Enda O'Connell 2014 Research Article

Science in the Garden by Dr. Naomi Lavelle

This week, in the seventh of our series of articles, we have a real treat in store for our readers. The one and only Dr. How (aka Dr. Naomi Lavelle) has written a very special article for us about Science in the Garden, and has enlisted the help of two very capable junior scientists, Culann (aged 8) and Rohan (aged 4), who you will meet in the videos below!

The Hot, Dry Biome, Eden Project - geograph.org.uk - 219410 by Pam Brophy
The Hot, Dry Biome, Eden Project, Cornwall, UK (Licenced under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons)

I watched the ReelLIFE SCIENCE school video competition with great interest last year. What a wonderful way to get children excited and involved in Science. I was delighted to be asked to write an article this year in celebration of the launch of the 2014 competition. I think the topic of Science in the Garden is a great way to open children’s minds up to the science around them… literally right outside their door!

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Enda O'Connell 2014 Research Article

Exploring the Cell, by Dr. Jessica Hayes

In ‘Exploring the Cell‘, the sixth in our weekly series of articles by NUI Galway researchers, Dr. Jessica Hayes, Research Fellow within the Orthobiologics group in the Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI), takes us on a journey inside the cell and tells us how stem cells are being used in medicine to encourage the body to repair itself.

Cells – the building blocks of the human body. Here we demonstrate how molecules form cells. Groups of cells in turn form tissue which combines with different tissues to form an organ such as the heart, stomach, brain etc. Several organs that function together form an organ system i.e. cardiovascular, respiratory, reproductive systems etc. (Image source: http://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/introduction-to-the-human-body-chapter-1/deck/282266)
Figure 1: Cells – the building blocks of the human body. Here we demonstrate how molecules form cells. Groups of cells in turn form tissue which combines with different tissues to form an organ such as the heart, stomach, brain etc. Several organs that function together form an organ system i.e. cardiovascular, respiratory, reproductive systems etc. (Image source: http://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/introduction-to-the-human-body-chapter-1/deck/282266)

The Latin phrase ‘Omnis cellula e cellula’ or, all cells come from cells, was made popular by the German pathologist Dr Rudolph Virchow, and it is this concept that forms the basis of regenerative medicine. But what are cells and why are they so important?

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Enda O'Connell 2014 Research Article

The Science of Exercise, by Dr. Nicole Burns

In the fifth of our weekly series of articles by NUI Galway researchers, Dr. Nicole Burns, Lecturer in the Discipline of Physiology, in the School of Medicine, writes about ‘The Science of Exercise’.

Ever notice how, when you walk up three flights of stairs your legs begin to ache and you are a little out of breath? If you put your hand to your chest you may also notice that your heart is beating a little faster than normal.

Were you going “too fast”?

If you slowed down would you still feel your heart beating faster than it was at rest?

If you sped up, would you breathe harder?

A subject seated on a cycle ergometer. A heart rate monitor is worn across the chest under the clothing to measure pulse at rest and during exercise. The facemask is connected to a computer which analyses the expired for percentage oxygen, carbon dioxide and total volume. A blood pressure cuff is worn on the right arm to measure changing blood pressure during exercise. (Photo credit Dr. Nicole Burns)
A subject seated on a cycle ergometer. A heart rate monitor is worn across the chest under the clothing to measure pulse at rest and during exercise. The facemask is connected to a computer which analyses the expired air for percentage oxygen, carbon dioxide and total volume. A blood pressure cuff is worn on the right arm to measure changing blood pressure during exercise. (Photo credit Dr. Nicole Burns)

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