Book of Irish Science IRISH SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS

Little Book of Irish Science IRISH SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS

Science Foundation Ireland

CONTENTS

01 EU 2013 02 Introduction 03 Early Astronomy Expertise 06 Scope for Predicting Risks 08 Translating Patent Information 10 Efficient Drug Manufacturing12 Flying High 13 Good (Stereo) Vibrations 15 The Father of Modern Chemistry 18 Early Cancer Treatment 20 Stem Cells for Diabetes? 21 The Science Behind the Perfect Pint 23 Layers for Better Plastics and Computers 26 A New Weapon 27 A Window on Brain Seizures in Babies 30 Discovering the Pulsar 31 And the Oscar Goes to... 33 Mutebutton 35 Bat Clues 38 A Virtual Sawmill 39 Target: Immune Disease 42 Software to Make Sense of DNA 43 Irishman Splits Atom 46 The Perfect Foam 47 19th Century Maths and Gaming 50 Computer Logic 51 Viagra 54 9 Out of the Top 10 55 Testing for the Speed Gene in Horses 57 Ranked Highly 59 An Important Influence62 The Beaufort Scale 64 The Big Telescope in Birr 66 Why is the Sky Blue? 67 Earthquake Pioneer 69 Happy Gut Bugs 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 Ireland. You may have read 23 58 works by some of our writers. 24 59 25 60 Perhaps you’ve seen some of 26 61 27 62 our dancers perform. Maybe 28 63 29 64 you’ve grown up listening to 30 65 31 66 some of our bands. But do you 32 67 know our scientists? From 33 68 34 69 ancient astronomy to modern 35 70 genetics, Irish scientists and engineers have been leaving their mark on the world. This little book gives you a glimpse of some of these achievements.

Forty years after joining the European Economic Union, on 1 January 2013 Ireland takes up the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the seventh time. For six months Ireland will have the responsibility of managing the busy agenda of the Council and seeking agreement among the Governments of the 27 Member States on issues of common concern. Ireland’s main focus will be to support proposals that will deliver stability, jobs and growth for Europe. Research and innovation policy will be a priority which can support the smart jobs of the future and improve the quality of life of over 500 million European citizens. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 EARLY ASTRONOMY EXPERTISE 18 53 19 54 SET IN STONE 20 55 21 56 22 57 23 58 As far back as 5,000 years ago, astronomers and 24 59 25 60 engineers in Ireland knew their stuff. The Boyne 26 61 27 62 Valley, Newgrange in County Meath is home to 28 63 29 64 megalithic monuments that show a deep un- 30 65 31 66 derstanding of the heavens. Probably the most 32 67 33 68 famous example is the roof-box at the burial 34 69 35 70 mound in Newgrange, which is older than the Great Pyramid of Giza. A small opening just above the entrance to the 5,000-year old burial chamber is positioned so that as the sun rises on the shortest day of the year, light floods through the narrow corridor and illuminates the chamber. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 SCOPE FOR PREDICTING RISKS 12 47 13 48 14 49 OF PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 Pre-eclampsia is a potentially life-threatening 19 54 20 55 complication of pregnancy that’s responsible 21 56 22 57 for around 70,000 maternal deaths and around 23 58 24 59 half a million infant deaths worldwide each 25 60 26 61 year. At present there is no way to easily predict 27 62 28 63 in early pregnancy the risk of a woman devel- 29 64 30 65 oping pre-eclampsia later in the pregnancy. 31 66 32 67 Prof Louise Kenny at University College Cork 33 68 34 69 is a lead researcher in the international SCOPE 35 70 (Screening for Pregnancy Endpoints) study, which analysed blood samples from around 6,000 women 15 weeks into their pregnancies and tracked the women to see who went on to develop pre-eclampsia. The study has pinpoint- ed a suite of biochemicals in the blood in early pregnancy that can predict pre-eclampsia risk. A clinical test is now being developed. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 23 58 TRANSLATING PATENT INFORMATION 24 59 25 60 C 26 61 27 62 Patents are important for protecting innovation, butF language can be a barrier 28 63 A 29 64 to efficiently searching for Dpatent information. The Centre for Next Generation 30 65 31 66 M Localisation at Dublin City University is a partner in PLUTO (Patent Language 32 67 B L 33 68 H 34 69 Translations Online), an EU project that aims to translate patent information into 35 70 J the relevant languages for globalE patent searchers. CNGL Gbrings to the target platform Istate-of-the-art translation technology.K 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 processO 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 EFFICIENT DRUG MANUFACTURING 18 53 19 54 COULD OFFER BIG SAVINGS 20 55 21 56 processO 22 57 23 58 The SFI-funded Solid State Pharmaceuticals 24 59 25 60 Cluster led by the University of Limerick (UL) 26 61 27 62 is working on a potential game-changer for the 28 63 29 64 pharmaceutical industry that could see drugs 30 65 31 66 manufactured by more efficient processes. To 32 67 33 68 do this, the Cluster is focusing on overcoming 34 69 35 70 the problems of continuous crystallisation. The approach could potentially save pharmaceutical companies billions of Euro in manufacturing costs. With eight of the top ten global pharmaceutical firms located in Ireland, all of which are partnered with the group in UL, the potential competitive advantage offered by this technology is substantial. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 FLYING HIGH WITH THE 17 52 18 53 EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 Ireland has been a member of European Space 23 58 24 59 Agency since ESA’s foundation in 1975. Today, 25 60 26 61 more than 40 Irish companies are working with 27 62 28 63 ESA on a range of projects with benefits for both 29 64 30 65 space exploration and life on terra firma. They 31 66 32 67 include TechWorks Marine, which uses real- 33 68 34 69 time ocean sensors and satellite data to assess 35 70 marine and coastal pollution, Radisens Diagnos- tics, which is developing rapid and convenient blood-testing technologies for use in space and on Earth and ÉireComposites, which is improv- ing materials technology to build more fuel- efficient rocket launchers and civilian aircraft. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 23 58 24 59 25 60 26 61 27 62 28 63 29 64 30 65 31 66 32 67 33 68 34 69 35 70

