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Environment
Why Do We See Green?
We may grumble about the rain but its one of the reasons Ireland has a vibrant green landscape earning it the name of the Emerald Isle. The North Atlantic drift keeps the climate temperate, offloads a lot of rain and keeps our vegetation…
Does Wolf Rewilding Make A Positive Impact?
Researchers have analysed over 2000 wolf howls to better understand how they communicate. By observing their behaviour we know that wolves howl to communicate over long distances, to keep their pack together on the move, and to defend their…
Olm my goodness!
Truly, olms have all the making of a vicious predator. In their cave habitats, they are at the top of the food chain. They are the largest cave-dwelling vertebrates in Europe, have exceptional hearing, devour their prey whole, enjoy eternal…
Should music put a price on nature?
Have you ever tried to put a price on a walk through a forest or the inspiration from a river you cross on the way to work everyday? Probably not, but the value of nature is something we should pay more attention to and even incorporate…
The Power To Power Ourselves
In the depths of the Anglo-Irish Economic war of the 1930s the Irish were told to burn everything British but their coal. Thankfully Irish relations with the British have vastly improved but amidst the economic depression was buried a…
The 5 stages of climate change grief
Last week's piece, 'what's the deal with carbon emission deals at COP21 Paris' was described as scary. This got me thinking about how we respond to the terrifying and overwhelming nature of the problem of climate change. The intention was…
Water On Mars: So What Now?
The announcement this week of finding running water on the Martian surface was big news, your Facebook and Twitter feeds were filled with the revelation and people rushed to find the closet Airbnb next to the picturesque rivers of the Red…
Shot of Science: Who owns the Arctic, Nano Origami, GM crops & Extinction
Extinction is bad news for parasites, too
Species extinction doesn’t just mean loss of biodiversity of host species; it spells out bad news for parasites, too. In fact, in certain parasite-host network structures, the loss of the host…
Sea for Society: Surfers Against Sewage and the Science of Ireland’s Water
Last week, in Dublin’s Science Gallery, Sea for Society delivered an evening of talks about and by people whose daily lives revolve around the ocean. Sea for Society is a European Project funded by DG Research & Innovation under the…
The Leap Second: Will The World End Tonight?
As the end of today comes to a close something peculiar will happen, it won’t end. At least not for another second. Today, Tuesday 30th June 2015 will be the 26th occurrence of a Leap Second since its introduction in 1972. The clocks will…