Medical Matters Depression affects about 10% of Irish adults with over 400,000 people estimated to be taking antidepressants. The discovery of drugs to treat low mood emerged only in the 1950’s and by chance, after an antihistamine and anti-TB medication were observed to have positive effects on mental health. What both shared in common was…

English car thief found stuffed inside giant teddy A car thief who hid inside a giant teddy bear has been jailed for nine months, PA reports. Joshua Dobson, 18, from Spotland, Rochdale, was wanted by police for stealing a car and not paying for fuel. Officers searched for him at an address in Rochdale. Mr…

In the month of September, the world’s 2.2 billion Christians are invited to celebrate the Season of Creation which runs from the World Day of Prayer for Creation on September 1 to the Feast of St Francis of Assisi (October 4). This ecumenical season invites Christians to pray with and for creation, to reflect on…

Gorgosaurus skeleton sells for over $6 million at auction The first skeleton of a Gorgosaurus dinosaur to go under the hammer has sold for $6.1 million (€6m) at auction in New York. The specimen is 3 metres tall and 6.7m long, and had been expected to fetch between $5m and $8m. “The result places the…

This is a recipe for chocolate biscuit cake which is from my mother-in-law. It is similar to a Rocky Road, and is nothing short of addicting. I love this recipe not only for its ease but because it is a recipe that is a lot of fun! I added Smarties, marshmallows, and white chocolate to…

Cold sores traced back to bronze age The spread of the modern-day cold sore has been traced back to the Bronze Age and linked to the advent of kissing in a new DNA study. Research suggests the HSV-1 strain of the herpes virus arose in the wake of vast migrations of people from Eurasia to…

NASA’s new Moon rocket to launch as soon as August NASA’s mission to return to the Moon, the Artemis programme, could launch its first uncrewed test flight as soon as August 29, the space agency said July 20. Artemis-1 is the first in a series of missions as the United States seeks to return humans…

Everyday Philosophy Philosophy is having a bit of a moment in Ireland. It became a Junior Certificate short course in 2016, and there are moves afoot to make it a Leaving Certificate subject. The Philosophy Ireland organisation is running more workshops every year, in schools, workplaces and prisons. Our president made the promotion of philosophy…

As the summer months continue, it has been a time to reflect, pause and even plan for the year ahead. For any of us linked to the school year – we are in the privileged position of having two new years to consider – both January and September. It always gets me thinking about what…

Helen Vysotska Can I share a hotel room with my boyfriend? Sharing a hotel room with your boyfriend/girlfriend is not the same as sharing a bed with them on holidays. If it is the latter then you are committing sin and lying with your bodies that you are both married and you are not. Even…