GOOD (STEREO) VIBRATIONS

Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys is one of the classics of pop. And the 1966 track been given a new lease of life by Dublin Institute of Technology researcher Dr Derry Fitzgerald. He developed software that could model in- dividual instruments and vocals on the original mono recording so that they could be split out and remixed. The result is the first stereo version of Good Vi- brations, which was included in a recent re-issue of Beach Boys albums. The technology has potential applications in music education, where a user could enhance or remove instruments from a recording in order to learn a piece. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 THE FATHER OF MODERN CHEMISTRY 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 Robert Boyle (1627-1691), born in Lismore, 21 56 22 57 County Waterford on Ireland’s south-east coast, 23 58 24 59 is considered a founder of modern chemistry. His 25 60 26 61 1661 book The Sceptical Chymist outlined the 27 62 28 63 theory that matter was made of atoms, and he 29 64 30 65 made the argument for chemical experiments. 31 66 32 67 This was an important step in the transition from 33 68 34 69 alchemy, the art of changing one substance into 35 70 another, to chemistry as we know it today. Boyle was one of the foremost thinkers and experi- mentalists in 17th-century Britain, and Boyle’s Law, which describes the relationship between the pressure and volume of a gas in a closed system, is still taught to science students today. 01 36 02 37 E A R LY C A N C E R T R E AT M E N T 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 23 58 24 59 25 60 26 61 27 62 28 63 29 64 30 65 31 66 32 67 33 68 34 69 35 70

Radiation therapy is a widely-used treatment for cancer today. But as far back as the early 20th century, there was a version called the “Dublin method”. Offaly-born scientist John Joly (1857-1933) and Dr. Walter Stevenson (1876-1931) developed the approach, which captured radon gas in thin glass tubes and then inserted them directly into tumours. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 23 58 24 59 25 60 26 61 27 62 28 63 29 64 30 65 31 66 32 67 33 68 34 69 35 70

STEM CELLS FOR DIABETES?

