Spotlight on Research
Why fixing Ireland's housing crisis requires a change of policy
Opinion: the strongest indication that the government's policy has failed is how the housing emergency has extended across Irish society
Friday, 12 October 2018
A Historic Moment in Reproductive Rights
The Minister for Health introduced the Regulation of the Termination of Pregnancy Bill in the Dáil, which seeks to legalise abortion services in Ireland this week. This was a historic occasion undoubtedly in a State and society that has demonstrated a deeply troubled relationship with women who fall pregnant outside of marriage by institutionalizing or criminalizing women.
Wednesday, 10 October 2018
How mechanical peacocks took 18th century Dublin by storm
18th-century Dubliners and visitors to the city paid to view a show at the "Great Room in William Street" (likely the current headquarters of the Irish Georgian Society) in 1774.
Sunday, 30 September 2018
How useful is the content we create online?
How useful is the content we create online? By Dr Peter Mooney, Department of Computer Science The Brainstorm long read: we generate a massive amount of online content from Facebook posts to YouTube videos, but it's nearly impossible for us to manage the privacy of this data
Friday, 31 August 2018
Lost in translation: Koko the gorilla and language research
In June, the world learned of the passing of a great personality in language research. The said personality was not a human researcher but a non-human primate and long-term participant, Koko the gorilla.
Monday, 13 August 2018
How do our brains work?
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a Cognitive Neuroscience technique that enables us to stimulate the human brain non-invasively. While this in itself is an impressive feat, the technique is not just a fascinating toy, but plays a huge role in informing our understanding of how the brain and different functions are related.
Wednesday, 08 August 2018
Your city is watching you
The city is not only watching us, but also listening to us and tracking our movements through a combination of cameras, microphones and several types of sensors that detect presence, motion, heat and distance among other things.
Tuesday, 24 July 2018
Should a state ever be held responsible for domestic crime?
Under our present legal paradigm, it is impossible to hold the state responsible in a domestic criminal matter.
Tuesday, 17 July 2018
Perks and challenges: a guide to 5G
One of the greatest challenges in delivering 5G networks is doing so at a cost that operators and customers can actually afford, according to Professor Ronan Farrell, Department of Electronic Engineering
Tuesday, 03 July 2018
Silly Yeats’s voice echoes through Auden’s most iconic poetry
Maynooth University Head of English, Professor Colin Graham, argues that Auden’s criticisms of Yeats and his legacy did not stop the Irish poet from being an important influence on his work.
Monday, 02 July 2018