Our scientific genius Tyndall who was accidentally murdered by his wife

A CONFERENCE at London’s Royal Society next week will discuss ways to reduce emissions from gases blamed for causing rising temperatures.

Climate change and global warming have a very modern ring. However, it was over a century and a half ago when John Tyndall, son of a police constable from Leighlinbridge, Co Carlow, proved the existence of the greenhouse effect.

Tyndall, who died 120 years ago today, developed a love of problem solving at Ballinabranagh National School. He would rise early and chew coffee beans while reading about aerostatics and phlogiston, then go off to make hot air balloons and coal gas.