Setting cancer cells up to be gobbledSMALL PRINT: COULD BLOCKING a “don’t eat me” signal present on the surface of cancer cells help the immune system to better …Thu Mar 29 2012 - 01:00
Why can vitamin C help iron absorption?THAT’S THE WHY: We all need iron for our bodies to function: it’s an important component of haemoglobin, which carries oxygen…Tue Mar 20 2012 - 00:00
Health GemIf you do one thing this week... Take active breaks from prolonged sittingTue Mar 20 2012 - 00:00
Fancy feathers of oldSMALL PRINT: TODAY, FEATHERS are an important feature that help birds fly, keep them warm, and, in some cases, provide camouflage…Thu Mar 15 2012 - 00:00
An ethical approach to roboticsHOW CAN WE make sure robots uphold moral standards? There’s a need to address questions about ethical behaviour in autonomous…Thu Mar 15 2012 - 00:00
Got a science problem? Give it a hackThe bright ideas came thick and fast at Dublin’s Science Hack Day – and creative solutions were never far behindMon Mar 12 2012 - 00:00
Give me a crash course in . . . solar stormsNews reports have been mentioning a solar storm this week. What’s that? The sun is a fiery and gaseous placeSat Mar 10 2012 - 00:00
Wanted: overweight teens for health and nutrition studyRESEARCHERS IN Dublin are looking to recruit overweight teenagers to take part in a study on teen health and nutritionTue Mar 6 2012 - 00:00
Why might cardiovascular disease not be so modern?THAT’S THE WHY: It’s easy to think of cardiovascular disease as a “new” problem – and indeed it’s one of the leading causes …Tue Mar 6 2012 - 00:00
Health gemIf you do one thing this week... exercise to help your bones while youngTue Mar 6 2012 - 00:00
A red light for the immune systemWHEN A bug threatens to make you sick, your immune system typically swings into action to deal with the threatThu Mar 1 2012 - 00:00
Grey parrot was colourful at mathsSMALL PRINT: BACK IN 2010 we were fascinated by Paul the octopus and his ability to “predict” the winners in matches in the …Thu Mar 1 2012 - 00:00
Health gemIf you do one thing this week... avoid cigarettes for your mouth bacteriaTue Feb 28 2012 - 00:00
Why does Huntington's Disease run in families?THAT’S THE WHY : Huntington’s disease is a cruel condition: cells die away in particular regions of the brain and the patient…Tue Feb 28 2012 - 00:00
The great lunar land grabenSMALL PRINT: THE MOON shows signs of recent geological activity, according to a study from Nasa – although recent in this context…Thu Feb 23 2012 - 00:00
Venom with a positive punchSome of nature’s deadliest substances are proving to be unusual sources for beneficial drugs and therapiesThu Feb 23 2012 - 00:00
The keyring that can sequence DNASMALL PRINT: WE ARE all used to phones getting smaller and handier, but how about this: a device the size of a computer memory…Thu Feb 23 2012 - 00:00
Health GemIf you do one thing this week.... make pancakes with a healthier twistTue Feb 21 2012 - 00:00
Crafty plants time their defencesSMALL PRINT: FOR PLANTS, being rooted to the spot tends to restrict your options for getting away from creatures that want to…Thu Feb 16 2012 - 00:00
Why do we find a sense of humour desirable?THAT’S THE WHY: WOULD YOU be immediately attracted to someone who, by their own admission, had no sense of humour? Or might …Tue Feb 14 2012 - 00:00
Researchers aim to cut risk of cornea transplant rejectionRESEARCHERS IN Galway are developing a way to modify donor corneas before they are transplanted, with a view to reducing the …Tue Feb 14 2012 - 00:00
Mating song of old cricket recalledSMALL PRINT: IT’S INTRIGUING to see reconstructions from fossils of how animals looked in ages gone byThu Feb 9 2012 - 00:00
An ocean of possibilities on MarsSMALL PRINT: COULD MARS have harboured an ocean?Thu Feb 9 2012 - 00:00
Avian-flu research silencedDEBATE HAS been heating up over whether details of lab-modified avian-flu viruses that appear to spread readily between mammals…Thu Feb 2 2012 - 00:00
What's that you heard?SMALL PRINT: BY ANALYSING patterns of electrical activity in the brain, researchers in the US have been able to reconstruct …Thu Feb 2 2012 - 00:00
Why are we so interested in gossip?THAT’S THE WHY: CAN YOU resist hearing a bit of gossip? When someone says they have a juicy morsel of news about another person…Tue Jan 31 2012 - 00:00
Stem cells - where are we now?RESEARCH: STEM CELLS: two small words that can invoke enormous hype, hope and sometimes confusion.Fri Jan 27 2012 - 00:00
Origin of a 'speed gene' in horsesA ‘SPEED GENE’ in thoroughbred horses can be traced back to a single British mare that lived in the United Kingdom around 300…Thu Jan 26 2012 - 00:00
A trick of the light?WHEN INTENSE light shines into your eye your pupils typically reduce in size automatically to help protect the retina at the …Thu Jan 26 2012 - 00:00
Why can dogs walk on cold ground?THAT’S THE WHY: When I was growing up, it struck me that our dogs never minded running around in the snowTue Jan 24 2012 - 00:00
Serving up healthy tipsWeight gain can creep up on you. Holiday splurges, overeating and a lack of exercise can add inches to your waistlineTue Jan 17 2012 - 00:00
Health GemIF YOU DO ONE THING THIS WEEK... Get to know your weight measurementTue Jan 17 2012 - 00:00
Small PrintSubterranean snack attack FEELING PECKISH? A plant species in Brazil has an interesting strategy for getting food: it snares…Thu Jan 12 2012 - 00:00
Why does cold weather help cold and flu viruses?THAT’S THE WHY: “Wrap up or you’ll catch your deathTue Jan 10 2012 - 00:00
Banishing the office bluesSMALLPRINT: ARE YOU FEELING a bit glum about being back in an office after the Christmas break and commuting to and from work…Thu Jan 5 2012 - 00:00
A new spin on silk productionSMALLPRINT: SILK HAS LONG been a prized material for textiles, and can be used in surgery for suturesThu Jan 5 2012 - 00:00
Why do we have fine hair on our bodies?THAT’S THE WHY: We are not overly hairy creatures – at least compared with non-human primates – but we still have fine hairs…Tue Jan 3 2012 - 00:00