Who was John Tyndall?

The Irishman was the first person to prove the dangers of greenhouse gases and the need for hygiene in medicine. As his life’s letters are published, Ailin Quinlan learns that Tyndall was a fearless ambassador for science

EVERY WEEKDAY morning, thousands of rush-hour commuters pass the Tyndall National Institute, at the Lee Maltings Complex on Cork’s Dyke Parade.

The building is a familiar sight, but until recently the scientist whose name it bears has been little known.