Ireland Archives

Back to the future: The Secret of Kells brings the past to life

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Lisabeth C Buchelt specialises in medieval and nineteenthcentury British and Irish literary and cultural studies and examines how a modern animation, The Secret of Kells, brings the medieval Irish landscape alive.

It’s tempting to think that our global, multimedia age is the most multicultural and visually literate in history. However, a new study by Lisabeth Buchelt, of the University of Nebraska—Omaha probes the relationship between a contemporary Irish animated film and the 1,200-year-old masterpiece of Celtic art that inspired it. She finds that the modern age is not the first to […]

DNA molecular scissors as new cancer chemotherapeutics

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The discovery of efficient new metallodrugs with minimal side effects is urgently needed in cancer medicine. Associate Professor Andrew Kellett and Dr Creina Slator, Dublin City University, Ireland, have employed ‘click chemistry’ to generate new copper DNA molecular scissors with anticancer and gene editing properties. Their molecules have coordinated metal centres and mimic the action of natural products that cause […]

Inclusion at a crossroads: Special education in Ireland

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Dr Joanne Banks argues that inclusivity in the classroom is at a crossroads, and all students should be educated in the same spaces as advised by the UNCRDP regarding special education needs

Special education in Ireland has changed dramatically in recent years, as policymakers and educators have sought to improve learning for students with additional learning needs and/or disabilities. Following Ireland’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), inclusive education experts Joanne Banks and Michael Shevlin of Trinity College, Dublin, argue that inclusion is at a […]

The role of digital health in paediatric obesity treatment

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PhD Student Louise Tully explores the use and application of telemedicine as a method of implementing obesity management strategies in young people

The prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents is at high levels. Novel approaches are needed to provide effective care to this population and to minimise the risks of long-term health complications. Digital health has progressed hugely over recent years and offers an attractive option for delivering paediatric weight management interventions. Louise Tully, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences […]

Improving product quality in pharmaceutical ball milling

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Ball milling is used in the pharmaceutical industry to reduce the size of particulate material such as pharmaceutical granules. Dr Alexander Krok and Dr Sandra Lenihan from Munster Technological University, Ireland, have developed a computational approach to achieve optimal, energy-efficient size reduction in ball milling resulting in the production of high-quality particulate material (i.e. granules) of homogeneous shape and size. […]

Directed Panspermia: Synthetic DNA in bioforming planets

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This seeding of a planet with life is known as directed panspermia.

As our technological advancements continue, scientists are beginning to turn what was science fiction into reality. Concepts such as terraforming and travel between stars are becoming more achievable, giving life to the dream that one day we might colonise other planets. Directed panspermia is one method of altering a hostile, uninhabited planet to a more Earth-like environment, and Cork Institute […]

A blended learning programme for out-of-field mathematics teaching

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Out-of-field teaching is an international phenomenon with particular prevalence in the teaching of mathematics. Professor Merrilyn Goos, Professor of STEM Education at the University of Limerick, and Director of EPI*STEM describes the design features of a national mathematics teacher professional development programme. Employing three boundary crossing frameworks exposes the signature features of this part-time graduate programme’s blended learning design, and […]

Nanotechnology provides new methods for oral delivery of peptides

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One aspect of successful drug development is efficient delivery to affected organs. Most drugs are taken by mouth, travel to the intestines, are absorbed into the bloodstream, and circulated to organs of interest. However, a class of potent drugs known as peptides cannot withstand this abrasive route and are directly injected into veins, under the skin, or into muscles. Injections […]