tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969584507920973632024-10-24T17:00:49.292-07:00Be SUSsed about new discoveriesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-8626950779014692402013-03-26T10:10:00.000-07:002013-03-26T10:10:58.354-07:00

Here is a copy of the article I did for the Spring Edition of The Walton. You can read more here. Over the past year in Ireland, there has been much excitement with regards to gene therapy, with a couple of potentially ground-breaking developments occurring. So let’s pause and look at what gene therapy is, how it is currently being used and perhaps look towards the future. Gene Therapy

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-41564493682613323722012-09-12T04:42:00.000-07:002012-09-12T04:44:45.136-07:00

Here is another blog I write: cleverbugblog.wordpress.com

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-41564264378396507262012-09-12T04:35:00.000-07:002012-09-12T04:43:40.435-07:00

And so the panic may begin again.  A new flu virus found in pigs in Korea may have the potential to infect humans. We aren’t that similar to pigs in our genes, but we are pretty close to ferrets… and they are getting sick too. And the virus grew in human tissue in the lap. It is interesting to note, and I did not know this, is that ferrets are the favoured proxy for humans in flu

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-70644515912501541972012-07-09T01:58:00.001-07:002012-07-09T01:58:55.415-07:00

So I started a new job working in software licensing - I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Little did I know, that this is something we are all involved in, and it pays to know a little more about what it's all about. Sure, it's not quite science, but unless you are careful you can end up getting into trouble. So here it is - what software licensing is all about! People often seem to

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-78641183728980939172012-06-14T03:34:00.000-07:002012-06-14T03:34:09.948-07:00

It has been far too long, and I promise to find some newsy item to write on, but for now, check out this new blog that I am managing... http://wp.me/p11yyP-4W (its all about what software licencing, which is actually really important (it's news to me!) enjoy

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-46078675801037250192012-04-17T16:00:00.000-07:002012-04-17T16:00:47.459-07:00

Being asked to define or explain cloud computing is like being asked to pet Schrodinger’s cat: you just can’t. Not easily anyway. The name suggests as much, but is it really that vague? A buzzword made so popular recently with the likes of iCloud, Dropbox and Microsoft Sharepoint, is it just that, a buzzword? Or is there something more? With headlines littering the news daily, and with every

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-48863495203052133122012-04-02T07:40:00.000-07:002012-04-02T12:19:15.159-07:00

This time of year, memory is on everybody’s minds. With late night cramming and early morning panicking – ‘tis the season of exams. So with all this stress you may want dabble with various calming chemicals – rescue remedy, copious amounts of tea and cigarettes, perhaps all with dash of alcohol, and maybe a shneaky shmoke, but is that actually a good idea? Mary-jane, gunja, weed, pot,

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-47276886799037038142012-03-06T05:46:00.002-08:002012-03-06T05:46:58.238-08:00

Check this out: http://www.sciencespin.com/, especially the February issue, page 22!

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-78447590701574264272012-02-27T13:25:00.004-08:002012-04-02T12:18:20.422-07:00

When Timothy Leary (renowned psychologist) advised his generation to “turn on” by taking psychedelic drugs, he got it all wrong. The truth is, turning off parts of the brain may be the real secret to expanding your mind, a new study of hallucinogenic mushrooms finds. (A version of this article appeared in Motley, UCC's official magazine in the Feb Issue, 2012) The study involved

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-72151191999250488112012-02-14T07:11:00.000-08:002012-04-02T12:18:03.073-07:00

 This is all gonna be pretty exciting - stay tuned for more news concerning this... 'Dublin has been chosen to host Europe’s largest science conference, ESOF 2012 (Euroscience Open Forum), from 11-15 July, 2012. To celebrate this prestigious, international event in Dublin, the City of Science 2012, an innovative science themed festival will run throughout the year across the island

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-19899914797199115612012-01-27T13:03:00.000-08:002012-04-02T12:17:45.166-07:00

I always knew that there was power in music, but this blows my mind! A new type of miniature medical sensor that is implanted in the body can be powered by a driving bass rhythm. The sensor would be used to measure pressure changes in parts of the body, helping those with aneurisms or incontinence due to paralysis.  The way that it works is thus: There is a tiny vibrating

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-37481066347956237822012-01-25T02:02:00.000-08:002012-04-02T12:16:55.166-07:00

Getting too hot? Sitting by the fire for too long? Try yawning... apparently... According to researchers from Yale University and the University of Maryland, YAWNING may act to cool the brain when it gets too hot. Yawning opes up the sinuses located to the left and right of the nose, so that letting air into these places would reduce brain temperature. Researchers argue that yawining is a

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-24963706569978107692012-01-21T08:56:00.000-08:002012-01-25T01:34:36.875-08:00

I dont know why so many of these articles have to do with sleep patterns - I must be lacking in those REM cycles. Its not surprising though, two jobs and a full-time masters would keep anyone running in circles. Ah, but I do love that feeling, just when you are dozing off, when you no longer think...well here is something you can think of when you can't sleep! Never let the sun go down on

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-35677186428544424262012-01-11T07:20:00.000-08:002012-01-25T01:34:53.870-08:00

Apparently, according to research done at the Weizmann Institute (in Israel), how we rate a certain smells (i.e. whether they are pleasant or not) has to do with an organizing principle for the way we smell. At a deeper level, certain nerves respond to particular scents and it is this connection that allowed researchers to tell whether their test subject found a smell pleasant or unpleasant.

