Highlights include four front page news stories, a Culture Magazine cover story (an interview with Dara Ó Briain), three full-page news focuses (on pollinator decline, superbugs and organ donation) and three back page news stories. 

♦ Experience in the Sunday Times newsroom    ♦ Front page articles

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highlights…

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[ENVIRONMENT] IRELAND’S PLAN BEE

The Traas family moved from the Netherlands to Ireland in the late 1960s to grow fruit. Now, Con Traas is reliant on wild bees so that he can harvest his crops every autumn. His orchards are full of apple, plum and cherry trees. He “would have close to nothing without pollinating insects”…

[HEALTH] SICK OF HOSPITALS (PDF)

Aisling McNiffe’s son, Jack, spent most of the first three years of his life in hospital. He was born with Down’s syndrome and later diagnosed with an extremely rare condition, CINCA syndrome. During his prolonged stay in Crumlin children’s hospital in Dublin, Jack picked up four different superbugs…

[HEALTH] One in three young medics ‘will refuse to do abortions’

ALMOST one in three Irish medical students would not terminate pregnancies even if legally permitted to do so, according to new research. Of 169 graduate medical students surveyed by University of Limerick in 2012, 18.9% described themselves as being moderately or strongly pro-life, while…

[SCIENCE] Commercial research ‘like herding cats’

THE state’s chief scientific adviser says scientists must be encouraged to research areas of “strategic importance” to Ireland but that directing them towards areas with commercial impact is like herding cats. Mark Ferguson told a conference in NUI Galway in May: “It’s very difficult to herd…

[SCIENCE] Ó Einstein? That’s a joke

You’ll have heard the one about the stand-up comedian who studied theoretical physics and maths in University College Dublin. His name is Dara Ó Briain. It’s a punchline with a happy ending, because these days the funny man/bright boy from Bray, Co Wicklow, gets to do both slapstick and…

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stories…

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[ENVIRONMENT] IRELAND’S PLAN BEE

The Traas family moved from the Netherlands to Ireland in the late 1960s to grow fruit. Now, Con Traas is reliant on wild bees so that he can harvest his crops every autumn. His orchards are full of apple, plum and cherry trees. He “would have close to nothing without pollinating insects”…

[HEALTH] Epilepsy mother backs drug curb

INCREASED restrictions on a drug used to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder and migraines have been recommended by a European Medicines Agency (EMA) committee. The recommendations follow recent studies on sodium valproate, which showed a 30%-40% risk…

[SCIENCE] Badger culling a decade ago ‘still reducing risk of bovine TB’

SEVERAL areas that were the subject of intensive culling of badgers more than a decade ago continue to have lower levels of TB in cattle. Badgers in four specific areas in Ireland were culled as part of a project from 1997 to 2002. It found a significant…

[ENVIRONMENT] Seaweed ‘invasion’ is a threat to shellfish beds

AN INVASIVE species that could threaten the marine economy has been discovered in Ireland for the first time. Japanese kelp was recently found in Carlingford Lough, according to the National Biodiversity Data Centre (NBDC), and could pose an economic threat due to…

[HEALTH] GPs demand ebola-prevention kit

DOCTORS have expressed concern that many GP surgeries have not been given equipment recommended by the Health Service Executive when treating a suspected ebola patient. Guidance for “emerging viral threats”, including ebola, avian flu and Middle East respiratory…

[EDUCATION] Campus rooms reserved for A1s

UNIVERSITIES are giving preference to students achieving higher Central Applications Office (CAO) points when allocating campus accommodation. The National Parents’ Council has criticised the development, claiming it is increasing the pressure on students…

[SCIENCE] Science boffins fail Irish uni quiz

ONLY one in three (37%) of delegates surveyed at Europe’s largest science conference last week knew the exact name of an Irish university. A further third of the delegates (34%) did not know the correct name of a university but came close, being able to identify cities…

[HEALTH] Hospitals fail to stem superbugs (PDF)

IRISH hospitals are failing to comply with healthcare guidelines for the prevention and control of superbugs, according to a survey of 20 medical centres. Two years ago, Irish hospitals were given guidelines to control the growing number of bacteria, other than than MRSA…

[HEALTH] SICK OF HOSPITALS (PDF)

Aisling McNiffe’s son, Jack, spent most of the first three years of his life in hospital. He was born with Down’s syndrome and later diagnosed with an extremely rare condition, CINCA syndrome. During his prolonged stay in Crumlin children’s hospital in Dublin, Jack picked up four different superbugs…

[ENVIRONMENT] Expert warns Dublin’s water crisis will recur

PROBLEMS at the Ballymore Eustace water treatment plant that have caused water shortages in Dublin are “inevitable” and “will probably happen again”, warns an Irish expert. Professor Nick Gray, an environmental scientist at Trinity College Dublin, said the Kildare plant…

[SCIENCE] Insects a net contributor to land economy

Insects are contributing almost €4m a year to the Irish economy by pollinating oilseed rape and increasing the crop’s yield, according to a new study. Dara Stanley, a researcher on the Trinity College Dublin study, said that even though oilseed rape can be pollinated without insects, they…

[HEALTH] Cervical cancer on rise in Ireland

The rate of cervical cancer is on the increase in Ireland, with the disease occurring more frequently here than in the UK, according to the National Cancer Registry’s latest study. While the incidence of cancer fell in the UK between 1994 and 2008, there was a rise here. A change in sexual…

[SCIENCE] ‘Wonder treatment’ for plants loses key backing

VI-AQUA, an Irish product heralded “as possibly the greatest breakthrough in agriculture since the plough”, has lost key endorsements. Vi-Aqua is a water-treatment system that it is claimed acts as an ecofriendly alternative to fertiliser. It is attached to a water source such as a hose and…

[POLITICS] Ministers bypass debate to rubber-stamp EU directives

MORE than 1m words of EU regulation have been signed into law by the current government with little or no debate by the Oireachtas. Ministers have signed 442 statutory instruments implementing EU directives and regulations since coming into power in March 2011. The ministers used their powers…