An old smell

A new study confirms that people, like  many animals, easily recognize a unique—but not unpleasant—eau de elderly: Ferris Jabr, Scientific American, May 30, 2012   read more

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

How is it that auditing firms failed in their primary duty as auditors of Anglo Irish Bank, Irish Nationwide and AIB to alert shareholders and prospective shareholders and the country at large about the crisis that was emerging in these institutions?: Vincent Browne, Irish Times, May 30, 2012   read more

Watch out today

Asteroid 2012 KP 24, a smallish rock about 25 meters (80 feet) across, will pass pretty close to the Earth on May 28: Discover Magazine   read more

Town v country

Many living in the countryside still think they should be exempt from taxes or charges: Seán Byrne, Irish Times, May 28, 2012   read more

No contest

Robin Gibb didn't lose his battle with cancer, but he did choose to die with dignity: Jenni Murray, Irish Independent, May 22, 2012   read more

All a matter of taste

Overlooked aromatic compounds make huge contributions to tomato flavor, which suggests a new way to improve the taste of high-yield crops: Ferris Jabr, Scientific American, May 24, 2012   read more

Under a spell

English spelling is notoriously inconsistent, and some have gone further, calling it “the world’s most awesome mess” or “an insult to human intelligence”: Tom Shippey, The Times Literary Supplement, May 23, 2012   read more

Is God telling lies?

A reporter tracks down the remnants of Harold Camping’s apocalyptic movement and finds out you don’t have to be crazy to believe something nuts: Tom Bartlett, rd magazine, May 18, 2012   read more

Ouch!

The hubris of Communication Minister Pat Rabbitte, who recently lambasted the quality of political journalism in this country, would be a lot easier to take seriously if the nation hadn’t been lumbered with such a headline-grabbing array of greedy and grasping incompetents in Leinster House for at least the last 30 years: Colette Browne, Irish Examiner, May 23, 2012   read more

Earthly flatulence

Scientists have found more than 150,000 sites in the Arctic where methane is seeping into the atmosphere: Lauren Morello and ClimateWire, Scientific American, May 22, 2012   read more

Losing face

Facebook shares fall sharply in opening minutes on Nasdaq and end Monday more than 11% below Friday's offer price: Charles Arthur, The Guardian, May 22, 2012   read more

Space goes commercial

California's SpaceX has launched on a mission to re-supply the space station - the first cargo delivery to the orbiting outpost by a private company: Jonathan Amos, BBC, 22 May 2012   read more

Worlds upon worlds

“What really interests me is whether God had any choice in creating the world.” 

That’s how Albert Einstein, in his characteristically poetic way, asked whether our universe is the only possible universe: Brian Greene, The Daily Beast, May 21, 2012   read more

Cheeky or what?

Former government minister Ivor Callely was overpaid almost €6,000 in mileage expenses -- but has refused to pay back the money, the Irish Independent has learnt: Treacy Hogan, Irish Independent, May 21, 2012   read more

Robin Gibb R.I.P.

Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb died last night of cancer at the age of 62: Anthony Barnes and Tim Moynihan, Irish Examiner, May 21, 2012   read more

Billy Bunter

The modern child has two chins, four buttocks, some pert little breasts, a fat-covered liver and two brains: one in its head, and the other in its belly: Kevin Myers, Irish Independent, May 18 2012  read more

What might have been

In last week’s Anglo-Celt report on past teachers of St Patrick’s College in Cavan, the former priest, Seán Brady, received little attention. Some former students, however, recalled a contentious, dedicated teacher before he was laicised (and ostracised) in 1977, for challenging his bishop’s authority over an affair now as forgotten as he is: Dermot Bolger, Irish Times, May 19, 2012  read more

Ever changing world

I was surprised when a 23-year-old co-worker told me she didn't remember a time before broadband Internet: Avram Piltch, Laptopmag.com, May 12, 2012   read more

Not so simple anymore

One of Homeland’s greatest strengths is that it shows how much modern terrorists now ape liberal Westerners: Patrick Hayes, Spiked, May 11, 2012   read more

