Communicate Science

Faster than the speed of light? No

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:56:00 +0000

When physicists announced last September that they had potentially detected neutrinos travelling at faster than the speed of light, it created a massive news story and lots of comment on what this result could mean for science.

Now it seems that after repeating the experiments and looking more closely at the experimental setup, the result could just be an error caused by a faulty connection between a GPS unit and a computer.

Read more in my post for the Cork Independent Blog >>

For Sale: Ireland's Scientific Heritage

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:26:00 +0000

George Boole's former home at Grenville Place in Cork City is now up for sale as an investment 'site'.

For €350,000 you can purchase this large city centre building which was once home to Queen's College Cork's first Professor of Mathematics and the 'Father' of modern algebra.

The house has been in a poor state of repair for some time and a structural collapse and 'making-safe' last year has led to significant damage to the roof and interior of the building.

At the time of the collapse there was significant enthusiasm for this building to be saved and restored. Over 1,200 people signed a petition to have the building urgently repaired and restored.

Now the building is up for sale with Global Properties as an investment site - apparently failing to mention that the building is listed on the Cork City record of protected structures and as such, cannot be demolished.

The property is described as a "Large site adjacent to the Mercy hospital and the Tyndall UCC overlooking the River Lee. Ideally-suited for Medical suites given it’s proximity to the Mercy Hospital".

Irish Examiner columnist and property editor Tommy Barker wrote recently about the property at number 5, Grenville Place suggesting that there was still hope that it could be saved: "While Boole’s house has been badly damaged by ravages of time and a partial building collapse, there’s surely enough IT entrepreneurs and major IT companies in Cork to rescue it in his memory."

It now seems that the time is right for a saviour of this building to emerge. Given Cork City Council's reluctance to get involved (they are still rebuilding quay walls alongside the property more than TWO YEARS after they were destroyed), perhaps Tommy Barker is right; perhaps it is time for the private sector to step up to the plate and make a contribution towards restoring this iconic and historically important building?

More details on Boole, 5 Grenville Place and the rest of this story in my earlier posts on the subject.

in scientia veritas....STEM or STEAM?

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:24:00 +0000

Most people interested in or working in science understand what I mean when I use the acronym STEM , i.e. Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. It's a term that is increasingly used within science communication and education circles but may not necessarily be used widely outside these groupings.

There have been some arguments made to expand that acronym and to add ART to that mix - STEAM!

As far as I can see, the main argument is that the creative nature of science and technology is not a million miles away from the creative process of producing a piece of art. If we accept that, then art would be a logical bedfellow for the component parts of STEM.

Another argument I see is that art is a "different way of perceiving and knowing and dealing with the world" and could form part of an expanded "toolbox" for scientists and engineers.

Another motivation for some in this debate is to support the continued and improved teaching of art in school curricula. Fostering creativity and artistic talent (alongside STEM education), it is argued, will lead to increased levels of innovation and thus, economic growth. On the other side of the coin, there are advocates of STEM education who see the arts as a useful recruitment and outreach tool.

There is no doubt that all scientists (and students generally) would benefit from a well-rounded, education which includes a liberal dose of the arts. Closer ties between arts and science practitioners open up a range of important opportunities for both camps. It's also true that some of the best scientists are creative in their outlook and experimental design.

Whether we call it STEM or STEAM is immaterial. The links between the two should be properly explored and exploited. That's part of the reason I've created a direct link to all of the "Culture and Science" posts I've written over the last few years. The Cradle posts can be found in the top right-hand corner of the blog or by clicking here.

The Music of Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:05:00 +0000

Here's a nice preview of this week's episode of How to Grow a Planet. Watch and see how a species of plant and a species of bee have evolved a partnership based on the sound of a wing beat. The series continues this Tuesday, 9pm, BBC2.

Cork Science Events in February

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:58:00 +0000

It's February, it's cold and it's wet! What you need is some science to keep the spirits up until spring. Here's a quick list of some science events happening in the next month or so. There is a particular emphasis on Cork events. Other events, particularly in Dublin, have been listed elsewhere.

Darwin Day │Sunday, February 12th │Quay Co-Op, Cork

Cork Humanists will be hosting an event to mark the life and works of Charles Darwin. They'll have birthday cake for the man himself and Dr. John Murray who lectures on paleontology at NUI Galway will give a presentation on "Darwin's Revelations". More info

Astronomy │ Monday, 13th February │University College Cork
Dr. Niall Smith, Head of Research at Cork Institute of Technology will give a talk entitled "Hunting for extrasolar planets - the latest finds and the life question" at 8pm in the UCC Civil Engineering Building G10.

Young Scientists│February 13th - March 3rd │Lifetime Lab
Winning Cork entrants in the recent BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition will be on display in the Lifetime Lab throughout the month.The idea is to recognise the work of students and their teachers, who have represented Cork at national level. More info

Brainbox Workshops │ Midterm, 13-17 February │Blackrock Castle Observatory
Got children to entertain and engage over the mid-term break? BCO are running daily 1.5 hour workshops on electronic circuits and how electricity impacts on our everyday lives. More info

Biodiversity │Wednesday, February 15th, 8pm │University College Cork
The College of Science, Engineering and Food Science continues its annual public lecture series with a talk by Dr. Paddy Sleeman on "Biodiversity and Infectious Disease - Towards One Health". More info

Geology Lectures │ Friday & Saturday, 17-18th February │University College Cork
The School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences is hosting this year's Irish Geological Research Meeting and the two keynote talks are open to the public. Prof. Dave Harper from Durham University will talk on "The origin of animal ecosystems: integrating the Cambrian Explosion and Ordovician Radiation" on Friday evening at 7pm. On Saturday at 5pm, Prof. Dick Kroon from University of Edinburgh will give a talk entitled "On the link between Neogene evolution of climates and hominids". Both talks are open to the public and all are welcome. More info