Could stem cell therapy help to tackle diabetes? NUI Galway is leading REDDSTAR, an EU-funded study that aims to develop adult stem cells with the potential to both control blood glucose levels in patients and to address the complications caused by diabetes mellitus. The study will work with adult stem cells developed by Irish company Orbsen Therapeutics, and test them at various centres around Europe, resulting in a clinical trial in Denmark. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 THE SCIENCE BEHIND 17 52 18 53 19 54 THE PERFECT PINT 20 55 21 56 22 57 23 58 As a freshly drawn pint of Guinness settles in 24 59 25 60 a pint glass, small bubbles in the stout sink, 26 61 27 62 rather than rising like the larger bubbles do in 28 63 29 64 lagers. Researchers at the SFI-funded Math- 30 65 31 66 ematics Applications Consortium for Science 32 67 33 68 and Industry at the University of Limerick used 34 69 35 70 computational fluid dynamics, a technique used in designing aircraft and Formula One cars, to figure out why. They found the narrow- ended shape of the traditional pint glass is a key factor in the downward pull of those nitrogen bubbles as the Guinness settles.

The research also has applications outside the pub: understanding the flow of bubbles could help improve some industrial processes. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 LAYERS FOR BETTER PLASTICS 07 42 08 43 AND COMPUTERS 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 Smaller, faster computers, more efficient batteries and 13 48 greener plastics could be on the way if we can use tiny 14 49 15 50 flakes or nanolayers of certain materials. Prof Jonathan 16 51 17 52 Coleman and his team at the SFI-funded Centre for Re- 18 53 19 54 search on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices 20 55 21 56 (CRANN), based at Trinity College Dublin, have developed 22 57 23 58 a method to split these materials into billions of such 24 59 layers. One example is graphene, atom-thick sheets of 25 60 26 61 carbon with immense strength and the ability to conduct 27 62 28 63 electricity. Prof Coleman figured out how to use a soapy 29 64 30 65 solution to turn cheap lumps of graphite into billions of 31 66 32 67 precious graphene layers. These flakes could be added to 33 68 34 69 plastics to make them stronger while keeping them light. 35 70 However, they have many other applications in areas such as electronics and sensing. Prof Coleman is now applying the method to other materials that could have a role in storing or generating energy. His publication record earned him a place in the top 100 materials scientists of the decade worldwide between January 2000 and October 2010, as compiled by Thomson Reuters. His position of 61, with 30 papers and 1,507 citations in materials science journals, put him within the top 0.02 per cent in the field. Overall, Prof Coleman has published 150 papers in international journals such as Science and Nature and has been cited almost 8,000 times. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 superbugs 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 23 58 24 59 25 60 26 61 27 62 28 63 29 64 30 65 31 66 32 67 33 68 34 69 35 70

A NEW WEAPON IN THE FIGHT AGAINST SUPERBUGS

Researchers at the SFI-funded Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre in University College Cork and Teagasc Moorepark have found a new antimicrobial agent, Thuricin CD, that can kill the antibiotic-resistant bacterium Clostridium difficile, which poses a major problem in clinical and healthcare settings.The new antibiotic may also reduce the risk of disease recurrence, compared with that of broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment, because it spares the normal gut bacteria that help to limit C. difficile growth. Thuricin CD was discovered by screening over 30,000 bacteria isolated from the human gut and the technology was licensed to Irish biotechnology company Alimentary Health. 01 36 A WINDOW ON BRAIN 02 37 03 38 04 39 SEIZURES IN BABIES 05 40 06 41 07 42 Seizures or ‘fits’ are the most common neuro- 08 43 09 44 logical emergency encountered in the neonatal 10 45 11 46 intensive care unit (NICU) – they are caused by 12 47 13 48 problems such as lack of oxygen around the 14 49 15 50 time of birth, haemorrhage and meningitis. 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 But here’s the problem: seizures can be very 20 55 difficult to detect in newborns, and there may 21 56 22 57 be no obvious outward signs that the baby is 23 58 24 59 experiencing one, making intervention or treat- 25 60 26 61 ment difficult. 27 62 28 63 29 64 30 65 The only accurate tool for diagnosis is EEG 31 66 32 67 monitoring, a measure of electrical brain activ- 33 68 ity, but newborn EEG interpretation is a highly 34 69 35 70 specialised skill and few experts are available.

