A Chatbot Masters?
The London School of Innovation (LSI) has launched a series of Master’s programs that are entirely delivered, assessed, and mentored by artificial intelligence. Students can receive course material in text or via an AI avatar and receive automated grading and feedback on assignments. Each module culminates in a Socratic dialogue with the AI tutor to test comprehension. LSI has secured formal degree‑awarding authority from the UK regulator, making the AI‑only credentials officially recognized.
Two Weeks To Go…
The spring term at Maynooth University wraps up on May 8, with final examinations slated for May 15. Lectures in the professor’s Computational Physics module have concluded, while the Particle Physics course has four sessions left despite a Good Friday cancellation. The...
The University Malaise
The University of Nottingham is set to cut more than 600 staff positions after a costly expansion that saw a £37.5 million (≈$48 million) purchase and $57 million redevelopment of the Castle Meadow campus, now being sold at a loss. New hires are...
Weber & Brahms at the National Concert Hall
The National Symphony Orchestra Ireland performed a mixed‑era program at Dublin’s National Concert Hall, opening with Brahms’s Variations on a Theme by Haydn, followed by Carl Maria von Weber’s Clarinet Concerto No. 1 featuring Portuguese soloist Carlos Ferreira, and closing with Brahms’s Symphony...
The Red Disk – Joan Miró
Joan Miró’s 1960 painting The Red Disk, an oil on canvas measuring 45.7 × 54.9 cm, features a dark, almost black background punctuated by a chaotic white splotch, a bold red oval, and a yellow circle. The work’s impulsive brushwork and scattered symbols...
The Perseus Cluster
University of Maynooth’s final‑year astrophysics students captured a deep image of the Perseus Cluster’s core using the 1.20 m reflector at the Observatoire de Haute‑Provence. The 240‑second exposure spans a 15‑arcminute field and showcases dozens of bright galaxies within the nearby,...
Double Standards and Ireland’s “Fuel Protests”
Fuel protests have shut down Dublin’s main arteries for four days, as far‑right activists exploit soaring fuel prices tied to the United States’ conflict with Iran. Demonstrators have blocked key routes, prompting gridlock, supply‑chain delays and hampering emergency response. The...
Irreproducibility and Public Trust
A new Nature paper led by Maynooth University researchers replicated 274 positive claims from 164 social‑behavioural science papers and found only 55% reproduced the original results, with effect sizes falling from r = 0.25 to r = 0.10. The study highlights modest variation across...
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Swampland Published
Kay Lehnert’s comprehensive review titled "Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Swampland: The Cosmologist’s Handbook to the String‑Theoretical Swampland Programme" has been formally published in the peer‑reviewed journal Fortschritte der Physik on 28 March 2026. The paper, previously circulated as an arXiv pre‑print, provides...
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
The National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine performed a packed concert at Dublin’s National Concert Hall, featuring Delius tone poems, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor,” and the monumental Symphony No. 3 “Eroica.” Conducted by Volodymyr Sirenko, the ensemble used an unconventional stage...
Access to Registry Data
A University College Dublin lecturer has been charged with unlawfully accessing personal data of more than 100 students and using it to harass them. The alleged breach involved malware that captured student passwords, allowing the lecturer to view addresses, phone...
The Vernal Equinox 2026
The Vernal Equinox for 2026 occurs on Friday, 20 March at 14:46 UTC, marking the astronomical start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Although commonly cited as 21 March, the equinox has fallen on 20 March every year since 2008 and will continue until...
R.I.P. Len Deighton (1929-2026)
Renowned British author and former illustrator Len Deighton died at 97, leaving a legacy anchored by his groundbreaking spy novels. His debut, The IPCRESS File (1962), introduced the pragmatic anti‑hero Harry Palmer and set a new standard for realistic espionage...
Adams, Rachmaninov & Stravinsky at the National Concert Hall
The National Concert Hall in Dublin opened its season with Alexander Shelley, the principal conductor designate, leading the National Symphony Orchestra Ireland. The program opened with John Adams' 1986 "Short Ride in a Fast Machine," followed by a striking performance...
40 Years Since Prof. Susan McKenna-Lawlor Made Contact with a Comet – Guest Post by Emma Whelan
On 14 March 1986 the ESA Giotto spacecraft passed within 600 km of Halley’s comet, delivering the first close‑up images and in‑situ measurements of a comet nucleus. Irish astrophysicist Prof. Susan McKenna‑Lawlor served as Principal Investigator for the Energetic Particle Analyser (EPONA),...