Where do we go from here? │ Saturday, 18th February │ University College Cork
UCC Science Society have an organised a one-day lecture series on the topic of "Where to from here?". There is a broad range of topics to be covered, from genetics to astrophysics, nanotechnology to cancer and stem-cells. The lectures run from 11am - 6pm and are open to the public. More info

Coder Dojo │ Sunday, February 19th, 10am-1pm │Blackrock Castle Observatory
This movement aims to teach kids creative problem solving skills and practical creative skills. Alongside teaching, the aim is also to provide an outlet for kids who know how to code to meet others with similar interests. The 19th sees BCO's first class kicking off. See their website for more details. More info

Science and Business │ Wednesday, February 22nd, 8pm │University College Cork
Dr. Declan Jordan from the Dept. of Economics, UCC will present a talk where he argues that 'science-push' innovation policies are unlikely to produce the desired outcomes - growth and jobs. He'll argue that innovation policy should refocus and recognise that managers, salespeople and customers have just as much, if not more, to contribute to innovation than researchers and scientists. Sure to evoke a lively debate! More info

Wave Energy │ Wednesday, Febraury 29th, 8pm │University College Cork
Anne Blavette will talk about ocean power plants and their potential impact on the energy market and climate change in her talk entitled "Sea Waves are Tomorrow's Oil". More info

Have I missed something? Let me know

Darwin Day Special: Darwin's 'Lost' Fossils

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:53:00 +0000

During the Summer of 2011, Howard Falcon-Lang was rummaging around in the windowless vaults of the British Geological Survey when he opened a drawer labelled simply "unregistered fossil plants".

What he found inside was a 'treasure trove' of fossils including some collected by Charles Darwin - who's birth we celebrate this weekend as Darwin Day!

“While searching through an old cabinet, I spotted some drawers marked ‘unregistered fossil plants’. I can’t resist a mystery, so I pulled one open. What I found inside made my jaw drop!” said Falcon-Lang.

“Inside the drawer were hundreds of beautiful glass slides made by polishing fossil plants into thin translucent sheets. This process allows them to be studied under the microscope. Almost the first slide I picked up was labeled ‘C. Darwin Esq.’ This turned out to be a piece of fossil wood collected by Darwin during his famous Voyage of the Beagle in 1834!”

The collection was put together by Darwin's good friend Joseph Hooker while he was employed by the Survey for a short time in 1846.

"The purpose of my visit was to locate some specimens of Carboniferous fossil wood from the Bristol Coalfield", wrote Falcon-Lang in Geology Today. "A rummage quickly turned up the sought after fossils but as we were preparing to leave, my eyes fell on a series of drawers marked ‘unregistered fossil plants’. I can’t resist a mystery, so I pulled one open".

Joseph Hooker

Joseph Hooker (1817-1911) was one of the great botanists of his time and director of Kew Gardens for many years. The slide-mounted samples of fossilised plants in the newly re-discovered collection have the names of donors inscribed on the slides. At least two of the sections of fossil wood were obtained by Darwin during his famous voyage on the Beagle, from 1831 to 1836.

One of the samples (pictured above) comes from Chiloe Island, Chile a place Darwin visited in December 1834 and described it thus: "Chiloe, from its climate is a miserable hole".

There are many specimens from the collection which were not collected by Darwin although understandably given Darwin's fame his samples have stolen a lot of the attention. Other samples are associated with William Nicol, the pioneer of petrography (the detailed study of rocks).

Falcon-Long suggests that the collection probably got lost in the British Geological Survey's storage facility at Keyworth, near Nottingham, UK as a result of bad timing. The Survey didn't start formally registering its acquisitions until 1848. Since then, the samples seem to have been moved around London to various Museums, which at various times held geological collections. It probably arrived in Keyworth in the mid-eighties. Here, a process of cataloguing and photographing is currently ongoing so more fascinating discoveries may yet be waiting around the corner.

You can view a selection from the collection at the British Geological Survey's online museum.

Autism article does no public service

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:11:00 +0000

If the Irish Examiner were intending to start a real debate about Autism in Ireland they have gone the wrong way about it.

Their publication of a frankly, disastrous article by Tony Humphreys has been met with widespread anger amongst those working and living with autism.

I'm not an expert on autism so, unlike Humphreys, I will not attempt to put forward my views here. Humphreys' views have been pretty comprehensively trashed here, here, here, here and in a number of other fora.

The part of the article I will attempt to grapple with is this. In the opening paragraphs, Humphreys cites some indications that children of engineers, scientists and mathematicians are more likely to be autistic than other children. The argument seems to be based on research by Prof Simon Baron-Cohen from Cambridge.

Speaking about the work elsewhere, Baron-Cohen explains his hypothesis that these parents are more likely to be 'systemisers' - working on tasks and projects which require them to look at systems and how they work such as computer programming, engineering, etc. An interesting hypothesis and the results of the study should be published this year.

Humphreys however, decided to take a much darker, decidedly less scientific angle on these results:
Baron-Cohen and his researchers are "missing the glaringly obvious fact that if the adults they researched live predominantly in their heads and possess few or no heart qualities, their children will need to find some way of defending themselves against the absence of expressed love and affection and emotional receptivity" he wrote.

"After all, the deepest need of every child is to be unconditionally loved and the absence of it results in children shutting down emotionally themselves because to continue to spontaneously reach out for love would be far too painful."

If we read through the psychobabble, what Humphreys is saying here is such a stereotypical and insulting view of scientists and engineers that it is really worth tackling. His argument that scientists and engineers are lacking "heart qualities" (whatever they are) like Data from Star Trek or Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory would be hilarious were it not equally so insulting.

As a scientist and expectant father, I take offence at being labelled so ridiculously in this way. Humphreys article is lacking in almost any real science - perhaps this explains his stereotypical view of the scientific community.

The Irish Examiner, unfortunately has decided to support Humphreys, while carefully perched on the fence. In an editorial published this morning they expressed "regret" for the "obvious hurt caused by Dr Humphreys’ comments" but, they stood by his right to express them.