Prof Geraldine Boylan, who directs the Neonatal Brain Research Group at University College Cork, has been carrying out research with collabora- tors into automating EEG interpretation so that seizures can be detected reliably in the NICU.

Cork is part of an EU-wide project, NEMO (www.nemo-europe.com), to further test the technology so that seizures can be detected rapidly and the information can be shared with specialists remotely so timely decisions can be made for treatment. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 23 58 24 59 25 60 26 61 27 62 28 63 29 64 30 65 31 66 32 67 33 68 34 69 35 70

2308 2308 2208 2180 2278 2238 2218 1539

DISCOVERING THE PULSAR

In the 1960s, Jocelyn Bell Burnell, who was born in Belfast and raised in Lurgan, was doing her PhD at Cambridge and helped to build an enormous radio telescope that scanned the skies. She analysed the results on reams of paper charts and noticed some unusual markings or ‘scruff‘ on the record. This scruff turned out to be a signal from a pulsar, a previously undiscovered type of small, dense and rapidly- rotating star remnant. Since then, many more pulsars have been found, and studying them has helped scientists to learn more about how some stars die. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 Prof Anil Kokaram, a researcher at Trinity College 15 50 16 51 Dublin, won an Oscar for the development of visual 17 52 18 53 effects software for the film industry. He worked 19 54 20 55 as a consultant with UK-based The Foundry, which 21 56 22 57 develops image-processing software for the post- 23 58 24 59 production industry and was awarded the Oscar 25 60 26 61 in 2007. The visual effects and image-processing 27 62 28 63 software developed by Prof Kokaram and the team 29 64 30 65 have been used on a host of high-profile feature 31 66 32 67 films including Casino Royale, X-Men, The Last 33 68 34 69 Stand, The Da Vinci Code and Charlie and the 35 70 Chocolate Factory. Prof Kokaram works with the Signal Processing and Media Application Group (Sigmedia) at Trinity, which develops techniques to restore film, create effects in post-production and adapt digital film to allow better streaming over the Internet. He is now working on video quality with the Chrome Media Group at Google HQ in Mountain View California and maintains his research activities at Trinity. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 MUTEBUTTON - TARGETING 08 43 09 44 TINNITUS THROUGH EAR AND TONGUE 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 Researchers at NUI Maynooth have developed a 14 49 15 50 technology that aims to alleviate the symptoms of 16 51 17 52 tinnitus, a condition where the person ‘hears’ nois- 18 53 19 54 es such as ringing or hissing even though there 20 55 21 56 is no external source of the sound. The device, 22 57 23 58 called MuteButton, simultaneously stimulates the 24 59 25 60 sense of hearing and touch by playing sounds to 26 61 27 62 the ear and stimulating touch using sensors on the 28 63 29 64 tongue. The approach targets centres in the spinal 30 65 31 66 cord and brain that integrate sound and touch, 32 67 33 68 with the aim of suppressing the perceived but 34 69 35 70 imaginary sounds of tinnitus. www.mutebutton.ie 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 23 58 24 59 25 60 26 61 27 62 28 63 29 64 30 65 31 66 32 67 33 68 34 69 35 70 BAT CLUES ON HEALTH AND HISTORY

