Sweet Treats This dessert is a bit of a twist on the classic Victoria Sponge. In my book, lemon is the king of summer flavour – and raspberry the Queen, which is why I have topped my sponge with raspberries. The perfect zestiness and sweetness of lemon curd is paired with a rich butter sponge…

Mona Lisa smeared in cream in suspected climate protest The Mona Lisa was left shaken but unharmed when a visitor to the Louvre tried to smash the glass protecting the world’s most famous painting before smearing cream across its surface in an apparent climate-related publicity stunt. The perpetrator was a man disguised as an old…

Children’s corner Can you control a ping pong ball as it floats above a hair dryer? The task probably sounds quite difficult but for reasons of science it may not be too hard! Put your hand-eye coordination skills to the test while learning the important role that forces such as gravity and air pressure play…

Everyday philosophy The study of philosophy is supposed to get you to question beliefs that you take entirely for granted, to get you to overturn your ordinary assumptions. But one could be forgiven for thinking that some of the revolutions of thought that philosophy is supposed to bring about don’t amount to much. Sceptics about…

Dolphins self-medicate skin conditions with coral A rash might send humans rushing to the pharmacy, but when some dolphins get skin conditions they queue up to rub themselves against coral with medicinal properties, new research suggests. According to the study, the animals are selective about which coral they use to self-medicate. Co-lead author Angela Ziltener,…

Charlotte Vard Just last month, echoes of laughter and exclamations of pleasant surprise were heard throughout Newbridge Parish Centre, as we hosted sixth class Confirmation retreats. For just three days, Confirmation students were given the opportunity to grow in their faith, have fun, and build relationships. I’ve said it for the past nine years and…

Helen Vysotska Love Notes Can’t we accept that people have different values when it comes to sex outside marriage? We need to be realistic: times have changed since the Bible was written. Modern culture tells us that if something feels good and we want it, we should have it. Go ahead, YOLO (You Only Live…

Medical Matters Figures this year show that life expectancy in Ireland is now the highest in the EU at 82.6 years with the gap between females and males narrowing in the last decade. Women are now living to 84.1 and men 80.5 years which compares to a mean age of 76.6 years about two decades…

Pentagon committed to understanding UFO origins Two top US defence intelligence officials have said the Pentagon is committed to determining the origins of what the US government calls “unidentified aerial phenomena” in the first public congressional hearing in more than 50 years concerning what are commonly known as UFOs. The two officials, Ronald Moultrie and…