Forlornly, the book’s title is misleading. With all due respect to Shane O’Mara, if my interpretation of the title stands correct, the book hardly discusses a novel science. Consequently, I find the reviews of the Irish Times and The Scientist…
Sébastien Laymond is the Editor of the 'SciTech' column for Trinity News, and is currently in his Junior Sophister Year reading law.
Storm Betty: Another Hint at the Potency of Climate Change?
Storm’s aren’t just a product of ‘Irish misfortune’, writes Sébastien – but rather a sign of something much more baleful
After the wettest July on record, Met Éireann, on the 18th of August 2023, formally gave a name to a storm that had subsequently begun ravaging parts of southern Ireland, south-west England and Wales, and the easternmost coast of Northern …
A Brief Note on Browning
An examination of the science behind the autumnal transformation of trees.
As we prepare to head back onto campus, we are reminded of sights that bring us nothing but the purest joy. For some, the mere thought of meeting friends long unseen may do just the trick; for others, the picture …
Poolbeg Chimneys: A Scientific and Cultural Landmark
The iconic stacks have become an iconic Dublin sight, with an impressive legacy as a landmark feat of engineering.
The Poolbeg Chimneys are almost synonymous with the idea of Dublin itself. Situated east of Ringsend, they are commonly used as a reference point for beach-joggers and tourists alike. Whilst perhaps not as famous as the odd-looking Spire or the …
Ernest Walton: The pioneering physicist whose work links Oppenheimer to Trinity
Meet the Trinity alumnus and Nobel Prize Laureate who first split the atom
As Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer becomes a perpetual cinematic success, we feel obliged to remind ourselves of those who had been smashing atoms (an essential aspect of the nuclear process) far before the film’s titular theoretical physicist, J. Robert Oppenheimer. Often …
Discovering the Dolomites: A Summer Escapade Like No Other
An ode to the Dolomites.
As the summer period slowly finds its way towards its end, I find myself reminiscing more and more about the incredible moments I experienced at its start. One particular moment I nonetheless recall ever-more vividly than the rest: an impromptu …
A Buzzy Summer in Dublin
Dublin City Council and others finally put their money where their mouth is
As part of the government’s All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2021-2025 (AIPP), a previously announced initiative to make Dublin greener has recently been concretised by the ex-Lord Mayor, Ms Caroline Conroy, through the erection of “pollinator friendly pots, flowers boxes, and hanging …
The Importance of Gaeilge
Is it time to rebrand the Irish language?
In popular culture, Ireland is colloquially synonymous with its saints and scholars, resplendent landscapes, and magnificent language. The first of these may now confidently be labelled a mere historical adage. The second will undoubtedly forever remain. The third, however, is …
Supersonic flights: back in vogue?
How realistic is supersonic flight?
Science is notorious for its role as a mediator between the great aspirations and innate limitations of humanity. Being literally translated from the Latin ‘scientia’ as ‘the acquisition of knowledge’, its broad applicability and consequent importance increases alongside our unquenchable …
A letter to first-year law students
Sébastien Laymond’s advice on how to successfully get through your first year at the school of law
No. The rumours you’ve heard aren’t true. Law isn’t an impossibly strenuous and boring course. As the building block of society, it is a wondrous and tremendously important subject, and when applied correctly, it can do great wonders for us …