Another quick rundown of the scientific news and breakthroughs of the last couple of days, from the carcinogenic miasma we inhale every single day to the biggest reptile of all time. Also, find out what happened the bees during the last days of the dinosaurs and why Thorium is creeping its way to prominence in the world of nuclear fission. A Leading Cause of Cancer Could Be the Very Air We Breathe Courtesy of wikipedia Air pollution is one of the leading causes of cancer, according to data released by the The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) this week. “Our conclu ..read more

Literally flat out here in the office; been a month of immense change and growth in the both the Life Science industry here in Ireland and indeed the science world in general. I managed to peel myself away from my newly-shouldered duties in my new office space to round up a nice mix of science, tech, industry and of course cute animal news. Please hit the titles if you want to read more from the source material or find links to any published sources. 570kg ‘Space Rock’ May be The Largest Meteor Fragment Ever Discovered. Courtesy of io9.com The Chelabinsk meteor event from February of this ye ..read more

Some science-y gifs to take your mind off that stuff you really should be doing. Acoustic levitation is achieved by exerting pressure on a body using sound waves. If the wave is of the correct frequency, its enough force to counteract gravity and the body hovers in space. this technology has the potential to transport hazardous materials safely or to simulate microgravity experiments at a much lower cost than taking the trip into orbit. This cool little device is called a homopolar Motor. The name homopolar means that the polarity of the conductor and the magnetic fields dont change. The ho ..read more

This is truly incredible. A student from McGill has used Queens classic to explain string theory. And this is no normal cover version, Tim Blais (youtube channel acapellascience) does this rendition completely a Capella, while explaining one of the most complex theories in science, WHILE remaining rhythmically, melodically and OVERWHELMINGLY faithful to Queens original masterpiece. I’m delighted this is getting the attention it deserves – well over a million views in about 2 weeks. To add to this bizarre and brilliant ensemble is an Einstein sock puppet who sings the guitar solo-y bit chipmunk ..read more

Well its been almost 3 weeks since I’ve updated thanks to holidays and a pesky illness but as per usual it has been an incredibly busy and promising time across the science world. From termite poop to diamond-encrusted teeth to ‘black holes’ at sea, there has been no shortage of scientific progress announced recently. As usual, all source material is cited, just follow the links provided in each title. Most have additional videos and graphics. I’d recommend checking out Carl Harts story ‘The Rational Choices of Drug Addicts’ for a drastically different perspective on the world of addiction to ..read more

Been a pretty busy week here at LS but that hasn’t stopped me accumulating a veritable  smorgasbord of useless (read: highly informative) information. Here it is pared down, collated and presented with some newly-acquired WordPress skills which you probably won’t notice. Enjoy! Booze is a remedy for methanol poisoning. You’ve probably heard of the term ‘blind drunk.’ This comes from people literally losing their eyesight due to drinking too much. This is a risk particularly if you have been drinking methanol, something we never recommend you do. Ever. Ingesting as little as 10ml causes th ..read more

Over the past couple of months, I have given a number of talks to postgraduate and second level students about careers in STEM-Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths in conjunction with various groups such as WITS (Women in Technology and Science), Trinity College Dublin and their Molecular Medicine postgrads, RCSI and for Science Foundation Ireland Smart Futures program during SciFest. The common theme at each of these events was careers in STEM, the different types of career paths you can take, and most importantly HOW to get your first job in this area. As a STEM graduate myself, I am a ..read more

A New Type of Microbe Has Been Discovered in Two Distant Clean Rooms. The way I see it, there are two types of people ..read more

  1. Ravicti: $794,000 per year – Ravicti is used to treat urea cycle disorders (UCD), genetic diseases that prevent the body from getting rid of ammonia. Horizon Pharma – Horizon have an office in Dublin city centre which focuses on CMO (Contract Manufacturing Organisation) Management and other centralised services.     2. Spinraza: $750,000 per year – this drug is used for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) drug Spinraza Biogen – the only company on this list without a direct presence in Ireland. Come on, Biogen, we don’t bite!     3. Brineura: $700,000per ..read more

The Advantages of being a Scientist recruiting Scientists   Karen Shiel   When I first started out in recruitment 10 years ago, I had just successfully completed a PhD in Molecular Biology and had spent a year in Australia working in a commercial sales role. I found it difficult decide on which career path to take in Ireland with a PhD in Biology, as the logical step at the time was to stay in academia and undertake a post-doc or move into Quality in pharmaceutical manufacturing. The majority of biology graduates I knew went into GP sales, QA, QC or clinical data coordinator roles wi ..read more