Incoming ‘comet’ may be alien and a threat to humanity, astronomer says Harvard University professor says encounter could be ‘a blind date of interstellar proportions’ An interstellar comet barrelling through the solar system towards Earth at 60km a second could be alien technology, a leading…

Life forms are even more threatened by global warming than previously thought, Trinity College research shows ‘Universal thermal performance curve’ means life cannot adapt well to extremes of temperature Life forms are more threatened by with rising global temperatures and less able to cope with…

‘Highly harmful’ invasive species tracked by citizen scientists using Instagram photos Photos posted on Instagram by “citizen scientists” are tracking an invasive plant species that is “highly harmful” to Ireland’s native plants and disruptive for pollinators. By analysing over 1,700 photos from…

Technology breakthrough helps refrigeration and data centre sectors meet climate goals Irish company Exergyn has developed approach to avoid high costs of heating and cooling systems The ubiquitous heating and cooling technology used today in everything from heat pumps to refrigerators and air…

How playing music and video games can help slow brain ageing – new study Researchers in Ireland involved in work on brain ageing and creativity Taking a dance class, playing a musical instrument, or even taking part in a video game can help people stay sharp into old age. That’s according to new…

I'm looking to contact any Irish researcher or institution that is involved with the proposed @esa mission to Enceladus. Get in touch at [email protected]

Trinity College astronomers discover ‘Northern Lights’ on distant planet Astronomers at Trinity College Dublin have discovered ‘Northern Lights’, similar to those seen on Earth, around a distant planet 20 light years away. A team led by Johanna Vos, Associate Professor of Physics at Trinity…

Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies at 85: from Schrödinger’s catalyst to the final frontier The institute has been a unique fixture in Ireland, and now, with space central to its future, the sky is no limit Although it has rarely attracted the attention of the Irish public, Dublin Institute for…

Bees and butterflies don’t have enough natural habitat left globally to survive, researchers warn Bees and butterflies do not have enough natural habitat to survive in Ireland or globally, an international study has found. Pollinators, which are crucial to the health of ecosystems, require between…

‘Everyone from farmers to emergency responders are benefiting’ – how AI is changing the future of weather forecasting It took science about 40 to 50 years to reach the stage where weather could be predicted with around 80pc accuracy. But in the past few years alone, AI has helped forecasters to…

We've said goodbye to EIRSAT-1 but this was just the beginning of @ucddublin.bsky.social & Ireland's space journey 🛰️ Read @sciencespinning.bsky.social interview w/ UCD VP- Research Innovation & Impact Prof Kate Robson Brown, our 'High flier taking UCD towards the stars' 💫 www.ucd.ie/research/new...

‘These sports are the ultimate test of knee stability’: GAA players have similar recovery rates from ACL injury to professional athletes A major new study has found that almost 90pc of GAA players who suffer ACL injury have a similar recovery rate to professional sports. The work involved…

First Irish-designed satellite to fall from orbit and burn up this week – but it will leave a legacy for science Eirsat-1 was built by UCD staff and students, as part of an educational programme by the European Space Agency The first fully Irish-designed satellite is set to fall out of orbit this…

Autumn disruption: Early blackberries and conkers are bad news for the natural environment, say Irish scientists ‘Climate chaos’ is disrupting Ireland’s plants, which will have a knock-on affect on the animals that rely on them to survive In the hedgerows and woodlands of Ireland, autumn has been…

Irish scientist helps crack mystery of how humans came to stand on two legs Human beings first developed the ability to stand on two legs following two critical evolutionary changes to the ilium in the upper part of the pelvis. This finding is reported today in top journal Nature by an…

Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/s...

HL: Extreme marine heatwave in waters off the Irish coast. My page 1 story in @irishtimes.com today

Irish-developed device to treat tinnitus ‘significantly’ reduces symptoms, clinical trial finds A device developed in Ireland to treat the hearing condition tinnitus, which affects 15pc of all adults, has ‘significantly’ reduced people’s symptoms. “Many people experience short-term, or transient,…

OCD is often treated as something benign or even desirable. "I'm a bit OCD...." etc.. It's time that attitudes changed to this serious, chronic, hard-to-treat, and debilitating disorder. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/n...

Interesting how the same question can be answered in very different ways by different AI systems. Who's correct?

The brain remembers ‘cold experiences’ through physical and chemical changes – called engrams – that then tell the body to make more heat. That’s according to new research published today in the journal Nature by an international team of scientists, including Professor Tomas Ryan, School of…

Hay fever and asthma sufferers face more severe symptoms due to agricultural fertilisers – study Hay fever and asthma sufferers are likely to be enduring more severe symptoms at this time of year due to widespread use of nitrogen to fertilise crops in Ireland, according to a new study. Commenting…

I'm looking to talk to someone who suffers from Chronic Hay Fever, for a piece I'm doing for @irishtimes.com Please get in touch at e: [email protected] Thanks!

