SciTech

Getting drunk, but without the side effects?

The Pav may soon be serving up a synthetic alternative to alcohol

Oscar Wilde, perhaps the most famous of Trinity’s alumni, once remarked: “Alcohol, taken in sufficient quantities, may produce all the effects of drunkenness.” Perhaps this isn’t Wilde’s wittiest, or most captivating quote, but it is accurate nevertheless. Without a doubt,

SciTech

Anti-vax and alternative facts

How could fake news be impacting meningitis vaccination rates in Ireland?

In recent weeks, there have been 11 cases of bacterial meningitis, or meningococcal disease, reported to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), the group responsible for monitoring outbreaks of infectious diseases in Ireland. Of these 11 cases, three of those

SciTech

Killer science: what makes Novichok so deadly?

The poisonings in Salisbury this year have drawn much media attention to nerve-agents. What are these poisons and why are they so potent?

For almost as long as there have been political rivalries and hierarchies, there have been people willing to kill in cold blood, either for personal or ideological advancement. Assassination is a concept as old as politics itself. The method-of-choice for