Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy begins with the observation that “space is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is.” The vast scale of the cosmos and its billions of galaxies …
scitech
Science in Brief
Katarzyna reports on the most recent ground-breaking news in science
Scientists make the first ever time crystals that break time
Time crystals were hypothesized in 2012 by Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek. At first, many other physicists dismissed the possibility of the existence of such objects. However, at the beginning of …
Regenerative medicine and the role of chimeras
Jack Schofield describes the chimeras in medicine and their future in saving people’s live
Genetic Chimera
“A genetic chimera, in contrast, is just biological tissue that contains cells and DNA of multiple species.”
The complex terminology and nomenclature used by scientists is often criticised for being difficult to read or understand. Scientists can, however, …
The struggles and contributions of Marie Curie
Katarzyna Siewierska writes about Marie Curie as a tribute to all female scientists, who made contributions to science, but also showed strength of character and determination in overcoming the challenges of being a female scientist, inspiring generations of female scientists
The glass ceiling
…“In the late 19th century, the Sorbonne enrolled a new female student from Warsaw, Poland. She came to France to study physics and mathematics upon her sister’s invitation after a bad break up with her first love.
Wonders of nanotechnology and material science
Aoife describes the origins of nanotechnology and material science and discusses their potential applications in medicine and agriculture
“As soon as I mention this, people tell me about miniaturization, and how far it has progressed today. They tell me about electric motors that are the size of the nail on your small finger. And there is a device …
Humanities and health
Finding meaning in medicine
“Health is wealth”, as the old adage goes and indeed our health dictates many aspects of our day-to-day life. We rely on our health for all aspects of our life – we need it to work, play and to function …
HFEA granted permission to genetically modify human embryos in the UK
Turlough discusses the possible research outcomes carried out by the pioneering developmental biologist Dr. Kathy Niakan.
Last week, scientists at the Francis Crick Institute in London received the go-ahead to edit the genomes of human embryos from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). It didn’t take long for other scientists to begin issuing statements about …
Gay penguins and bisexual bonobos: sexual diversity in the animal kingdom
Carol O’Brien discusses how homosexuality fits in the theory of evolution and observed sexually diverse relationships between some animal species.
For a long time same-sex relationships were thought not to exist in nature outside of humans. This is a powerful thought that still exists in the minds of many recent referendum ‘no voters’, but one that is in fact, not …
What is FameLab?
Conor describes the fantastic science communications competition FameLab. This years finals will be held in Science Gallery in Trinity.
On the 9 April 2016, the FameLab Ireland final is coming to the Science gallery in Trinity College Dublin. An event which hosts the most enthusiastic and riveting three minute speeches in science. FameLab is one of the biggest science …
Valentine’s day animal style: strangest mating behaviours in nature
In the spirit of Valentine’s day, Katarzyna Siewierska describes some bizarre mating rituals and unexpected physical characteristics.
The bees … and exploding genitalia!
The mating ritual in bees is so bizarre you won’t want to believe it, but it is true. It all starts with a queen bee being bred in a special cell in the beehive. …