El Nino e La Nina

From record floods to crippling droughts and wildfires, a natural swing in Pacific Ocean temperatures can trigger climate chaos around the globe: David Fogarty, Scientofic American, May 10, 2012   read more

Doublethink

For decades a good number of us imagined, and were warned by iron-in-the-velvet professors of theology, that a condom was a one-way ticket to hell: Editorial, Irish Examiner, May 11, 2012  read more

Making a bags of it

A reusable grocery bag played a central role in spreading a stomach bug among teenage girls at a recent soccer tournament in Washington state, a study finds: Live Science, May 2012    read more

Lying to ourselves

For most of our history, respectability was the only wealth we had: Gerard Howlin, Irish Examiner, May 10, 2012 read more

Staring into space

IT IS a telescope that will peer back to the beginning of time. It is so sensitive it could spot a candle on one of Jupiter’s moons. And Irish scientists have played a major part in its design and development: Dick Ahlstrom, Irish Times, May 10, 2012   read more

Senate woes

Word from the rarified surrounds of Seanad Éireann, the crèche that cares for the oldest and boldest children in the country, that the rations are low and the natives are restless: Colette Browne, Irish Examiner, May 09, 2012   read more

Whistling at thunder

   More than 1,000 Catholic laity, priests and nuns called for dialogue in the Irish church at a day-long conference in Dublin yesterday: Patsy McGarry & Marie O'Halloran, Irish Times, May 8, 2012   read more

Lessons

What we can learn from history is that we learn nothing from history: Terry Prone, Irish Examiner, May 7, 2012  read more

Sham fight?

Evil, militant anti-Christian secularism is simply a myth: David Robert Grimes, Irish Times, May7, 2012  read more

Breasts

I don't have any children yet, so my breasts are still more aesthetic than functional. I mostly use them as a food shelf, a cellphone case, and an in-flight pillow: Lindy West, Jezebel, May 4, 2012   read more

What a question!

'You never got to like it?" That was one of the remarkable questions put to Brendan Boland when he was interrogated by priests in 1975 after reporting to the Catholic Church his sexual abuse at the hands of Fr Brendan Smyth: Colum Kenny, Sunday Independent, May 6, 2012   read more

Supermoon

A "supermoon" has graced the skies, appearing bigger and brighter than usual, as it comes closer to the Earth - and is likely to bring higher tides: BBC News, May 6, 2012  read more

Hyperhyphenated

Everything you wanted to know about hyphens but were afraid to ask: David Robbins, Irish Independent, April 28, 2012  read more

Brave New World?

You read it here first: the game is over for the book: Donald Clarke, The Irish Times, May 5, 2012  read more

Mind games

It seems that the brain, in specific situations, literally gets bored and starts scaring you: Esther Inglis-Arkell, i09, May 3, 2012   read more

Back to the dark ages?

There was a national outcry last night when a government minister warned that rural parts of Ireland would be restricted to using only enough electricity to power three lightbulbs and a kettle: Irish Independent, May 3, 2012   read more

Making a balls of it

The English Football Association is, in many respects, a woefully inept organisation, as evidenced by its sacking of national team manager Fabio Capello only months before England competes in this summer’s European Football Championship: David Adams, Irish Times, May 3, 2012  read more

Wheels within wheels

IT JUST gets curiouser and curiouser. Just what was Cardinal (then Fr) Seán Brady’s role when he attended that inquiry with two other priests and 14-year-old Brendan Boland at the Dominican friary in Dundalk on March 29th, 1975?: Patsy McGarry, Irish Times, May 3, 2012  read more

Time

Our body clocks have social jet lag. And it’s making most of us a little crazy: Kathryn Schulz, New York, April 29, 2012   read more

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Fiscal treaty

I don't know what to think about the fiscal treaty referendum.  Let me be honest and admit that: Bock's blog, May 2, 2012  read more

Corruption: a Catholic thing?

We have long imagined or simply wanted to believe that the inherent goodness and honesty of the great majority of people is a robust enough buttress against the obvious and eternal corruption all around us: Editorial, Irish Examiner, May 2, 2012  read more