Dr. Emma Teeling is looking at the genetics of bats. Why? Because therein could lie clues about how genes play important roles in health. At University College Dublin her work compares genomes of bats and various other animal species to tease out how nature has addressed particular problems. The findings could help us better understand conditions such as inherited deafness, as well as more general topics such as ageing and the immune response. Dr. Teeling’s work also feeds into a wider international project that is using “phylogenetics” to examine evolution, and the analysis is uncovering new information about how mammals diversified when dinosaurs became extinct. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 A VIRTUAL SAWMILL 15 50 16 51 SEEING THE WOOD IN THE TREES 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 Imagine you could plan to fell a forest without 21 56 22 57 23 58 leaving your chair? Technology developed by 24 59 25 60 Irish company Treemetrics and the SFI-funded 26 61 27 62 centre 4C at University College Cork lets users 28 63 29 64 non-invasively measure and virtually optimise 30 65 31 66 the management of forest resources. The laser 32 67 33 68 technology physically measures trees in a for- 34 69 35 70 est then converts and represents the data into in a way that allows better use of forest resources and less wastage. The company, which now offers measurement and ‘virtual sawmill’ technology to analyse forest resources quickly and accurately, is working with partners and clients around the world. www.treemetrics.com 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 TARGET: IMMUNE DISEASE 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 You need your immune system to help you fight off 20 55 21 56 bugs and viruses that cause disease. But if your 22 57 23 58 immune responses go awry, it can result in chronic 24 59 25 60 auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. 26 61 27 62 Or, if you receive a transplanted organ, your vigi- 28 63 29 64 lant immune system could cause you to reject it. 30 65 31 66 32 67 33 68 Dublin-based Opsona Therapeutics is developing new molecules 34 69 35 70 to control key steps in the immune response, and so help address immune diseases and post-transplant rejection. TARGET: Based originally on SFI-funded research carried out at Trinity College Dublin, Opsona has been developing IMMUNE and testing therapies to selectively target important molecules in the immune system called toll-like DISEASE receptors. By blocking these receptors, inappro- priate immune responses could be kept under control. The biotech company has partnered with major pharmaceutical companies and has already started clinical trials in humans of its candidate molecules. www.opsona.com 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 SOFTWARE TO MAKE SENSE OF DNA 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 Irish scientist Prof Des Higgins wrote one of the most-widely used pieces 23 58 24 59 of computer software in bioinformatics. In the 1980s, he developed 25 60 26 61 CLUSTAL, a programme to align DNA and protein sequences, and this be- 27 62 28 63 came a standard tool in the field around the world, allowing researchers 29 64 30 65 to draw meaningful information out of genomic data. Academic papers 31 66 32 67 explaining the software tool were widely referenced by other researchers. 33 68 34 69 As a result, Prof Higgins has held rankings among the most cited authors 35 70 Little in computer science, although interestingly, he is a biologist. Today Prof Higgins continuesBook to work in bioinformatics of Irish at University College Dublin, developing and using software to analyse biological data and help find new molecules of interestScience for diagnosing and treating cancer. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 IRISHMAN SPLITS ATOM 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 23 58 24 59 25 60 26 61 27 62 28 63 29 64 30 65 31 66 32 67 33 68 34 69 35 70

