Irish Science Heroes – William King

 

Video by Claire Riordan, Scientific Engagement Associate at CÚRAM .

In the latest of our series of Research Videos, Dr. John Murray (Lecturer in Palaeontology in the Discipline of Earth & Ocean Sciences) and Prof. Heinz Peter Nasheuer (Professor of Biochemistry) introduce the groundbreaking work of a true Irish Science Hero, William King.

In 1849, William King joined Queen’s College Galway (now NUI Galway) as its first Professor of Geology, publishing more than 70 papers and the establishment of a museum in his time there.

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Prof. William King and his groundbreaking 1864 paper ‘The Reputed Fossil Man of The Neanderthal‘.

William King is best known however, as the first person to name a new extinct group of humans, Homo neanderthalensis, more commonly known as Neanderthals. His study of a  Continue reading “Irish Science Heroes – William King”

Myths Busted – Can you really die from a broken heart?

In the latest of our Research Videos for 2016, Prof. Brian Hughes investigates whether the belief that feelings of misery and loneliness can cause someone to die of a broken heart, is in fact true.

Brian’s work in the NUI Galway School of Psychology explores the link between emotional stress, the functioning of our hearts, and our risk of developing various heart diseases. Over the past decade, his group has tested the cardiovascular response of thousands of people subjected to various laboratory-controlled stresses.

Video by Claire Riordan, Scientific Engagement Associate at CÚRAM . With thanks to Dr Sinéad Conneely, Lecturer, School of Psychology and Dr Wei Lü, Visiting Lecturer from Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China.

ReelLIFE SCIENCE Meets Cmdr. Chris Hadfield!

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‘You Are Here – Around the World in 92 Minutes’ by Chris Hadfield (Pan Macmillan)

On Saturday November 15th, Cmdr. Chris Hadfield visited Eason in Galway to sign copies of his latest book ‘You Are Here – Around the World in 92 Minutes’. As this video posted by The Connacht Tribune shows, it was an extremely popular event, with hundreds of people braving the elements to meet Ireland’s favourite astronaut.

The ReelLIFE SCIENCE team were lucky enough to meet Cmdr. Hadfield beforehand, where he presented students from the winning primary school, Scoil Aonghusa Senior, with their €1000 prize. As one of our Special Guest Judges for 2015, he had been very impressed with the videos submitted by Irish primary and secondary students for the competition, saying “Discovery and creativity, turned loose by imagination. A great project that I am proud to be a part of.”

Continue reading “ReelLIFE SCIENCE Meets Cmdr. Chris Hadfield!”