Physics

We may grumble about the rain but its one of the reasons Ireland has a vibrant green landscape earning it the name of the Emerald Isle. The North Atlantic drift keeps the climate temperate, offloads a lot of rain and keeps our vegetation…

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we have detected gravitational waves” David Reitze, executive director of LIGO announced to the world at a press conference this afternoon. It is a momentous occasion as all of the predictions of Einstein’s general…

I've watched with amusement and annoyance the maelstrom of excitement that has swept the world of physics reporting the past few days. If you google 'gravitational waves' you will find a slew of articles published in all the leading…

Total Lunar Eclipse On September 28th you better make sure you set your alarms earlier than usual. One of the most spectacular natural sights, a total lunar eclipse, will be visible to all of you in Ireland in the early hours of Monday the…

In pubs across the country, last Monday, Pint of Science kicked off a three-day extravaganza of fun, interesting and insightful lectures, about all things science. Dublin, Galway and Limerick were host to some fantastically named lectures…

Ups and downs at the LHC Don't they look happy! It’s been an exciting few weeks over at CERN. After a scheduled 2 year downtime, the Large Hadron Collider was due to restart last week, but the momentous occasion was delayed by a short…

Val Logsdon Fitch, (10 March 1923 - 5 February 2015), Particle Physicist and Nobel Prize Winner in Physics, 1980. Died aged 91. “At any one time there is a natural tendency among physicists to believe that we already know the essential…

Origins In 1799 a French engineer stumbled upon what was to be one of the greatest archaeological finds in all of human history. On an expedition to Egypt with the purpose of undermining competitors' trade interests to the East, an…

Gravity is something we all take for granted. When we drop something it falls to the ground. Just last week an entire packet of spaghetti dropped from its container onto the floor creating quite a lovely sculpture. I can hear my mom, “I’ve…

"I have been frequently questioned, especially by women, how I could reconcile family life with a scientific career. Well, it has not been easy." – Marie Curie. When I first decided that Marie Curie would be the next Legend of the Month…