On The Radar

The pick of the science news

Capturing carbon

Some of Ireland’s carbon emissions may be buried off the coast of Kinsale or in Strangford Lough, a conference on carbon capture and storage will hear next week. In conjunction with the conference, the Academy/Irish Times debate, Carbon Capture and Climate Change, will take place next Thursday at 6pm in the Dublin Castle Conference Centre.

The debate, which is open to the public, will feature international experts and will be chaired by Irish Times science editor Dick Ahlstrom. Book free places at ria.ie.

Both the conference and the public debate are organised by the Royal Irish Academy, the Geological Survey of Ireland and the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, with sponsorship from Shell, ESBI and The Irish Times.

Neglected brain

Childhood stress, involving abuse or emotional neglect, can result in structural changes in the brain, particularly when combined with genetic factors, according to a new study from Trinity College Dublin.

The study used high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging and childhood stress assessments to examine 24 patients with major depression and 27 controls.

“This improved neurobiological understanding shows how stress and genetic variants interact and affect brain structure and function. In turn, it demonstrates how it could affect a person’s propensity for depression,” said researcher Prof Thomas Frodl of the study, published in the international scientific journal, Neuropsychopharmacology.

I don't use a computer.

Clive Sinclair, who launched the Sinclair ZX80 30 years ago as an affordable home computer, interviewed in the Guardian