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Climate activists from the Extinction Rebellion march in the City of London on August 27, 2021 during the group’s Impossible Rebellion series of actions. Photograph: AFP via Getty Images

Wiggle room on strong climate action has all but disappeared

John Gibbons

John Gibbons: There is now less than a one per cent chance of remaining at or below 1.5 degrees

Astronomers get rare glimpse into planetary formation

An artist’s impression of a giant impact releasing gas from the atmosphere of a Venus-like planet. Photograph: Mark A Garlick/markgarlick.com

Kevin O'Sullivan

Researchers studying debris and gas left by ‘giant impacts’

Dara Ó Briain receives Maths Week Ireland award

Comedian and science enthusiast Dara Ó Briain has been given the 2021 Maths Week Ireland award for his lifelong contribution to raising public awareness of maths.Photograph: Frank Miller

Kevin O'Sullivan

Tributes paid to comedian for lifelong contribution to raising public awareness of maths

Prof Philip Nolan to become director general of Science Foundation Ireland

Professor Philip Nolan was chairman of Nphet’s epidemiological modelling advisory group, which has played a critical role in controlling the spread of Covid-19 in Ireland. Photograph: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin

Kevin O'Sullivan

Leading academic is a member of the National Public Health Emergency Team

Climate change in Ireland: More heatwaves, less snow and heavier rain

Waterville, Co Kerry: There will be more frequent summer heatwave events, especially in the south. Photograph: Frank Miller

Enda O'Brien & Paul Nolan

Latest model simulations can provide very precise indicators of our climate

Tackling our high anxiety over climate change

William Reville

Further global warming will cause more trouble, but there is much we can still do

Évariste Galois: he perished in obscurity, and it would be another 15 years before the brilliance of his work was recognised

Outrageous behaviour among mathematicians

Peter Lynch

In the ‘calculus wars’ Britain claimed it was invented by Newton, while the Germans insisted it was Leibniz

A strong preference for sons stems from a very rigid culture of patrilineality where the social order of families resides with the males and the family lineage passes from father to son. Photograph: Getty Images

There is an unequal human sex ratio of males to females at birth

William Reville

All countries with strongly skewed sex ratios at birth in favour of males have cultures that display a preference for sons

A strong preference for sons stems from a very rigid culture of patrilineality where the social order of families resides with the males and the family lineage passes from father to son. Photograph: Getty Images

The Rosetta Stone many believe holds key to essential nature of maths

Peter Lynch

That’s Maths: Langlands program one of most ambitious efforts to unify different branches

Weather prediction models have improved dramatically in recent decades

Earth system models simulate the changing climate

Peter Lynch

We must find ways to minimise or avoid further damage to the atmosphere and oceans

Merely listing these Covid-19 associated restrictions highlights the inevitability of collateral damage

Collateral damage from the Covid-19 pandemic

William Reville

Damage to mental health and economy may rival damage caused by virus itself

Merely listing these Covid-19 associated restrictions highlights the inevitability of collateral damage

Conspiracy theories stubbornly impervious to scientific method

William Reville

It would be unwise to ignore or patronise the phenomenon

The Irish Mathematical Society, which holds its annual meeting this week, has been going strong for 45 years. Photograph: iStock

That’s Maths: The social side of mathematics

Peter Lynch

The IMS deals with high level stuff, but an opening exists for a group catering to the layperson

In 1864, Kelvin estimated the Earth’s age by treating it as a sphere with molten rocks in its interior, gradually cooling by loss of heat from the surface

Changing views on the age of planet Earth

Peter Lynch

We currently believe the age to be about 4.5bn years

In 1864, Kelvin estimated the Earth’s age by treating it as a sphere with molten rocks in its interior, gradually cooling by loss of heat from the surface

West in danger of repeating Soviet ideological assault on science

William Reville

New ideologies should be carefully discussed, not uncritically insinuated into general culture

Traffic flow can be compared to the flow of gas along a pipe, where each car is analogous to a molecule of gas. Photograph: Alan Betson

Phantom traffic jams are all too real

Peter Lynch

Decreasing average speed of traffic can increase overall flow volume

Although Ireland’s vaccine programme is going well, a significant amount of hesitancy remains. File photograph: iStock

There is no need for vaccine hesitancy among the young

William Reville

Let us count our blessing vaccines against so many diseases are available

Although Ireland’s vaccine programme is going well, a significant amount of hesitancy remains. File photograph: iStock

To infinity and beyond: trying to figure out number systems

Peter Lynch

That’s Maths: Construction of set of numbers inspired by conception of physical world

An anti-nuclear protester leaves a demonstration on a field in Dannenberg, Germany. Photograph: Reuters/Christian Charisius

Nuclear waste is not the hellish material of popular imagination

William Reville

Studies have shown it can be stored safely for millennia in geological repositories

The space shuttle Atlantis lands at California’s Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert, February, 2001. Photograph: Tom Tschida/Handout/Reuters

Kalman filters have applications from moon to motorway

Peter Lynch

That’s Maths: Rudolph Kalman’s method is almost ideal to calculate velocity changes

The space shuttle Atlantis lands at California’s Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert, February, 2001. Photograph: Tom Tschida/Handout/Reuters

Covid-19 vaccines have weakened the anti-GMO movement

William Reville

‘Genetic modification has much to offer as everyone who offers their arm to the vaccination needle can confirm’

A remarkable photograph of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales viewed from Ireland, taken by photographer Niall O’Carroll on January 12th last using a Panasonic DMZ-TZ 100 camera from the Ben of Howth.

