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Vitamin D levels can be painlessly measured in the hair

Ben Coxworth February 25, 2019

Our bodies need vitamin D, but many peoples' indoor lifestyles keep them from getting enough via sunlight exposure. So, how can someone find out just how high their D levels are? Well, blood sampling works, although levels can now also be determined simply by analyzing one of the person's hairs.

There's 25-hydroxyvitamin D in that thar hair

Medical

Scientists develop new treatment for antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis

Ben Coxworth January 9, 2019

Like so many other diseases, tuberculosis is becoming increasingly resistant to treatment by antibiotics. There may be hope, however, as scientists have developed a new vitamin-based treatment which could both halt the disease, and prevent antibiotic-resistance from developing further.

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland's Prof. Sally-Ann Cryan, co-lead scientist on the study

Biology

Move over, great whites – basking sharks like jumping, too

Ben Coxworth September 20, 2018

If you've watched even one TV show about sharks, then chances are you've seen awesome footage of great whites jumping completely out of the water. As it turns out, though, they're not the only ones who like getting high. Their even larger cousin, the basking shark, has also been spotted doing so.

One of the jumping basking sharks, initially observed in 2015

Science

Newly discovered metabolic mechanism could be an off-switch for inflammation

Rich Haridy March 28, 2018

Researchers have uncovered a new metabolic process involved in the immune system's inflammatory processes. Manipulating this mechanism could essentially "switch off" inflammation and enable the development of entirely new anti-inflammatory drugs to treat a host of auto-immune disorders.

Researchers at Trinity College Dublin may have discovered a way to switch off inflammation

Science

Volcanic crystals could help scientists predict deadly eruptions

Anthony Wood January 23, 2018

A team of scientists may have developed a new method of predicting potentially deadly eruptions, by studying tiny crystals contained in volcanic debris. In the future, the research could provide greater warning, and so more evacuation time to at-risk populations.

Mount Etna (pictured) is the most active volcano in Europe

Space

Mars forecast: Floating CO2 blocks, spontaneous pit formation

Michael Franco October 27, 2017

"Today will be hazy with a heavy possibility of spontaneous pit formation. Also keep your eyes peeled for floating chunks of carbon dioxide and, as always, don't leave home without your hab suit." That could some day be the winter weather forecast Martian colonists wake up to, based on new research.

Researchers now believe they know what's responsible for strange wiggly lines forming down the surface of ...

Materials

Silly Putty smartens up, with a dash of graphene

Ben Coxworth December 9, 2016

Graphene could certainly be described as a wonder material. Silly Putty, on the other hand … well, it's an old-school kids' toy. Scientists recently combined the one with the other, however, to create sensors capable of unprecedented sensitivity.

Lead scientist Jonathan Coleman and his son Oisin, with G-putty and regular Silly Putty

Science

Researchers discover new property of light with a twist

Colin Jeffrey May 18, 2016

Light has long been one of the areas of physics that is best understood. But now researchers have discovered a new form of light that not only adds to our deeper understanding of its properties, but may help improve quantum computing and fiber-optic communications

Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have discovered a new form of light that not only adds ...

Medical

"Marvel molecule" could enable new treatments for a range of inflammatory diseases

Nick Lavars February 18, 2015

A team of researchers has unearthed what they are calling a "marvel molecule." Said to be capable of suppressing a key activator of various inflammatory diseases, it is hoped the finding could lead to more effective treatments for conditions ranging from Alzheimer’s disease to rheumatoid arthritis.

The newly identified molecule could hold the key to improved treatments for a variety of inflammatory ...

Good Thinking

Students look to improve bitcoin transparency

Helen Clark February 9, 2015

In an effort to make bitcoin more attractive to a wider range of legitimate businesses, students at Trinity College Dublin are looking for ways to increase transparency in transactions without ditching the anonymity altogether and believe a "credit-check" database could be one answer.

Students are examining ways to make Bitcoin more appealing to a wider range of businesses (Image: ...