Ernest Walton (1903-1995) was one half of a team that artificially ‘split the atom’ in 1932. Working in Cambridge with colleague John Cockroft, Waterford-born Walton built a machine that could bombard the nuclei of lithium atoms with streams of acceler- ated protons. The lithium nuclei were artificially disintegrated in the milestone experiment that earned the duo a Nobel Prize. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 23 58 24 59 25 60 26 61 27 62 28 63 29 64 THE PERFECT FOAM 30 65 31 66 32 67 33 68 In 1880 Belfast-born scientist Lord Kelvin (1824- 34 69 35 70 1907) pondered some pretty deep problems. One such problem was what the lowest energy structure of a liquid foam of equal size bubbles might be. In the 1990s, scientists Denis Weaire and Robert Phelan at Trinity College Dublin came up with a structure that improved upon Kelvin’s solution. This complex Weaire-Phelan structure was the inspiration for the Water Cube aquatic centre at the Beijing Olympics. In 2011, Italian scientist Ruggero Gabbrielli, working with a team at Trinity, announced he had designed a container that could accommo- date the Weaire-Phelan bubbles, and this allowed the creation of the perfect foam in the laboratory. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 23 58 19TH CENTURY MATHS AND... GAMING 24 59 25 60 26 61 27 62 It’s possibly the most famous act of graffiti in science: on October 16th1843 28 63 29 64 as Irish mathematician Sir William Rowan Hamilton (1805-1865) walked to 30 65 31 66 work along the Royal Canal in Dublin, he had a flash of inspiration about 32 67 a new type of four-dimensional number. So he took out a penknife and in- 33 68 34 69 scribed his thoughts into a wall at Broom Bridge in Cabra. What he had come 35 70 up with was ‘quaternions’, and his insight is seen as the birth of modern algebra. Hamilton’s discovery played a role in later breakthroughs, including Maxwell’s prediction of eletromagnetic waves, which led to the detection of radio waves and ultimately the radio, television, radar, etc. Even today, we are still seeing the influence of Hamilton’s inspiration: quaternions are at the heart of technology developed by Irish software company Havok, which helps to make motion in movies and computer games look more realistic. In 2008, Havok was awarded a Technology and Engineering Emmy Award for pioneering new levels of realism and interactivity in movies and games. 01 36 COMPUTER LOGIC - THE CORK CONNECTION 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 0 1 2 6 0 32 DECIMAL 000000 00001 21 56 22 57 00010 00110 00000 100000 BINARY 23 58 0 1 2 6 0 32 DECIMAL 000000 00001 24 59 00010 00110 00000 100000 BINARY 25 60 26 61 0 1 2 6 0 32 DECIMAL 000000 00001 27 62 00010 00110 00000 100000 BINARY 28 63 0 1 2 6 0 32 DECIMAL 000000 00001 29 64 30 65 00010 00110 00000 100000 BINARY 31 66 0 1 2 6 0 32 DECIMAL 000000 00001 32 67 00010 00110 00000 100000 BINARY 33 68 34 69 0 1 2 6 0 32 DECIMAL 000000 00001 35 70 00010 00110 00000 100000 BINARY 0 1 2 6 0 32 DECIMAL 000000 00001 2 00010 00110 00000 100000 BINARY 0 1 2 6 0 32 DECIMAL 000000 00001 00010 00110 00000 100000 BINARY EMC The 19th-century mathematician George Boole (1815-1864) devised a form of logic that was later used to develop electronics systems that used binary instructions. Boole was English, but he spent much of his career in Cork. His symbolic logic uses operators such as AND or NOT or OR. Today, Boolean logic forms the basis for everything from smartphones to the Internet. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 Vg 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 Viagra 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 23 58 24 59 25 60 26 61 27 62 28 63 29 64 30 65 31 66 32 67 33 68 34 69 Eight out of the top-ten global pharma companies have a presence in Ireland. Many well- 35 70 known medications are manufactured here - the active ingredient for Viagra is produced in Cork by Pfizer and Allergan produces Botox at its plant in Westport, County Mayo.

VIAGRA IS MADE IN CORK BY PFIZER 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 09:10 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 23 58 24 59 25 60 26 61 27 62 28 63 29 64 30 65 31 66 32 67 33 68 34 69 35 70

Nine out of the top-ten medical device companies have a presence in Ireland and we are one of the largest exporters of medtech products in Europe. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 23 58 24 59 25 60 26 61 27 62 28 63 29 64 30 65 31 66 32 67 33 68 34 69 35 70

TESTING FOR THE SPEED GENE IN HORSES

While analysing genes in thoroughbred racehorses, Dr Emmeline Hill at University College Dublin identified important genetic information relat- ing to racing performance. Her discovery led to the development of a ‘speed gene’ test to help match horses with courses and to inform breed- ing and training decisions. Irish company Equinome now uses the test to provide services to the global bloodstock industry. www.equinome.com 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 RANKED HIGHLY 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 23 58 24 59 25 60 26 61 27 62 28 63 29 64 30 65 31 66 32 67 33 68 34 69 35 70

Over the past decade, Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) has built a com- munity of approximately 3,000 researchers in Ireland. Through this investment, Ireland has speedily ascended the international rankings of scientific research capability, from 36th place in 2003 to a consolidated position inside the top 20 in recent times. Particular strengths have emerged with Irish research ranked highly in various fields for scientific citations: 3rd in the world for immunology (Thomson Reuters) and 8th in the world for materials science (Thomson Reuters). 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 23 58 24 59 25 60 26 61 27 62 28 63 What is Life? 29 64 30 65 31 66 ere rödiningegeinr 32 67 er r chchrödrödr ger 33 68 wiwi ch 34 69 wi nn 35 70 nSSS