The editorial made clear that the paper had been heavily criticised for publishing the column in its Feelgood supplement, which is distributed in print form only every Friday.

The newspaper published a number of letters concerning the article in today's edition. Of the seven letters published, just one was supportive of Humphreys.

Prof. Kevin Mitchell, professor of genetics and neuroscience at Trinity wrote that Humphreys' article showed "such willful ignorance, lack of understanding and density of inaccurate and offensive statements that it is shocking that the Irish Examiner would publish it".

"This kind of psychobabble", Mitchell said "has been discredited for decades".

It's interesting that in a week that has seen the Chairman of Thomas Crosbie Holdings (the media group that publishes the Irish Examiner) call for a share of the new public service broadcasting charge, the newspaper should publish an article which does so little service to the public. Alan Crosbie noted that "Public service is not something RTÉ owns…It is a public service for any organisation to devote professional people to finding out, fact checking and publishing information in the public good".

In his speech to a conference on media diversity in Dublin, Crosbie noted:
"The key difference between the information the reader of one of those solid Sunday newspapers chews through, and many other sources of information is that the newspaper stuff has been gathered by trained, professional reporters, filtered by trained, professional editors, considered, in some cases, by lawyers, sub-edited and double-checked before it arrives with the reader.”

It's unfortunate then, that given the supposed public service element of the Irish Examiner and the layers of reporters and editors involved, that the newspaper allowed such an article to be published. That they stand by it in today's editorial is even worse.

How to Grow a Planet

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

This week sees the start of what promises to be another great series of science programmes from the BBC with How to Grow a Planet.

The three part series, presented by Prof. Iain Stewart, aims to reveal how the greatest changes to the Earth have been driven, above all, by plants.

Stewart is a geologist and professor of Geoscience Communication at Plymouth University so expect to see the links between ancient plants and geology feature highly in this series.

“I had always thought of plants as being rather boring – less dramatic than the earthquakes and volcanoes I had been studying. But when you realise what plants do at the planet scale, and when you discover just how fundamental they are to life on Earth, they take your breath away", said Stewart.

In the first episode, to be aired on Tuesday 7th February at 9pm on BBC2, Stewart examines how plants first harnessed light energy to create our life-giving atmosphere. He looks at the epic batle between dinosaurs and poisonous plants and promises to use remarkable imagery to show plants 'breathing' and communicating with each other for the first time.

Also in episode one, Stewart will be sealed inside an air-tight chamber at the Eden Project in Cornwall in an attempt to demonstrate the oxygenating properties of the plants sealed in the chamber alongside him.

Stewart added: “I think it was being stuck in a transparent air-tight container for 48 hours with 274 of them that really made me appreciate plants. Locked in there, with half the oxygen removed, I suddenly realised how much I needed plants to keep me alive. It is a hell of a way to highlight something we so take for granted: photosynthesis!”

Here's a sneak preview of episode one:

Bad Science

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:02:00 +0000

Here's an interesting graphic prepared by Jen Rhee and her colleagues which she was happy to share with me and for me to post here. It deals with the often difficult concept of 'shady scientific research'. See what you think. Both Jen and I would be interested in your feedback below.

Created by: Clinical Psychology

Filling in your CAO form? Open your mind to science

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 10:11:00 +0000

It’s that time of year again.

The first of February marks the deadline for CAO applications (at least for the ‘normal’ applications; late application is still allowed up until the first of May) and lots of leaving cert students are making important decisions about what they’ll study at third level.

Having attended a good number of recruitment fairs and college open-days in my time, ‘ll give the same advice here as I do in person – choose to study what you enjoy!

Read the full version of this article on the Cork Independent Blog >>>

Energy Guzzler at Lifetime Lab

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Image: Guzzler at Lismore Heritage Centre

Lifetime Lab is seeking help from primary school children all across Cork to keep an eye out for Guzzler, a furry energy eating alien that landed at the Old Waterworks recently. Guzzlers mission is to learn about saving energy from infant and junior classes and has been seen visiting Cork City schools this week.

The visit of Guzzler is part of a series of interactive, hands-on primary workshops available free to primary schools in Cork this year as Lifetime Lab partners the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to increase the understanding of climate change and energy efficiency.

Guzzler workshops are available to junior (1st & 2nd) classes and children will learn about energy efficiency and environmental awareness through participation in various experiments and activities using Guzzler the puppet – the ultimate energy waster!

Speaking about the partnership Mervyn Horgan Manager of Lifetime Lab said “The partnership with SEAI is a complement to the success of our existing education programmes, with close to 8000 primary school children per year attending workshops at Lifetime Lab we have developed a strong working relationship with schools in Cork” He further said “pupils receiving the free workshops will be introduced to the concept of energy conservation and participate is fun activities at a level that is age appropriate, while class teachers will receive helpful resources linked to the SESE strands of science, geography and history”.

Speaking about the workshops Aoife Cannon, Education Executive with SEAI said

“The aim of SEAI’s Education Programme is to educate pupils on the benefits of sustainable energy, through local workshops we hope to reach a wider audience and really make a difference to the use of energy in Ireland”. Aoife added “Lifetime Lab is an ideal partner to deliver the programme, both by the success in reaching a large audience but also as an exemplar of sustainability”

Guzzler Workshops are available free of charge to schools and will visit schools from January to March 2012. To book a workshop, or for more information, please contact lifetimelab@corkcity.ie or 021 4941500 or go to www.lifetimelab.ie

For more on Guzzler and the work of the SEAI with Primary Schools, you can visit their site.

Capital Science

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:53:00 +0000

This morning sees the launch of Dublin Science 2012 - an innovative science themed festival running throughout the year. The festival has at its centre the ESOF 2012 meeting which takes place in July.

The ESOF (Euroscience Open Forum) is a broad ranging, interdisciplinary meeting held every two years and will see over 5,000 scientists meet in Dublin.