Irish study to assess dementia risk from sports-related brain injury in 360 retired athletes A study led by Trinity College Dublin (TCD) that aims to establish how sports-related traumatic brain injuries affect brain health in mid-life before dementia shows up has begun. Scientists including…

Call for urgent action as Asian hornets pose ‘grave threat to Irish bees and biodiversity’ Ireland must ramp up its biosecurity and surveillance measures to prevent invasive Asian hornets devastating bee populations across Europe, an expert has warned. Collie Ennis, biodiversity officer at Trinity…

Hi there. I'm looking to speak to the family of someone who has been affected by sports-injury related dementia. I'm doing a piece on new research that has been conducted into this area. #Alzheimer's #Braininjury

Early human species lived across more of the world than was thought An early human species – the Denisovans – who went extinct 25,000 years ago – lived across more of the world than was thought, according to new research by a UCD-based archaeologist. Meaghan Mackie, a third year PhD candidate from…

Pink moon visible in Irish skies early tomorrow morning – here’s how you can see it and all you need to know about rare phenomenon If you are up in the early hours of tomorrow morning watching Netflix, or heading home from a night out, you might look up and see what’s known as a pink moon. The…

Paludiculture could see Ireland’s peatlands store vast amounts of carbon and yield profit The Brazilian rainforest is thought of as the world’s greatest “carbon sink”, yet our wet Irish peatlands store four times as much carbon per hectare, while also yielding a range of profitable products such…

Story on burials at passage tombs at Newgrange made the front page of @irishtimes.com this morning. Featuring Dr Neil Carlin and Prof Jessica Smyth from the School of Archaeology @ucddublin.bsky.social HL: Newgrange tombs not just burial places for elite

Breakthrough by DCU researcher promises improved ‘chemo’ with fewer side effects Chemotherapy is set to become better at treating cancer, while also carrying fewer debilitating side effects, thanks to a new drug delivery method which has been developed by a chemistry professor at Dublin City…

Love when the Cherry Blossom in the front garden comes out. The unoficial start of summer ☀️☀️🌞🕶️

Infants Not Protected in National Emergency – Says TUD Report  The government has no specific plans to protect infants and young children in Ireland in the event of a national emergency, say authors of a new report. During storm Éowyn in January researchers monitored social media, said Dr Aileen…

Falls, Bogs and Bovaer Spoke to Pat Byrne on Dundalk FM's Town Talk today, 26/03/25, about: The new evidence of how dog walking prevents life-threatening falls in people 60 or over. How wet bogs can earn farmers additional income while reducing Ireland's carbon emissions. How the food supplement -…

Walking a dog reduces risk of falling among the over-60s, new study finds Regular dog-walking at least four times a week has been found to reduce the risk of falls in older people – the most common cause of accidental death in over-60s. “We showed that people who walk their dog four times per week…

Irish dairy and beef sectors have the tools to tackle methane emissions Methane is an immensely challenging problem for the Irish dairy and beef sectors, but science is providing the means – mainly through new feed additives and breeding techniques – to reduce associated emissions. When ruminant…

Blood moon to be visible in Irish skies early on Friday morning Early risers on Friday will be treated to the spectacle of the moon turning blood red as it drops towards the horizon. The celestial display is due to a total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event that last occurred back in November…

I'm reading an extract from a novel I'm working on at this event on Saturday afternoon stpatricksfestival.ie/events/write...

Leading thinkers gather to honour Ireland’s greatest mathematician William Rowan Hamilton Irish mathematician William Rowan Hamilton died in 1865 but his work remains critical for many scientists today, such as space flight engineers, protein biologists and artificial intelligence researchers.…

‘A great success story for the Irish space strategy’: Technology designed in Dublin guiding Mars fly-by Technology designed in Dublin will assist a European Space Agency (ESA) spacecraft called Hera as it navigates a close fly-by of Mars on Wednesday. An instrument designed by InnaLabs Ltd in…

Got a science story to tell? If so, I'd love to hear it. Get in touch at [email protected]

Crucial Gut Bacteria is Missing in Children with Cystic Fibrosis, New Research Shows Infants with Cystic Fibrosis lack crucial ‘beneficial bacteria’ in their gut’s bacteria according to new research. Scientists say this opens the door to dietary treatments for CF that provide infants with the…

Astronomy Week 2025 to highlight rare planetary alignment Goal is to inspire next generation of astronomers with theme ‘Our place amongst the stars’ Irish astronomy week, which begins this weekend and runs to March 8th, will coincide with the “great planetary alignment” taking place in our skies.…

Lonely Ireland is not doing enough to tackle killer epidemic The US Surgeon General has called loneliness a public health crisis, and an epidemic on a par with smoking and obesity.  Ireland, which has been found to be the loneliest EU nation, is not doing enough to tackle something research has…

Some news: I have finished up as Science and Health Editor at Newsweek. They have decided to shutter their UK/Ireland based science team, which I led. I'm returning to my previous role as contributor to The Irish Times and others. If you have a science story get in touch!

Trump Killed a Major Report on Nature. They’re Trying to Publish It Anyway. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/c...