Archive for March, 2012

30 Mar

Are rich people more likely to lie, cheat and drive aggressively?

Posted by seanduke in CONTROVERSY, HUMAN BEHAVIOUR. Tagged: , , , .


BMW drivers, like the one pictured here, were voted the angriest drivers in Britain in a survey of 3,000 road users there (credit: ukautoblog.com)

We all might have suspected it, but now studies from the USA are confirming it. Wealthier people are more likely to lie, cheat and behave selfishly than others – up to three times more likely in fact.

These are the results of an experiment which monitored car users in California and their behaviour at busy junctions. Those driving the expensive cars behaved a lot worse, on average.

Follow-up experiments with people in the laboratory confirmed the same result.

LISTEN: Interview with radio host Declan Meehan

Broadcast on East Coast FM’s The Morning Show with Declan Meehan on 08-03-2012

30 Mar

Young Irish scientist describes work at MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Lab

Posted by seanduke in COMPUTER SCIENCE, YOUNG SCIENTISTS. Tagged: , , , , , .


The human-like robot, pictured here, called COG, is one of the exciting projects under development at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in the US (Credit: Sam Ogden)

Ireland has many promising and talented young researchers. One of those is Dr James McDermott, who has just returned to the UCD following a stint at the famous MIT Computer Science Artificial Intelligence Lab.

James, who is based at the Complex and Adaptive Systems Laboratory (CASL) is working in the ‘exploding’ area of evolutionary computation. This is the field where computer scientists are gaining inspiration from Darwinian evolution to design advanced computers that can better learn, change and evolve.

We discussed the latest developments in evolutionary computation and artificial intelligence with James, as well as his experience of working with some of the world’s most talented computer scientists at MIT.

LISTEN: Interview with Dr James McDermott

Broadcast on Science Spinning on 103.2 Dublin City FM on 22.03.2012

30 Mar

Solar Cell material breakthrough at TCD

Posted by seanduke in ENGINEERING, INDUSTRY, MATERIALS. Tagged: , , , , .


Solar Cells like these have been typically made with silicon, but silicon is an expensive material (Credit: Terry O’Rourke)

Solar energy has huge potential, in Ireland and around the world. For example, scientists have calculated that the entire energy needs of the USA could be provided by solar cells covering two per cent of that nation’s landmass.

Two per cent sounds an awful lot to cover, in a country the size of the US, but this figure corresponds to the area taken up by the country’s motorway and highway network, and the area covered by all of the nation’s rooftops.

It might be a difficult proposition, therefore, but with the will and investment it could be done, in the US or elsewhere.

The thing that is holding such an ambitious project back right now is the fact that the primary material used to make solar cells these days is silicon. Silicon, derived from sand, is expensive, so another economically viable material needs to be found.

The good news is Professor Igor Shvets and his team at TCD and CRANN have developed a cheaper and better option to silicon solar cells. It’s chromium dioxide – with the addition of some nitrogen and magnesium atoms – and it is proving a very promising material indeed.

Researchers believe it could pave the way to huge deployment of solar cells, and also lead to improved flat screen TVs, and other electronic devices.

LISTEN: Interview with Professor Igor Shvets

Broadcast on Science Spinning on 103.2 Dublin City FM on 22.03.2012

23 Mar

Africa holds the key to Ireland’s asthma problem

Posted by seanduke in AUTO-IMMUNE DISEASE, CONTROVERSY, TELEVISION. Tagged: , , , , , .


Ireland has one of the highest incidence of asthma in the world, and the problem shows no signs of going away. So, why is it that asthma is increasing everywhere in the developed world, and Ireland in particular?

Meanwhile, in less developed countries, such as many African nations, asthma is rarely seen.

Professor Padraic Fallon, based at the Institute for Molecular Medicine at TCD, a renowned asthma researcher. Prof Fallon said that he has been focused on identifying the factors that make African children resistant to asthma.

WATCH VIDEO:

First broadcast on Ireland AM

23 Mar

Better test for lung cancer at St James’s Dublin

Posted by seanduke in CANCER, TELEVISION. Tagged: , , , , .


Lung cancer is the biggest among men with cancer in Ireland each year, and the second biggest killer of women. There are approximately 1,800 cases of lung cancer each year in Ireland.