This morning's launch will highlight just some of the 160 projects which will make up the science-themed year including:

Exhibitions at the Science Gallery including Happy? - exploring the factors that shape happiness.

Theatrical events including Rough Magic's hilarious and uplifting 'Improbable Frequency'. I was lucky enough to see an earlier production and it was very enjoyable - featuring characters such as John Betjeman, Flann O'Brien and Erwin Schrödinger. The final performance will be streamed live on the web.

Dublin's St. Patrick's Day festival will see a science-themed parade and a treasure hunt with science related costumes!

There is many more events already announced and more to be revealed throughout the year. Check them out on the Dublin Science 2012 website or follow @dubscience2012 on twitter.

You can find more details on ESOF 2012 on their website and follow them on @ESOF2012. The full programme for this meeting will be announced in mid-February.

Best of luck to all involved!

New Species Discovered in Suriname- Picture Special

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:28:00 +0000

A scientific expedition to Suriname has yielded some impressive results for Conservation International - not least the possibility of newly classified species.

>>Scroll down for more images<<

The Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) expedition was a three week survey along the Kutari and Siplaliwini rivers in Southern Suriname from August to September 2010.

The scientists identified a total of 1,300 species 40-50 of which they believe may be new to science.

The new species include the Cowboy Frog (Hypsiboas sp.) so called because of its distinctive 'spurs' on the frogs 'heels'; the Armoured Catfish (Pseudacanthicus sp.) with its sharp spines to defend itself from giant piranhas; and the Crayola Katydid (Vestria sp.) so called due to its striking colouration.

Other interesting (although not new) species spotted include the Pac-Man Frog (Ceratophrys cornuta) whose massive mouth allows it to swallow prey almost its own size; the Great Horned Beetle (Coprophanaeus lancifer) a dung beetle the size of a tangerine; the Spectacular Conehead Katydid (Loboscelis bacatus) with fluorescent green and pink colouring; and the Green Crested Katydid (Steirodon sp.) a plant eating insect which mimics vegetation in order to avoid being eaten.

Cowboy Frog (Hypsiboas sp.)
Image: Paul Ouboter/ Conservation International

Armoured Catfish (Pseudacanthicus sp.)
Image: Kenneth Wang Tong/ Conservation International

Crayola Katydid (Vestria sp.)
Piotr Naskrecki/ Conservation International

Pac-Man Frog (Ceratophrys cornuta)
Image: Trond Larsen/ Conservation International

Great Horned Beetle (Coprophanaeus lancifer)
Image: Piotr Naskrecki/ Conservation International

Spectacular Conehead Katydid (Loboscelis bacatus)
Image: Piotr Naskrecki/ Conservation International

Green Crested Katydid (Steirodon sp.)
Image: Piotr Naskrecki/ Conservation International

Images from Conservation International: “An Armored Catfish, a ‘Cowboy Frog’, and a Rainbow of Colorful Critters discovered in Southwest Suriname”

Robinson: Science and Climate Justice

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:08:00 +0000

Mary Robinson delivered a lecture on Climate Justice at UCC's Centre for Global Development this week in which she encouraged citizens to put pressure on world leaders to take the issue of climate change seriously.

The former Irish President and and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights also took the opportunity to highlight the recent Young Scientist Exhibition as a way of energising young people about science and technology.

Speaking of these young scientists she said, "They are the ones who will be the decisions makers, mothers, fathers and leaders in 2050 when the impacts of climate change are being acutely felt. They didn’t cause the problem, we who came before are responsible for that, but the burden of dealing with it will fall squarely on their shoulders".

Robinson also highlighted the news that NUI Maynooth's Combat Diseases of Poverty Consortium are to organise a young scientists exhibition in Tanzania: "Students there have an even more immediate need to understand the impacts of climate change and to find solutions to the problems it creates. Schools, universities and colleges need to equip students from Cork to Dar es Salaam with the skills they will need to navigate their way through an ever changing world."

"get young people energized and involved in science and technology – so that they can shape the world of 2050 and make it a better place to live" Now President of the Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice (MRFCJ), Robinson was enthusiastic about upcoming science events in 2012. "In May the World Congress on Water, Climate and Energy takes place in Dublin and in July, Dublin will be the City of Science hosting Europe’s largest science conference, the Euroscience Open Forum. A programme of science-related events and activities are being held throughout the year across the island of Ireland to showcase the latest advances in science and technology and to stimulate and provoke public interest, excitement and debate about science and technology. I hope this can build on the work of the Young Scientist Exhibition to get young people energized and involved in science and technology – so that they can shape the world of 2050 and make it a better place to live."

Mary Robinson went on to outline her views on climate justice subsequent to the COP17 meeting at Durban in December. "Make no mistake about it", she said "we ignore the threat posed by climate change at out peril".

Of the meeting in Durban she said there was a noticeable lack of urgency within the negotiations to begin with: "In the first week I was struck by the complete lack of urgency in the formal negotiations, contrasting with the real urgency being voiced on the street, by scientists and by organisations representing the most vulnerable communities from all over the world."

"Ireland has the potential to make a significant contribution in this area" One of the key outcomes Robinson noted in her speech was the beginnings of bringing the issues of food security and agriculture into the work of the COP.

"In 2012 Parties will consider how best to support a process to address the impacts of climate change on food security and the role of climate smart agriculture in finding ways to grow food under changing climatic conditions while safeguarding the environment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Ireland has the potential to make a significant contribution in this area drawing on domestic agriculture expertise and our international work on food and nutrition security."

Robinson said that the door was now open for a new international and inclusive legally binding agreement on climate change. "[Durban] was not the breakthrough needed to solve the problem now, but no one really expected that. Neither was it a failure; in fact it lays down a clear challenge to all the countries of the world – and particularly those responsible for the worst emissions – to get their act together before it is too late."

You can read the full text of Mary Robinson's speech here (pdf).

