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 cham- ber 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.