Seeing beyond the horizon

Peter Lynch

That’s Maths: Light travels more easily through air of lower density

Mark Twain: ‘Age is a matter of mind over matter. If you don’t mind it doesn’t matter.’

You’re only as old as you feel – research says so

William Reville

German study finds feeling younger protects middle-aged against damaging stress

Mark Twain: ‘Age is a matter of mind over matter. If you don’t mind it doesn’t matter.’

A pandemic problem: Too much cleaning is bad for your health

William Reville

Sterilising surfaces will have damaged microbiome biodiversity, essential for health

French mathematician, philosopher and theologian Blaise Pascal was first to make a comprehensive study of the triangle. However, it was known much earlier.

The simple arithmetic triangle is full of surprises

Peter Lynch

Easy to construct, and always a chance of finding something never seen before

The existence of habitable planets elsewhere in the universe is within the scope of Uniformity principle but to say planets inhabited by intelligent life are necessitated would be an unwarranted stretch. Photograph: Getty Images/iStockphoto

How useful is the Copernican principle of mediocrity?

William Reville

The assertion that humans are not special creatures is unwarranted

The existence of habitable planets elsewhere in the universe is within the scope of Uniformity principle but to say planets inhabited by intelligent life are necessitated would be an unwarranted stretch. Photograph: Getty Images/iStockphoto

How does the much-maligned Euclid’s Elements relate to coronavirus?

Peter Lynch

Analysis suggests part of the coronavirus has the structure of a truncated octahedron

Atmospheric flow is chaotic: a small change in the starting values can lead to a wildly different forecast.

How to improve weather predictions by reducing precision

Peter Lynch

That’s Maths: Decimal points come with costs that may not fine-tune ensemble forecasts

Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (known as BECCS) sucks CO2 from the air, but it cannot be applied on the huge scale required. Photograph: iStock

Aggressive de-growth needed to avoid climate nightmare

William Reville

This would require prioritising generosity and sustainable living, and measuring success in terms of contentment not GDP

Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (known as BECCS) sucks CO2 from the air, but it cannot be applied on the huge scale required. Photograph: iStock

We need nuclear power to manage climate change

William Reville

Proven technology emits little or no greenhouse gas

CP Snow compared ignorance of the Second Law of Thermodynamics to ignorance of Shakespeare. Photograph: Picasa 3.0

Entropy and the relentless drift from order to chaos

Peter Lynch

It is all too evident in everyday life: a broken egg cannot be put together again

Much research demonstrates that people’s behaviour, including diet, has a bigger impact on mortality than body size does.

Doctors weigh in on importance of BMI in health outcomes

William Reville

Some are moving from ‘weight-centric’ model to prescribing healthier behaviour

Much research demonstrates that people’s behaviour, including diet, has a bigger impact on mortality than body size does.

Was space weather the cause of the Titanic disaster?

Peter Lynch

That’s Maths: Ship’s impact with iceberg could, arguably, have been avoided

Prof Joseph Stiglitz. Photograph: Eric Luke

GDP measures economic activity but misses the point

William Reville

Reliance on GDP as a measure of wellbeing has worsened people’s health and happiness

Queueing at Dublin Airport in busier times. Computational modelling confirms a single queue is the more efficient organisation, with shorter waiting times than multiple queue systems. Photograph: Frank Miller

Making the best of waiting in line

Peter Lynch

There is a well-developed mathematical theory of queues, covering several stages of the process

Columnists

David McWilliams

David McWilliams -

David McWilliams: Wages will rise and profits will fall amid the Great Resignation

Cliff Taylor

Cliff Taylor -

Cliff Taylor: We should be more interested in reopening offices than nightclubs

Pat Leahy - Political Editor

If Covid won’t be a political issue, the health service will

Diarmaid Ferriter

Diarmaid Ferriter -

Puttnam’s speech highlights hollow nature of British politics

Citizen Science The Irish Times and citizen science researchers have teamed up. See the results here

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Real news has value

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Features & Opinion

Action on climate is effective, just look at acid rain and the ozone layer

Stuart Mathieson: International efforts can have an effect within our lifetimes

A Nobel Prize for climate modellers a sign of the times

Without their tools it would be impossible to make predictions for Earth’s future

Response to Covid-19 and climate change: a remarkable divergence

While the war against the virus is won, the same cannot be said about global warming

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