Image: Mary Robinson speaking at UCC (Image: Tomas Tyner, UCC)

BASF Moves Plant Biotech Jobs to America

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:26:00 +0000

The global biotech and chemical company BASF is to withdraw from Europe and concentrate its plant biotechnology business on North and South America. 140 jobs in Europe will go.

Just when science, technology and biotechnology, in particular, have the capacity to create jobs, build confidence in economies and promote an economic recovery, Europe now risks becoming known for an anti-science agenda.

The company said today that it will halt development and commercialisation of all products targeted solely at the European market because of "a lack of acceptance for this technology" from the majority of consumers, farmers and politicians.

BASF say they are "convinced that plant biotechnology is a key technology for the 21st century" but at this time the "conditions for cultivation of genetically modified crops in Europe are unfavourable".

The move will stop development on Europe-targeted crops such as Amflora, a genetically modified potato variety which provides easy to extract starch for industry. The company will also halt work on its Fortuna potato variety, bred to be resistant to late blight, Phytophthora infestans. BASF had applied for approval from the EU for commercial cultivation of Fortuna late last year. The variety had two resistance genes inserted from a wild relative found in South America.

Despite ceasing development of other such products, BASF have said they will continue with the regulatory approval process already in train.

Greenpeace have welcomed the move claiming that "Europeans don't want GM crops, and for good reason".

Marco Contiero, Greenpeace's agriculture policy director said that it wasn't just health concerns that worried EU consumers; "GM crops go hand in glove with factory farming, pesticide use, pest resistance and disappointing long-term yields".

Today's development sees a company with European origins having to move much of its research and development to the Americas due to continuous delaying and buck-passing when it comes to GM regulations in Europe.

This has created an atmosphere where even the research and development of GM crops, for one company at least, has become impossible.

A Chat With Spotticus

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 07:30:00 +0000

He's easily the most famous Giraffe on Twitter and his tweets from the Natural History Museum in Dublin are followed by hundreds of eager followers. Now, in an exclusive interview, Spotticus tells all about life on Merrion Street and what it's like being an endangered species.

Hi Spotty….may I call you spotty?
Yes- but only because you asked nicely....

So, you’ve become a bit of an internet celebrity of late. Whose idea was it to let you loose on Twitter?
Well I’d only really found out about this twitter lark when the visitors returned to the museum after the re-opening in 2010 (One advantage of being so tall is you can look over people’s shoulders as they tweet on their mobiles). So I decided it would be a good way (the only way?!?) to converse with my public. To overcome the hoof disadvantage to typing, I have a human collaborator here who helps me tweet. One of the chimps did offer to type, but his spelling is appalling.

Are you enjoying your new found fame?
I enjoy the idea of having followers- it reminds me of my life in the herd before I came to the museum.

How long have you been living/working in the NH Museum?
I’ve been here since 2003- I was brought over to Dublin from the Netherlands by the lovely Leon Bouten and his family, who are taxidermists that work with the museum from time to time.

What’s your history? Where were you working before Dublin?
Well I’m a lot older than I look- I lived in a wildlife park in the Netherlands until 1965. The Boutens kept me in storage from then until 2002, when Dublin got in contact looking for a new giraffe exhibit- and that was that!

Children in particular seem to love you and your pals in the museum. What do you think is the attraction?
Well when was the last time you stood next to a tiger?? The advantage with the museum is that you can stand next to your favourite animal and see how big they are in relation to you. You can’t to that anywhere else- well you could try, but then you run the risk of getting eaten, or squashed… or squashed and then eaten…

Is education and working with schools a big part of the museum’s job?
Absolutely - there is so much to learn about species, habitats, endangerment and extinction and the museum is the ideal location to do just that. It’s important that people are aware of environmental issues and that we help teachers educate their students about these subjects. The education department here do lots of workshops for schools- but I think they could use a few more giraffe anecdotes.

Some people call your home a “museum of a museum” is this something you’re proud of?
I think so! It was Stephen Jay Gould who first said that about us- we are one of the oldest natural history museums, and one of a handful of cabinet style museum left in the world. You could say the museum is an endangered species of its own. Many of the museums who updated their galleries in the 1980’s and 1990’s are now returning to the cabinet style.

The Rothschild giraffe was recently added to the Red List of endangered species. How does this make you feel?
I couldn’t believe it- giraffes have never been on the Red List before! There a 9 recognised sub-species of giraffe and us Rothschilds (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi) are particularly distinctive as we have no markings on our lower legs.
The IUCN, who compile the Red List of Endangered Species, estimate there are fewer than 670 individuals remaining in the wild. The drop in numbers is blamed on agricultural development, human settlement and poaching. There are only a few small populations now remaining in Kenya and Uganda, and they are isolated from each other, so they unable to interbreed.
The situation for us is now critical and the IUCN and the Giraffe Conservation Foundation are doing great work to try protect us. I should also say them museum staff look after me very well too- hoof shines, mane trims… the odd vacuum clean now and again…

Do you think places like the NH Museum have a role in promoting conservation?
Definitely- as well as educating the public and housing some extinct species, all large natural history collections have the unique position of supplying “ancient” DNA to scientists, who use this information when studying animal populations. This in turn helps the conservation of several species.

Besides your good self (obviously) is there any other particularly interesting ‘stars’ of the museum that you would recommend visitors see?
There are lots of different characters here- the visitors love the lions, tiger, sharks and all those other vicious creatures! The Giant Irish Deer and very impressive, with their 3-metre wide antlers! Also on the ground floor, if you can find them, there is an eel that choked on a frog and Ireland’s biggest goldfish...

Are you getting many visitors these days? Are school holidays your busy period?
We are so busy it’s unbelievable- mini-humans everywhere! I hear we’ve had a 10% increase in visitors in 2011- 300,000 people in one year! The summer season which stretches from April to August is always the busiest with school tours, summer holidays and tourists. We love our visitors because they pass their love of us from one generation to the next which constantly keep us popular!

