I am one of those people that has blue eyes. This is what we call a recessive trait and we know that people with blue eyes must inherit one recessive gene from their mother and one from their father. However, which is the older trait? Were the first humans brown eyed or […]
Science, society, stuff…
A blog about, well, science, society and stuff…
Archive for January, 2008
Our Jobs are gone to Costa Rica
Posted in January 30th, 2008
Allergan is closing their business in Arklow. They are relocating their business to Costa Rica. Allergan make breast implants, among other things (Botox and the like).
I’m not trying to be mean in my comparison of industries, but it is necessary in order to try to figure out what might be the future of Ireland’s […]
Lecturing in London
Posted in January 30th, 2008
So for the past two days I have been lecturing in London at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington on an MSc course in Systematics and Biodiversity.
The Natural History Museum is a real curiosity and a place full of history (ahem) and a few odd stories. If you want to get a better […]
Biscuits and biotechnology
Posted in January 26th, 2008
Two things of note happened last week on the employment front. Jacob’s biscuit manufacturers in Tallaght closed down and Beckman Coulter announced a €200 Million investment with NUI Galway.
This has been happening for a long time now - low tech jobs are being lost and will not be seen again in an economy such […]
Next Bond Film Title
Posted in January 24th, 2008
Well, the next Bond film title has been announced. It is to be called Quantum of Solace.
In all fairness, what has happened to the Bond titles we knew and loved? Licence to Kill. From Russia with love. You only live twice. These were real titles. Uncomplicated. You could sense […]
Yet another death sentence for Blasphemy
Posted in January 23rd, 2008
The BBC is reporting today that there is yet another death sentence for somebody that failed to say nice things about somebody else’s imaginary friend.
This kind of thing used to go on in the middle ages, didn’t it? You know, when humans were pretty stupid?
Oh, I don’t know, I give up.
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Heath Ledger dies, January 22nd.
Posted in January 23rd, 2008
Australian actor Heath Ledger has died in a New York apartment. According to the New York Times, the signs point to suicide. He was found at 3:35 ET, naked and on a bed surrounded by pills. It was known that Ledger had a problem with heroin.
This is yet another example of a […]
Break-in in Harcourt Street Garda Station
Posted in January 22nd, 2008
There was a break-in in Harcourt Street Garda station last night and the Gardaí are asking for anybody who was in the area last night and might have seen something to please come forward.
This is the same street where you find Copper Face Jacks, yes? Do the Guards really want the truth […]
The Irish Pub
Posted in January 21st, 2008
So, nobody goes to the pub any more. Publicans cannot make a living and pubs are closing and instead they are opening off-licences. People are dinrking at home and are now unsupervised by the publicans and as a consequence they are killing themselves with the drugs, injecting cannabis into their arms and all […]
Where, oh where will the students live?
Posted in January 17th, 2008
by James in University
I see with interest that the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) are calling on a task force to be set up to look into the issue of student accommodation. The problem being that students, particularly in Dublin, simply cannot afford the rent.
I have a new PhD student starting and he is from the […]
