Thu Jun 02 2011 - 01:00
Danger of creating weeds we can't controlASKED TO name a chemical pesticide, I’m sure most readers would cite RoundupThu May 19 2011 - 01:00
Stem-cell research gets new horizonStem cell therapy involves inducing stem cells to turn into healthy new tissue to replace failing tissueThu May 05 2011 - 01:00
Despite the high-profile accidents, we need nuclear energyThe general safety record of nuclear power is excellent when compared to other ways of producing powerThu Apr 21 2011 - 01:00
If aliens come to visit, they'll probably be much cleverer than usAstronomers are always on the lookout for any sign of an alien civilisation in space. But what would we do if we found one?Thu Apr 07 2011 - 01:00
There's no time like the presentWe can turn back the clocks but we cannot stop time from moving forward as it is linked to the survival of human beingsThu Nov 04 2010 - 00:00
Advances in weaponry not matched by moralityROBOTS ARE THE latest scientific aids to warfareThu Aug 19 2010 - 01:00
Climate-change sceptics should be given a fair hearingTHE GREAT majority of climate scientists say that the world is warming, human activities are contributing strongly to this warming…Thu Jul 15 2010 - 01:00
Why our intellectuals have missed the reality of MarxismTHE EUROPEAN intellectual community, including the scientific community, should be embarrassed by the easy ride it gave to communism…Thu Jul 01 2010 - 01:00
Getting to grips with what graduates do nextTHIS WEEK I have culled some interesting facts and figures from two Higher Education Authority (HEA) publications, both available…Thu May 06 2010 - 01:00
Why our ignorance of the dark universe doesn't matterBELIEVE IT or not, scientists do not understand the nature of 96 per cent of the fabric of the universe.Thu Apr 29 2010 - 01:00
Grappling with the rights and wrongs of euthanasiaI RECENTLY wrote about start-of-life bioethical issuesThu Apr 15 2010 - 01:00
Moving from fission to fusion is the Holy Grail of nuclear energyNUCLEAR FUSION, which promises the clean production of virtually limitless energy from readily available raw materials, is the…Thu Mar 25 2010 - 00:00
Plausible theory for beaching of whalesWE HAVE ALL seen the pictures on television – a massive beached whale lying helpless on the sand, its big soulful eyes staring…Thu Mar 11 2010 - 00:00
Dolphins top chimps as our closest intellectual relationsBIOLOGISTS have long thought that the chimpanzee was the animal closest in intelligence to the human, but recent work assigns…Thu Feb 18 2010 - 00:00
Go boldly forth with 'Endeavour'AS THE SPACE SHUTTLE programme draws to a close, it is timely to ponder the future of manned space explorationThu Feb 11 2010 - 00:00
Future imperfectTHE HISTORY of scientific research is littered with failures that did not deliver the expected outcomesThu Jan 07 2010 - 00:00
Future imperfectTHE HISTORY of scientific research is littered with failures that did not deliver the expected outcomesThu Jan 07 2010 - 00:00
Spot the planetFOR AS long as humans have looked at the night sky we have speculated on the possibility that other planets harbour intelligent…Thu Dec 17 2009 - 00:00
In defence of academic salariesSALARIES IN the public sector are under scrutiny as the budget loomsThu Nov 26 2009 - 00:00
Evolving evidenceNOVEMBER 24th will mark the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection , …Thu Nov 19 2009 - 00:00
Taking a risk in the long runRUNNING MARATHONS is quite popular – more than 12,500 runners took part in the Dublin City Marathon on October 26thThu Nov 12 2009 - 00:00
When is a theory not a theory?THE TERM “conspiracy theory” commonly means a fringe theory that explains an event as the secret machinations of powerful Machiavellian…Thu Nov 05 2009 - 00:00
Charting progress in our understanding of lifePERHAPS THE greatest remaining mystery in science is the mechanism whereby life spontaneously arose on earth about 3Thu Oct 29 2009 - 00:00
Test shows Shroud of Turin a relic of the Middle AgesTHE TURIN shroud is a linen cloth (4.42m x 1.13m) bearing an image of a man many believe is the crucified Jesus ChristThu Oct 22 2009 - 01:00
Caution: playing football may damage your brainTHE SPORT that immediately springs to mind when you consider the risk of head injury is boxingThu Oct 15 2009 - 01:00
A genius who took the alchemy out of chemistryROBERT BOYLE (1627-1691), the “Father of Chemistry”, was the most influential scientist born in IrelandThu Oct 08 2009 - 01:00
Mysterious moisture hints at extraterrestrial lifeUNDER THE MICROSCOPE: ON SEPTEMBER 25th, the journal Science published two landmark papers on the presence of water on Mars …Thu Oct 01 2009 - 01:00
How we won out over the 'cavemen'THE NEANDERTHALS were a type of primitive man who lived throughout much of Europe and western Asia for more than 200,000 years…Thu Sept 24 2009 - 01:00
Working out won't cut it for the joulesUNDER THE MICROSCOPE: IT IS WIDELY believed that regular aerobic exercise is a good way to lose weightThu Sept 17 2009 - 01:00
When it comes to aliens, Yeti and God, forget sciencePETER MEDAWAR, the British immunologist and 1960 Nobel Laureate, described science as “incomparably the most successful enterprise…Thu Sept 03 2009 - 01:00
Irrational fear of risk lessens our enjoyment of lifeLiving fully means taking risks, and it’s pointless trying to hide away from themThu Aug 27 2009 - 01:00
How to win over climate scepticsUNDER THE MICROSCOPE: DESPITE REPEATED warnings from the scientific establishment of the disastrous consequences if we don’t…Thu Aug 20 2009 - 01:00
Of moving statues, dancing mania and convent hysteriaUNDER THE MICROSCOPE: THE SKIN-COVERING ordinarily reserved for rational social behaviour is surprisingly thin – remember the…Thu Aug 13 2009 - 01:00
Why is it so difficult for women to become professors?UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: MY ATTENTION was recently caught by a publication from the European Molecular Biology Organisation (Embo…Thu Aug 06 2009 - 01:00
A century of transistors, nuclear weapons and spaceUNDER THE MICROSCOPE: TODAY I LIST 10 scientific discoveries of the 20th century that, in my opinion, have had the biggest effects…Thu Jul 30 2009 - 01:00