At St James’s Hospital in Dublin about 450 cases of lung cancer are seen each year. Dr Joe Keane, Respiratory Consultant  at St James’, and has team, have devised a technique that could help to diagnose lung cancer earlier.

The earlier the diagnosis, the better the chance people have to survive, and the tragedy is that many cases of lung cancer arrive in hospital too late for doctors to be able to do anything to help.

WATCH VIDEO:

Broadcast on 01.07.2009 on Ireland AM

23 Mar

Are Irish people eating themselves to death?

Posted by seanduke in CONTROVERSY, OBESITY and DIABETES, TELEVISION. Tagged: , , , , .


Experts estimate that 2,500 Irish people per year die as a result of being obese. Shockingly, 24 per cent of Irish adults are now obese, while 20 per cent of 5 to 12 year olds are either obese or overweight.

Despite this huge and growing threat to public health problem, there is only one clinic in Ireland specialising in the treatment of obesity and related problems.

This clinic is at Loughlinstown Hospital in Dublin, and the consultant in charge is Professor Donal O’Shea.

WATCH VIDEO:

Broadcast 02.06.2009 on Ireland AM

22 Mar

Is free will an illusion?

Posted by seanduke in CONTROVERSY, NEUROSCIENCE. Tagged: , .


Free will. It goes to the core of being human, and defines what distinguishes us from the animals. It even underpins the basis for many religions. For example, freely choosing to follow Jesus, some believe, is the only path to heaven. 

New findings from brain scans indicate that free will may be an illusion, as these scans clearly show that decisions are made in our brains, before we are even consciously aware of them. 

To find out more:

LISTEN: Is free will an illusion? 

Broadcast on The Morning Show with Declan Meehan, 22.03.2012 

21 Mar

Is Ireland’s ‘science push’ policy a failure?

Posted by seanduke in CONTROVERSY, POLLS. Tagged: .


20 Mar

Why are allergies rising in the developed world?

Posted by seanduke in AUTO-IMMUNE DISEASE, CONTROVERSY. Tagged: , , , , , .


Natalie Brennan, 3rd year science student at NUI Maynooth, and winner of the 2012 Whittaker Award with biology lecturer at NUIM, and a judge on the night, Dr David Fitzpatrick.

The incidence of asthma, eczema and other allergies is rising in the developed world, with Ireland right at the top of the list in terms of the ratio of people affected.

Why is this happening?

We discuss this with Natalie Brennan, a 3rd year, science student,w ho recently won the 34th annual NUI Maynooth Whitakker Award for her talk on an allergic condition called Eosinophilic Esophagitis.

Natalie’s eight-year old son is affected by the condition.

LISTEN: Interview with Natalie Brennan

Broadcast on Science Spinning on 103.2 Dublin City FM on 15.03.2012

16 Mar

Odds of finding ET life just got better

Posted by seanduke in ASTRONOMY, SPACE. Tagged: , , , , , , .


This image shows the Sun, Moon and Earth (not to scale) together with the ‘Earthshine’. Earthshine is caused by sunlight reflecting off the Earth first to the Moon and then back again to Earth(Credit: Enric Palle, Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, Spain).

The odds of finding extra-terrestrial life on Earth-like planets outside our own Solar System have suddenly improved.

This is thanks to the pioneering work of a team of astronomers including Dr Stefano Bagnulo based at Armagh Observatory.

The international team have devised a way to filter out the bright light coming from a nearby Star which blocked the view of astronomers when they were trying to look at a planet that might have life.

They team also came up with a definitive way to test for the presence of life on other planets – by looking at Earth from space.

This was achieved using the Moon as a large mirror to look back at Earth. Scientists know that light from the Earth bounces off part of the Moon’s surface and is reflected back to Earth, as ‘Earthshine’.

The signatures of life on Earth, in terms of composition of gases, can be determined by looking in detail at the information in Earthshine.

The scientists found that a unique ratio of gases are present in the Earth’s atmosphere that can only be explained by the action of living organisms. If life didn’t exist here, the gases would interact, and different ratios would be observed.

So if something similar is observed on another planet, it can only mean one thing: Life exists there. This can be determined with certainty without the need to physically travel to that planet.

This could be the method by which life is first discovered on another planet in coming years!

LISTEN: Interview with Dr Stefano Bagnulo

Broadcast on Science Spinning on 103.2 Dublin City FM on 15.03.2012

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