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-26022720252164216152011-11-01T09:58:00.000-07:002012-01-25T01:35:16.755-08:00

It's been a while since I posted here. This article interested me and I wanted people to know about the study. I’m from South Africa where just under 20% of the population is living with HIV/Aids. This is all news to me! Apparently using hormonal contraception (i.e. the pill or Depo injection) are at double the risk of getting infected with HIV. On top of that, HIV-infected women who use

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-3690488412811668022011-09-20T02:32:00.000-07:002011-09-20T02:34:18.679-07:00

I watched The Knowing last night, and despite negative reviews, I actually quite liked it. *SPOILER ALERT*. It ends with the entire planet Earth being incinerated by a gigantic solar flare. What really interested me was that my weekly NASA Science News email that I got today was about solar flares. So instead of writing a big spiel dissecting the workings of the sun, I thought I would instead

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-48098544785229931482011-09-13T06:06:00.000-07:002012-01-25T01:35:35.796-08:00

While travelling recently, I made the mistake of wandering into Tiffany's in the airport. I was quite tempted to have breakfast, but resisted the urge. I have always liked diamonds, but those sparkling, glittering magnificent stones, set so perfectly were something else - I am in love. I just hope my boyfriend doesn't mind. I think I now know their secret... An international research team

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-18552150692860271962011-08-31T08:06:00.000-07:002012-01-25T01:35:57.280-08:00

In honour of the fact that I am graduating next week, I thought I would scout out some of the new developments that are happening in my college. Seems like I will be eating more yoghurt from now on... An article publishind in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA outlined a collaborative project that showed that mice who were fed with a type of bacteria

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-50181985577437943732011-08-30T03:55:00.000-07:002012-04-02T12:15:26.618-07:00

Apparently that beloved fairytale had it backwards. According to a new study, there is a reason why women wake before men, and tire more easily in the evenings. Here I thought it was just so they could fetch coffee and breakfast in the morning... A previous article (http://suupedupscience.blogspot.com/2011/07/less-rhythm-less-sleep.html) talked about circadian rhythm (the body clock) and

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-43241857891600065582011-08-22T09:47:00.000-07:002012-04-02T12:13:31.735-07:00

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (or as I like to mockingly call it 'Beginning of the Story of the Rise of the Planet of the Apes') was surprisingly good. No spoilers here, however, in light of the fact that the main storyline involves the use of viral gene therapy to enhance (or heal) ape brains, I figured it would be appropriate to write instalment number two of the gene therapy introduction.

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-28454937129337867442011-08-18T03:27:00.000-07:002012-04-02T12:12:34.116-07:00

This shifting world never ceases to amaze me. When I went into the field of Science, a path that did not come naturally or totally suit my strengths, my parents would jokingly suggest that maybe I would find the cure for the common cold. In jest; veritas, but I already thought I knew that there was no way that would ever happen. Viruses can't be targeted; they change too much; they aren't really

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-298489390365788802011-08-11T05:07:00.000-07:002012-04-02T12:11:08.574-07:00

I haven’t written an article on Gene Therapy, and seeing as it is something a vaguely specialise in, I think it’s about time I do. So here it is. Gene Therapy is an umbrella term for many types of treatments. Ultimately it involves changing or fixing or replacing genes that are defective or mutated in someone’s cell such that the cells can function again. Remember that genes represent the code

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-35118889988158361962011-08-09T10:01:00.000-07:002012-03-13T04:49:42.828-07:00

I woke up this morning to the shocking news about the riots in London. These things really amaze me, and so I started researching about mob mentality and mass hysteria. The literature is endless, and I can’t fully relate. So instead, i started looking at riot control. Tear gas? Tear gas works by annoying the mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, mouth and lungs, causing a multitude of effects

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-78669397825088413562011-08-07T10:15:00.000-07:002012-03-13T04:47:36.775-07:00

I dropped two dress sizes recently. Accolades are not entirely in order as I didn’t really try – never have believed in to diets – I’m too lazy! But as I got thinner, I began noticing just how fat we are as a population. Obesity is on the rise, with 16 to 20% of Irish women and men respectively being overweight. There are many reasons for this, and here may be yet another one... Food may act

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96958450792097363.post-3612836745585695952011-08-06T02:27:00.000-07:002012-03-13T04:45:11.155-07:00

(Or More Correctly, On Your Back!) Waiting in the line at the bank is often a heart stopping moment – ‘I have HOW much left?!’ But as I was watching Sky News I found out that someone has finally been transplanted with a portable artificial heart made my own heart speed up with excitement. THIS is big. THIS is news. In a hospital in Cambridge on the ninth of June, Mr Green became the first UK

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961984150243795928noreply@blogger.com0