I see the keepers have opened the ‘Discovery Zone’ in the museum. What’s that all about?
That’s a new area in the museum which is used to host events like storytelling, school workshops and public handling sessions. The zone provides a space for visitors to look at and learn about the different species the line on land and in the water. There are two carts with lots of animals to look at and learn about. An added bonus is that you are allowed to touch some of the animals- Nessa the Bager loves getting scratched behind her left ear....

Anything else we should know about?
Cheung the Giant Panda has had a dye job.

Many thanks to Spotticus for taking the time to answer my questions and to Spotty's colleagues at the NHM for facilitating our little chat. You can visit Spotticus and his friends at the Natural History Museum from Tuesdays - Saturdays and admission is FREE!
You can also follow Spotticus on twitter @SpotticusNH

The 'Culture' of Science

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:57:00 +0000

Image: BT

This morning's Irish Times editorial carried an argument that science and the engagement with science be considered as a part of what makes any society "cultured".

I've written occasionally here regarding science and culture and I certainly think it's an area for rich collaboration and interaction.

"Engagement with dance, music, theatre, writing, art, all these are readily proffered when questioned about the cultural aspects of a society. Yet the word culture carries a much broader meaning than just these forms of artistic endeavour" writes the editorial.

The author argues that scientific research is considered abstract or removed from our daily lives and not something we consider a cultural activity. "This is despite our ready embrace of all that the culture of science can deliver, from mobile phones and modern aircraft to tablet computers and advanced medical diagnostics. And yet Ireland seems unwilling to acknowledge the importance of research as a cultural activity that enriches society."

Despite the billions of euro spent on scientific research, researchers and infrastructure in this country over the years, the Irish Times editorial makes the argument that science is still not considered a cultural pursuit: "all this money has had scant impact on the public recognition of science as a cultural activity that can enhance our society as well as our economic life."

While contributing to a much needed debate on the role of science in Irish culture and society, I can't say I agree fully with the tone of the editorial. Isn't culture much more about how we live our lives than about some sort of "fine arts" definition of culture which requires us to stand in awe of a painting, sculpture or piece of architecture?

If, as suggested, a broad definition of culture is taken, then science has had a huge impact on Irish culture throughout the years. RTE celebrate their 50th birthday this year - an anniversary which would have been impossible without the early pioneers of television like John Logie Baird. RTE television, for better of worse, has had a huge influence on Irish society since its establishment.

Mobile phone, the internet and computer technology pervades our society. This 'e' or 'i' culture of sending emails, text messages and tweets allow us to communicate as a nation and as a world in ways we could not have imagined just decades before. The ease with which we can send photographic and video imagery in seconds has also profoundly changed our culture and how we develop as a nation.

Essentially, what I am saying (and I'm sure the IT is too) is that science and the pursuit of science has had a real and important impact of Irish society and culture. Science has been a part of Irish culture - even if, as the Irish Times point out, it has not always been recognised as the cultural force that it is.

However, I would argue that there is no need for us to consider science a cultural activity in the way that we approach other areas of our 'culture'. Instead of visiting a museum or gallery and looking at a painting or piece of sculpture (which, by the way, I wholeheartedly encourage you to do!), one can look around you and view the impact science has had on the world. That, in the end, is science's ultimate reward - that it is a force for change and cultural development in our country. Lives saved by medical science, crops protected by botanists, communication made possible by computer scientists - all these things are worth more than some label that says science is now a cultural experience.

As the editorial writer in the Irish Times points out, young scientists (at least those gathered at this week's BT Young Scientists Exhibition) don't care whether science is considered a cultural pursuit or not: "These students are not distracted about whether Ireland has a culture of science, they simply engage with the subject with the same enthusiasm as they would any other activity that attracts their interest." We should do the same!

Giant Tortoise 'Re-discovered'

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:45:00 +0000

Scientists working on the Galápagos Islands say they may have discovered a breeding population of a species of giant tortoise thought to be extinct since soon after Charles Darwin's visit to the islands in 1835.

Chelonoidis elephantopus, a species endemic to Floreana Island, were thought to be extinct despite eleven hybrid tortoises being detected on a neighbouring island which were thought to contain the genetic signatures of the 'extinct' specises.

Now scientists writing in the journal Current Biology say that C. elephantopus individuals must still be alive today based on "the genetic footprints left in the genomes of very recent hybrid offspring" on Isabela Island.
1669 totrtoises were sampled, with 84 exhibiting genotypes consistant with having one parent of the 'extinct' species. Given that C. elephantopus can live more than 100 years, it is likely that these parents are still alive and could be used to attempt a species recovery via captive breeding.

On his voyage to the Galapagos in 1835, Charles Darwin observed that the shells of tortoises living on different islands of the chain had different shapes – one of the observations that inspired his theory of natural selection. For instance, the shells of C. elephantopus on Floreana were saddle-shaped while tortoises on other islands had domed-shaped shells.

On Floreana, however, the tortoises disappeared because of hunting by whalers and workers at a heating oil factory that had been established on the island.

“This is not just an academic exercise,” said Gisella Caccone, senior research scientist in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and senior author of the paper. “If we can find these individuals, we can restore them to their island of origin. This is important as these animals are keystone species playing a crucial role in maintaining the ecological integrity of the island communities.”

The international team of scientists suggest that, to their knowledge, this is the first rediscovery of a species by tracking the genetic footprints left in the genomes of its hybrid offspring.

Science Public Lecture Series Kicks Off

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:06:00 +0000

The popular Annual SEFS Public Lecture Series at University College Cork will begin its 2012 programme on Wednesday, January 11th with a lecture by Professor William Reville.

The lectures will be held weekly on Wednesday evenings at 8.00pm in Boole 4 Lecture Theatre and will run until Wednesday 14th March.

The lecture series will cover a wide range of contemporary issues, including How Weeds Develop Resistance to Herbicides, Nanosensors, Teaching Computer Science to Primary School Children, Biodiversity and Infectious Disease, Generating Electricity from Ocean Wave Energy, Irish Innovation Policy, Toxic Chemicals in Consumer Products, and Can Particles Ever Move faster than Light?.

