New discoveries are made every day of the week. While institutions and laboratories around the world always seem to be reporting on a new cures to diseases, there are still plenty of terminal illnesses, new bacterial infections and viruses that …
Dylan is an SF Medicinal Chemist studying at Trinity College Dublin, and is the Science & Technology Editor.
New bacteria-killing antibiotic discovered in major breakthrough
Microbiologist Brian Conlon and Professor Tim Foster from Trinity’s microbiology department talk to Dylan Lynch about the recent discovery of the world’s first antibiotic in 30 years.
Ever since the accidental discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming in the basement of St Mary’s Hospital, London, antibiotics have become a core defense against bacterial infections. Mass production began in the early 1940s, primarily due to war efforts which …
‘Awareness is important, almost more so than funding’
Dylan Lynch talks to Dr. Shaun Boomfield, the Trinity physicist leading a novel space forecasting project that was awarded €2.5m in European Commission funding last week.
For Trinity research fellow Dr. Shaun Bloomfield, the European Commission’s commitment to fund FLARECAST, a project aimed at forecasting solar flares, to the tune of €2.5m is about more than money.
“Awareness is important, almost more so than funding,” he …
Do we need to start worrying about the pill?
The first ever method of birth control was used by the Ancient Egyptians. They used cotton, dates, honey and acacia as a suppository, which coincidentally worked as fermented acacia, which is proven to have spermicidal properties. There was very little …
Sexism remains an everyday challenge for female science students
When Mieke Guinan, a second-year medicinal chemistry student and the current treasurer of the Dublin University Gender Equality Society (DUGES), finished a difficult maths assignment well before a deadline last year, her male colleagues couldn’t believe a woman had worked …
NASA’s Antares rocket explodes seconds after lift-off
A private space shuttle operated by NASA has burst into flames shortly after take-off this evening just above Virginia in the USA. The shuttle, which departed from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, was carrying over 2,200 kilograms of food and tools …
Ebola: what you need to know
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past six months, you will have heard of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak. This outbreak began in Guinea, West Africa, in December 2013, but was not detected until March …
Chemistry of a first year’s body
The transition to university from secondary education can be monumental in a young person’s life. Old friendships break down while new ones form; you find new interests and uncover more about yourself than ever before. Many visible changes happen during …
Planet Earth’s most terrifying fungus
Dylan Lynch on the most frightening fungus family on the planet
Dylan Lynch
Science & Tech Editor
You may have seen every zombie movie released in the last decade, and played every game about the undead on the market, but did you know that some of the plots may not be …
Alli is NOT your Ally
Dylan Lynch details the latest contamination claims circulating around GSK’s weight loss drug ‘Alli’.
Dylan Lynch
Science & Tech Editor
Alli is a weight loss drug produced by the British company GlaxoSmithKline, or GSK, which is mainly manufactured at the Beecham Chemical Plant in Cork, Ireland. The active ingredient, Orlistat, is supposedly effective at …