News from the world of science...
Business and the world's end
Can science be a business? A panel of experts will discuss this highly topical question next Wednesday, November 17th, as part of Innovation Dublin 2010. Chaired by
Irish Times
science editor Dick Ahlstrom, the line-up includes: Prof Luke O'Neill, TCD biochemist and co-founder of Opsona Therapeutics; Dr Ena Prosser, of Fountain Healthcare Partners; electrical engineer Prof Mark O'Malley, of UCD; and UCD geneticist Dr Emmeline Hill, co-founder of Equinome. The event starts at 6pm at the Royal Irish Academy in Dawson Street, Dublin 2.
Tomorrow, meanwhile, as part of Science Week, Prof Jocelyn Bell Burnell of Oxford University will give a talk, Will the World End in 2012? The Astronomical Evidence, in Trinity College Dublin's Burke Theatre at 7pm.
Both talks are free, but booking is essential at ria.ie.
Mission unlaunchable
The final mission of space shuttle Discovery has been pushed back because of a hydrogen gas leak found last week. A foam crack has also been detected. "It is essential we repair this hardware before we fly the mission, and we will take the time to properly understand and fix the failure," says Bill Gerstenmaier of Nasa.
That launch won't happen before November 30th now, but the eventual plan is to transport six Discovery astronauts to the international space station, where they will deliver a module that can support experiments in microgravity and biotechnology,as well as a dexterous robot in residence.
Quote of the week
- "It was obvious when we pulled up to this site that almost all of the corals were in bad shape. It wasn't subtle: they were covered with brown material"- Charles Fisher, of Pennsylvania State University, on a survey of life in the depths of the Gulf of Mexico after the oil spill earlier this year; reported by Nature
Claire O'Connell 1000.clare@gmail.com