Donegal Scientist Wins Nobel for part in drug that saved millions of lives; science and The Martian; twin-saving surgery; weight loss harder than 80’s

Click above to hear discussion on The Morning Show with Declan Meehan

Willian C Campbell
William C Campbell, from Ramelton County Donegal became only the second Irish scientist to win a Nobel Prize recently for work on developing a drug against parasitic worms which have saved millions of lives (Credit: Nobel Media AB 2015)

William C Campbell from Ramelton, County Donegal, depicted here on the right has become only the second Irish scientist to win a Nobel Prize (the other being the atom-splitter Ernest Walton) with a quarter share of the 2015 Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology. We discuss his life and work.

The Martian is a thrilling film, which showcases the spectacular Martian landscape like no film before it, but how accurate is the science it depicts?

Up to 20 per cent of identical twins suffer from blood flow problems from their mother’s placenta. This can lead to brain damage, or death, but new surgery pioneered in Ireland at the Rotunda hospital is having twins’ lives.

Weight loss for many of us seemed a lot easier, back in the 1980’s. Now, scientists have come up with evidence to suggest that indeed it is harder to maintain a healthy weight today than it was a generation ago.

This item was first broadcast on East Coast FM on the 8th October 2015