In the first lecture on January 11th, Professor William Reville will give a lecture titled ‘The Weeds Fight Back - How Weeds Developed Resistance to Roundup”. William Reville is an Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry at UCC. He will describe how growing the world's major commodity crops (corn, cotton and soya), genetically engineered to be resistant to the herbicide Roundup, is now confronting a serious problem with weeds that have become resistant to Roundup.

Admission is free, and as always, members of the public are invited to attend.

More details on this year's College of Science, Engineering and Food Science (SEFS) lecture series can be found here (pdf).

Happy Birthday Hawking

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Former Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge Stephen Hawking celebrates his 70th Birthday today with a rare public lecture which will be streamed online.

The author of several books, including the iconic A Brief History of Time now continues his scientific work as Director of Research at the Institute for Theoretical Cosmology at Cambridge.

Despite having to overcome serious health problems he has become the archetypal scientist of our generation and is regarded as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein.

Hawking will mark his birthday today with a rare public lecture entitled "A Brief History of Mine" at a symposium in his honour at Cambridge.

The lecture is due to commence at 5.25pm on Sunday January 7th and will be webcast live on the symposium website.

More Hawking goodies:

Professor Hawking answers questions from BBC, Today programme Science Correspondent Tom Feilden to mark his 70th birthday.

Physicists gather at Cambridge to raise a toast to the birthday boy.
Hawking's own website.

Professor Stephen Hawking asks some big questions about our universe>>>

2011: A year in science

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 16:45:00 +0000

In many ways it's been an amazing year for scientific breakthroughs and progress. Here's a look back at some of the most popular posts on the Communicate Science blog in 2011.

The most popular post this year is also one of the most recent. The continuing debate over the final resting place of the 'Irish Giant' Charles Byrne after his significant impact on the world of medicine has provoked significant interest.

News in July that the potato plant genome had been published by a consortium which included scientists working at Teagasc made for a popular post. The consortium said that the advance means that potato breeders should be able to "reduce the 10-12 years currently needed to breed new varieties".

Proving that the history of science is still as popular as ever, our post marking the 200 birthday of Robert Bunsen was the next most popular post of 2011. Of Bunsen it's been said: "As an investigator he was great, as a teacher he was greater, as a man and friend he was greatest."

The visit of Queen Elizabeth to Ireland in May of 2011 is surely one of the big news stories of the year and our scientific slant on this story was very popular. When visiting Cork's Tyndall Institute, the Queen was presented with a scarf inspired by the work of the 'father' of computer science and adopted Corkman George Boole.

Speaking of the Tyndall Institute, in May we looked at the man himself - John Tyndall. One of Ireland's most successful scientists and educators he was the ultimate science communicator. In 1878 it was written: "Professor Tyndall has succeeded not only in original investigation and in teaching science soundly and accurately, but in making it attractive.... When he lectures at the Royal Institution the theatre is crowded".

A simple little post on the history of the modern racehorse brings up the rear of the field. A group of Irish and UK scientists used mitochondrial DNA to determine the origin of foundation mares which were used to start the Irish and English Thoroughbred racehorse industry.

Some posts which weren't quite so popular but were some of my own personal favourites include:

December's news of the possible discovery of the Higg's Boson.
The crossover between art and science in 'Science in Stone'.
David Puttnam's take on educating for the digital society.
The history of science philanthropy in Cork.
How my time on I'm a Scientist, Get me out of here! went.

Have a great New Year's celebration. Normal service resumes early in 2012!

Transitional changes

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:33:00 +0000

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) of Ireland the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment have issued their report on the "From Transaction to Transition" conference which took place earlier this year and examined the transition of students from second to third level.

The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn, has welcomed the report and has called for an open debate on the full range of possible options for change and improvement.

Minister Quinn said: "I want in particular to publicly thank both organisations for the speed with which they have responded. In addition, their report is focused, compact and explicit in its recommendations".

The Minister said that he agreed with the overall thrust of the report. "There are a number of issues I have asked the HEA and NCCA to consider further in consultation with the State Examinations Commission (SEC) and higher education institutions.

"I have requested the HEA and NCCA, in partnership with the SEC and higher education institutions where appropriate, to now begin advancing the recommendations."

The report makes a number of important recommendations, a few of which are outlined here.

The report reiterates the importance of completing the ongoing curriculum review for Biology, Chemistry and Physics at Leaving Certificate level to incorporate "new methods of assessing scientific knowledge and skills".

The authors suggest e-learning and inter-school collaboration be examined as new ways to increase learners' access to a broad range of subjects at senior cycle level.

The NCCA and State Examinations Commission will be asked (possible with the support of an independent agency) to assess and address and problems with predictability in the Leaving Certificate exams - an attempt to prevent students 'guessing' what is due to appear on the exam.

The current 14-point system of grading exams (A1, A2, B1, B2, etc.) will be replaced with an 8-point system (A1, A2, B, C, D, E, NG).

Research will be carried to assess what impact the compulsory inclusion of maths and english in the calculations for CAO 'points' would have.

The academic year at third-level should be extended to accommodate the "incorporation of transversal skills without compromising discipline-specific content and academic rigour". The authors propose that since the action "does not require any changes to existing contracts" implementation at first-year should start immediately.

There should be broader entry to undergraduate programmes at third-level with students specialising after first-year.

The full text of the short report is worth reading.

Many of the proposals fit with proposals outlined in the Hunt Report of this year, especially the movement towards a broader first-year curriculum which includes training in generic and foundational skills and are to be welcomed.

The proposal to extend the undergraduate academic year may well have some virtue but for many in the third-level sector the summer months are an opportunity to focus on research and writing which has been sidelined during the year. Any changes to the duration of the academic year, I would argue, needs to be carefully balanced to ensure research output does not suffer. Given the link between ongoing research and good teaching, this is crucial.

