Fiann Ó Nualláin looks back at the life of Anne Elizabeth Ball, a botanist whose work is illuminating our future.

THE cuckoo, alas, has no respect for the ordinary decencies of family life; it lays its eggs in other birds’ nests.

Perched high above the harbour and as picturesque, quaint and historic as the town itself, Kinsale’s Southwell Alms Houses are being put out to tender today with a view to preserving their antiquity and architectural integrity while giving them a new lease of life.

Selective breeding can produce salmon resistant to sea lice, according to a study.

One of Britain’s top scientists has supported the condemnation of Tim Hunt, who quit his job in the wake of controversial comments he made about women working in laboratories.

Outspoken academic Professor Richard Dawkins has claimed Tim Hunt was the victim of “a feeding frenzy of mob-rule self-righteousness” when he quit his job in the wake of controversial comments he made about women working in laboratories.

The scientist and broadcaster Professor Brian Cox has said it was wrong the way a Nobel laureate scientist was “hounded out” of his university posting over controversial comments he made about women working in laboratories.

Boris Johnson has described the reaction to a Nobel laureate’s comments about women as similar to that of “ferocious stinging bees”.

A Nobel laureate has apologised for any offence caused by comments about the “trouble with girls” involved in science.

GUINEA: Scientists have discovered a group of booze-loving apes who may hold the key to why humans enjoy drinking alcohol. 

Plans have been lodged with Cork City Council to restore the home of maths pioneer and the forefather of the information age, George Boole.

After a fine dinner at our home last week, our guest (and chef for the evening) was (figuratively) in full flight and turned to the squirmy subject of earthworms.

Scientists believe they may have found the strongest natural material known to man, one that could be copied to make the cars, boats and planes of the future - the teeth of the humble limpet.

Farming and climate change

Sloths are uniquely adapted to hanging around doing very little, scientists have discovered.

A return to Ireland by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II is looking increasingly likely after the success of President Michael D Higgins’ visit to London.

The Queen has said that Britain and Ireland shall “no longer allow our past to ensnare our future” at a historic state banquet in honour of President Michael D Higgins.

Michael D Higgins will address the British Houses of Parliament next month on the first state visit by an Irish president to Britain.

LIFE is tough for songbirds just now.

WITH rising temperatures, courtesy of greenhouse gas emissions, you might expect birds to linger on at migration time, taking an extra ‘sus beag’, before the arduous journey to far-off lands.

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

Switching to e-cigarettes could save millions of smokers’ lives, a conference on the increasingly popular devices heard, though some experts warned more research on the health effects is needed.

Forget about strong coffee or hair of the dog that strung-out revellers turn to the morning after the night before.

Birds observe speed limits on the roads even if motorists ignore them.

ET may not be calling any time soon, according to an expert who claims belief in a universe teeming with life is misplaced.

Mesmerized

Teagasc’s decision to carry out field tests on GM potatoes has angered the ‘Green Food Ireland’ lobby but the critical issue is that it is not planning to conduct toxicity tests, writes Dr Oliver Moore

A thriving colony of Mediterranean French earthworms has been found on a farm in Dublin.

The world faces deepening challenges in the 21st century from an expanding population and limited resources, according to a new report from a British-based scientific group.

THE sky is filled with “hundreds of billions” of unknown planets, according to a study.

WHALES are blazing a trail ahead of humans through the melting ice floes of the Northwest Passage.

LIZARDS can be every bit as clever as birds and mammals, a study has found.

A HORN from one of the last surviving dinosaurs could be clinching evidence that a meteorite strike ended the extinct reptiles’ reign on Earth.

HUMPBACK whales have a mystifying navigational skill that cannot be explained by known theories, a study has found.

Tigers and polar bears’ huge appetites make them much more vulnerable to environmental change, scientists said today.

A HUMPBACK whale has travelled the longest distance recorded for any mammal, swimming across nearly a quarter of the globe between two breeding grounds.

ONE of the world’s greatest scientists will deliver a lecture at UCC this week to mark an international collaboration between two leading cancer research centres.

WHEN it comes to choosing a partner, smell may be just as important as good looks, research out today suggests.

A loving mother works her magic just as well with soothing words as she does with hugs, scientists have learned.

Bank of England Governor Mervyn King mounted a defence of the central bank’s forecasts today as he warned the UK economy would be “far from normal” for some time.

Satellite TV and the digital revolution is making humanity more and more invisible to inquisitive aliens on other planets, the world’s leading ET hunter said today.

A new dinosaur species that may help explain how the creatures evolved into the largest land animals has been discovered in South Africa, scientists said today.