People, long ago, thought that the sun was a god. They weren’t far wrong

Higher temperatures, rising sea levels, heavier rain, and more severe storms will all present problems, writes Kieran Hickey

Since Ireland’s record wet summer of 2009, the country has had a major weather event every eight months, from extreme cold to heatwaves. Expect more, says Kieran Hickey

The Rugby World Cup, which starts in six weeks’ time in Japan, is set to attract the largest number of spectators in the tournament’s history.

The future can knock on the door in the most peculiar and surprising ways.

The world’s first cruise ship propelled partially by battery power is set to head out from northern Norway on its maiden voyage, cruise operator Hurtigruten said.

Cold War-era spy satellite images have shown scientists that glaciers on the Himalayas are now melting twice as fast as they used to.

Bangor-born blogger Jonny Blair has been travelling the world since 2003.

Record-breaking runs by Youghal-born solicitor Sinead Kane are confronting many people’s perceptions of what can be achieved by a visually-impaired athlete, writes Rebecca Stiffe.

The organisers of a special commemoration for an Irishman acknowledged as being the first person to record a sighting of Antarctica are hoping that a replica of the ship he was on at the time will visit his native Co Cork.

Goethe wrote in 1832, “I hate all bungling like sin. but most of all bungling in state affairs, which produce nothing but mischief to thousands and millions”.

Ranulph Fiennes has survived many tight spots as the world’s greatest living explorer, but one of the first risks he took landed him

In Eric Bogle’s great anti-war song ‘The Band Played Waltzing Matilda’ his narrator “lived the free life of the rover From the Murray’s green basin to the dusty outback I waltzed my Matilda all over” before he was called, like hundreds of Irishmen, to fight at Gallipoli.

From gannets using it instead of seaweed to build nests on the Skelligs right down to it spoiling the most remote Antarctic habitats, plastic has become the environmental scourge of the age.

Researchers hope to find the lost ship of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton when they set off on a major international scientific expedition next year.

Paul Robinson’s recent world best time of 4:17.9 for a mile run in sub-zero Antarctica recalled memories of a previous era when Ireland’s leading milers competed at elite level and helped to rewrite the record books.

This year is expected to be one of the hottest on record, with temperatures more than 1C above pre-industrial levels, the World Meteorological Organisation has said.

This year is expected to be one of the hottest on record, with temperatures more than 1C above pre-industrial levels, the World Meteorological Organisation has said.

Night herons have nested for the first time in Britain. A pair raised two chicks at Westhay Moor nature reserve in Somerset. 

In 1983, former Cork South West TD Jim O’Keeffe was involved in the discovery of a Russian spy ring in Dublin. His story now features in a new RTÉ documentary, writes Robert Mulhern

The moorhens and coots, of lakes and ponds, are easy to tell apart. Waterhens have bright red bills with yellow tips, and some white on their tail feathers, writes Richard Collins. 

Legendary explorer and climber Simon Yates will be talking about his experiences during his Cork tour, writes Conor Kane

Ed Power reviews Madness at the Main Stage on day two of Electric Picnic.

What do the inventors of the submarine and the ejector seat, the surgeon who carried out the world’s first C-section and the first All-Black rugby captain have in common? They’re all Irish. With the help of the Epic — the Irish Emigration Centre — we profile 20 of our most famous 

Scientists believe they have found the largest volcanic region on earth - under the ice of Antarctica.

A RTÉ radio documentary is set to capture the bravery of the granddaughter of lrish polar hero Tom Crean as she battled katabatic winds, sheer cliffs and some of the roughest seas in the world to follow in his intrepid footsteps.

A couple have tied the knot in the first official wedding on the British Antarctic Territory.

Within easy reach and open all hours, Robert Hume pays tribute to the automated telling machine (ATM), or ‘hole-in-the-wall’, which celebrates its 50th birthday today.

The recent discovery that humpback whale mothers and their new-born babies whisper to each other raises intriguing questions. We usually divide vocal communications into songs and calls, writes Richard Collins.

Santiago in Chile was named one of the world’s top 10 cities to visit by National Geographic Traveller, writes Isabel Conway. After a holiday there, she understands why. 

It was one of the largest mass demonstrations in American history. Ahead of International Women’s Day, Amanda Hess reflects on the Women’s March and what it means for feminism.

THOSE ancient gods, the sun and moon, appear as circles in the sky, writes Richard Collins.

Last Sunday, at 34 years old and with only 5% vision, Co Cork woman Sinéad Kane became the first visually impaired woman to run seven marathons on seven continents in seven days.