Irish Giant could finally be buried at sea

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:57:00 +0000

The remains of an Irish 'Giant', long held in a London museum should be buried at sea to fulfill the man's last wishes, according to a professor of medical ethics at University of London and a lawyer from Queen's University Belfast.

We've covered the tragic story of Charles Byrne already. The 7ft 7in man from Northern Ireland ended up in London in the 1780's where he worked as a 'freak' and ended up destitute and an alcoholic before dying, aged just 22 in 1783.

Despite his express wishes that he be buried at sea to avoid becoming a morbid curiosity in death, his skeleton ended up in the hands of the surgeon John Hunter who boiled the body in acid to remove the flesh from the bones. As one contemporary report put it: "The whole tribe of surgeons put in a claim for the poor departed Irishman and surrounded his house just as harpooners would an enormous whale."

Writing in the Christmas edition of the British Medical Journal, Len Doyal and Thomas Muinzer argue that while the remains had a valid role to play in medical research, it is now time to remove the skeleton from display and bury it at sea.

The bones did play an important role in medical research. As the authors note: "In 1909 the American surgeon Harvey Cushing removed the top of Byrne’s skull and observed an enlarged pituitary fossa, confirming a relation between the disease [acromegaly or'gigantism'] and adenoma [a benign tumour]".

The authors argue that there is no obvious reason why Byrne would have lacked the capacity or competence to make a decision about the disposal of his body.

"The fact is that Hunter knew of Byrne’s terror of him and ignored his wishes for the disposal of his body. What has been done cannot be undone but it can be morally rectified. Surely it is time to respect the memory and reputation of Byrne: the narrative of his life, including the circumstances surrounding his death."

The authors discuss the paper in this video from the BMJ >>

The skeleton is now in the possession of and on display in the Royal College of Surgeons in London and the authors of the BMJ article argue that its public display is no longer justifiable. "Past research on Byrne did not require the display of his skeleton; merely medical access to it. Moreover, now that Byrne’s DNA has been extracted, it can be used in further research."

"As a sign of respect for Byrne’s original desires, his skeleton should be buried at sea as part of a ceremony commemorating his life. We recommend that the Hunterian Museum and the Royal College of Surgeons organise this burial, along with a conference on related legal and ethical issues. At the very least, we suggest that more complete information is provided about the background of the acquisition and display of Byrne’s skeleton so that visitors can make a more informed judgment about the moral implications and appropriateness of its continued display."

Closer and closer to the Higgs boson

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:54:00 +0000

Could this image tell of the elusive Higgs boson?

Scientists have announced that they are tantalisingly close to proving or disproving the existence of one of the fundamental building blocks of the Universe.

Although theoretical physicists have already predicted the existence of the so-called Higgs boson, it has never been observed in experiments - up until now, perhaps.

The Higgs boson is thought to be what gives everything else in the Universe mass and was proposed by a group of scientists, including Peter Higgs, back in 1964. Without the Higgs boson and the 'Higgs Field' which is part of this theoretical model, all the material in the Universe would just be whizzing around at light speed and not clumping together to give us planets, particles, puppies and people. We must have mass for 'stuff' to exist in the Universe as we know it and the theory goes, we must have the Higgs boson to give us that mass.

The Large Hadron Collider is the latest device designed to enable experiments to be conducted which may allow physicists to observe the Higgs boson or to exclude it and to say such a thing does not exist.

The LHC, is located in a circular tunnel 100 metres beneath the Swiss/French border at Geneva. As its name suggests, it is large (weighing 38,000 tonnes and running in a 27 km loop) and it a collider of hadrons. Hadrons are atomic particles of which a proton is just one example. The protons have a positive charge and can therefore be 'steered' around the LHC using magnetic fields. Once they are moving fast enough, the streams of protons whizzing in either direction can be crossed leading to a collision.

With that highly powerful collision, comes a big shower of debris - particles which are only created at such high energies and the physicists at CERN hope to be able to spot the remnants of the Higgs boson in the aftermath of that collision. It is highly unlikely that the Higgs boson will ever be spotted itself, but it's hoped that as the Higgs particle decays into other particles very quickly, it will leave a tell-tale signature that can be spotted.

The scene at today's announcement

In today's announcement, the scientists were keen to emphasise that while their results are based on lots of data, they are not sufficient to allow them to categorically say one way or the other whether the Higgs boson is a reality. If it does exist, the scientists have now reduced the window in which it will detected.

Through repeated experiments, the physicists have detected some "interesting" results when they looked at the remnants of collisions in the 124-126 GeV (gigaelectronvolts) region. One of the scientists, Fabiola Gianotti said of these discoveries, "This excess may be due to a fluctuation, but it could also be something more interesting. We cannot conclude anything at this stage. We need more study and more data. Given the outstanding performance of the LHC this year, we will not need to wait long for enough data and can look forward to resolving this puzzle in 2012."

Over the coming months, scientists at CERN will continue to focus in on this window, which is getting smaller and smaller, in the hope that they can prove one way or the other, the existence of the Higgs. In many ways today's announcement will be a bit of a disappointment for some observers who expected to hear more definitive news. However, if the news coming from Geneva is anything to go by, it will not be long before we know for sure whether this theoretical particle is the real thing.

This post also appears on the Cork Independent Blog.

Lunar Eclipse Tonight

noreply@blogger.com (Eoin Lettice) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 13:55:00 +0000

An image of the lunar eclipse of June 2011

Today, the moon will rise over Ireland with a "bite" taken out of it as we are treated to a partial lunar eclipse (at least the tail-end of it anyway).

Astronomy Ireland say people can expect to see "a slight darkened edge of the moon" and not the total eclipse that will be viewable in other parts of the world.

China, Japan, Australia, Eastern Russia and the western states of the USA will see a full lunar eclipse while Europe, Africa and the Eastern US states will see a partial eclipse.

The partial eclipse should be visible just as the moon rises, around 4pm in Ireland.