AN IMPORTANT INFLUENCE ON MODERN BIOLOGY

Erwin Schrödinger (1887-1961) is well known for his contributions to quantum physics. Schrödinger was also behind an important moment in biology, when he published the book What is Life?, which looked at the physics and chemistry that underpins living organisms. The book, which was an inspiration to the pioneers of molecular biology, was based on a series of public lectures Schrödinger gave in 1943 under the auspices of the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies (DIAS), where he was the first Director at the School of Theoretical Physics. Schrödinger remained at DIAS until his retirement in 1955. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 01 36 05 40 02 37 06 41 03 38 07 42 04 39 08 43 05 40 09 44 06 41 10 45 07 42 11 46 08 43 12 47 09 44 13 48 10 45 14 49 11 46 15 50 12 47 16 51 13 48 17 52 14 49 18 53 15 50 19 54 16 51 20 55 17 52 21 56 18 53 22 57 19 54 23 58 20 55 24 59 21 56 25 60 22 57 26 61 23 58 27 62 24 59 28 63 25 60 29 64 26 61 30 65 27 62 31 66 28 63 32 67 29 64 33 68 30 65 34 69 31 66 35 70 32 67 33 68 34 69 35 70

THE BEAUFORT SCALE

Rear-Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, FRS, FRGS (1774-1857) was an Irish hydrographer and officer in Britain’s Royal Navy. Beaufort was the creator of the Beaufort Scale for indicating wind force. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 23 58 24 59 25 60 26 61 27 62 28 63 29 64 30 65 31 66 32 67 33 68 34 69 35 70

THE BIG TELESCOPE IN BIRR

In the 1840s, Birr in County Offaly was home one of the largest telescopes in the world. The reflecting ‘Leviathan’ telescope was designed and built by the Third Earl of Rosse, William Parsons (1800-1867) at Birr Castle. He used the telescope to discover the spiral nature of some galaxies. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 WHY IS THE SKY BLUE? 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 County Carlow-born physicist John Tyndall 09 44 10 45 (1820-1893) came up with the answer to that 11 46 12 47 question in the 19th century: it is because of 13 48 14 49 the way shorter-wavelength light is scattered 15 50 16 51 by molecules in the atmosphere. 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 Tyndall also made the important observation that 21 56 22 57 moist air absorbs more heat than dry air, which 23 58 24 59 was a major step in understanding the “green- 25 60 26 61 house effect” that keeps Earth’s atmosphere warm 27 62 28 63 enough to support life. And importantly, his work 29 64 30 65 suggested that the composition of the atmosphere 31 66 32 67 affects climate. 33 68 34 69 35 70 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 23 58 24 59 25 60 26 61 27 62 28 63 29 64 30 65 31 66 32 67 33 68 34 69 35 70 EARTHQUAKE PIONEER

Irish scientist and engineer Robert Mallet (1810- 1881) was a pioneer of modern seismology, the study of earthquakes. In the mid-19th century he and his son buried gunpowder in the sand at a dublin beach. When they detonated it, they were able to measure the shock waves that moved through the ground over a distance of half a mile. In 1857, Mallet senior used the new technology of photography to record and assess the contours of damage caused by a major earthquake in Southern Italy. He also identified zones around the world that were prone to earthquakes. 01 36 02 37 03 38 04 39 05 40 06 41 07 42 08 43 09 44 10 45 11 46 12 47 13 48 14 49 15 50 16 51 17 52 18 53 19 54 20 55 21 56 22 57 23 58 24 59 25 60 26 61 27 62 28 63 29 64 30 65 31 66 32 67 33 68 34 69 35 70

HAPPY GUT BUGS

Your gut is naturally home to trillions of bacteria, and their effects could be far reaching: they may even have an impact on mood. Research- ers at the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre in University College Cork discovered that if mice lacked gut bacteria in early life, they had altered levels in adulthood of a chemical called serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is thought to be involved in regulating mood. Separately, the researchers also found that feeding mice with a specific strain of probiotic gut bacteria meant the animals displayed less anxious behaviour. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Science Foundation Ireland would like to thank the following people and organisations for all their help and assistance in creating this book / Applied Optics Group / Royal Dublin Society / Fáilte Ireland / Trinity College Dublin / University College Cork / University College Dublin / NUI Galway / NUI Maynooth / Mutebutton.ie / Text by scientific writer Dr. Claire O’Connell / Design and illustration by Duffy Design / Tony Gilchriest. Wilton Park House, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland [email protected] / www.sfi.ie / twitter.com/scienceirel