An interview with Dr Lyndsay Fletcher, Glasgow University, about solar weather, recorded for Scibernia in June 2011. Guth: Finding A Voice · #11: When Are Bloggers Media?
Tag: scientific discovery
Dunsink Observatory and Dublin Mean Time
I recently visited Dunsink observatory to do a piece for Scibernia. You can listen to the piece below, or visit the Scibernia website to hear the entire show, including insect-eating and the science behind invisibility cloaks. Click here to listen: Guth: Finding A Voice · #8: Dublin Time at Dunsink Observatory
Scibernia: The SFI Think-In
I’m an occasional contributor to Scibernia, the Science podcast also broadcast on Near fm. Too occasional, unfortunately. While I’ve done a few reports for the project, scheduling problems mean I rarely get a chance to sit in on the studio recordings. I do however manage the occasional piece, such as when I travelled to the… Continue reading Scibernia: The SFI Think-In
Concern at post-graduate cutbacks
The director general of the statutory body charged with funding basic science research has expressed his concern at proposals to abolish funding for postgraduate students. Dr Graham Love was speaking at the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Summit in Athlone, an annual event bringing together researchers funded by the body to carry out basic scientific research… Continue reading Concern at post-graduate cutbacks
The Wild Irish
“Politics with Hidden Bases” looked at Irish TDs, and found Fianna Fáil TDs are more likely than average to have Gaelic surnames, while Fine Gael have an above-average number of Old English surnames. The explanation offered is that in patriarchal households, so you vote like your Da, not your Ma, and the Gaels are rebels.… Continue reading The Wild Irish
News talk
Yesterday, the news cycle covered Conor Lenihan’s proposed launch of a book on creationism. The science minister began by defending the gig as a favour to a friend, then the story went away when the invitation was withdrawn. This afternoon Sean Moncrieff interviewed the author, John J May. Among the tweets in response to the… Continue reading News talk
In the beginning was the word
There was a time when book burning mattered. Once upon a time, religions enforced dictates by burning books containing the wrong opinions. To be orthodox was, literally, to hold the right opinion. And just in case that didn’t work, heretics were burned at the stake for good measure. At the end of the medieval era,… Continue reading In the beginning was the word
Failure to communicate
I attended a seminar on the chilling effects of libel this evening, hosted by the Science Gallery in TCD. Simon Singh spoke about his successful fight against the British Chiropractic Association, and Peter Wilmshurst spoke of his ongoing battle with NMT Medical, a US medical devices maker. Two lawyers also addressed the gathering. After a… Continue reading Failure to communicate
It’s Alive!
This week, scientists created artificial life. Well, sort of. Truth is, once you snip away the press release puff and spin, it’s more a case that scientists copied life. Here’s how the BBC reported what happened: ‘The researchers copied an existing bacterial genome. They sequenced its genetic code and then used synthesis machines to chemically… Continue reading It’s Alive!
Spider Spider
On Tuesday morning, the nation awoke to the news that killer spiders were on the rampage in Leixlip. Mike Carter, a tourist from Australia staying in the town, identified the deadly arachnid as an immigrant from the antipodes. ‘It could have come in in a crate if something was imported from Australia,’ he told Morning… Continue reading Spider Spider