Brainstorm | Opinion, Analysis, Reports, Features

"We will be spending more time indoors this winter and the risk of the virus spreading is higher"

How to keep your home Covid-safe over Christmas

The virus that causes Covid-19 is easily transmitted indoors so here's what to do to have yourself a Covid-free Christmas

Coronavirus • 08 Dec 20

"This year, many of us found ourselves in the grips of nostalgic reverie while revisiting childhood hobbies or reminiscing with family and friends over virtual calls"

Is nostalgia good for your head?

Nostalgia is a simple reminder that difficult times are far from permanent

Nostalgia • 26 Nov 20

"The past year has demonstrated how quickly infectious diseases can spread in an interconnected world"

How the movement of people has always spread infections

Like Covid-19, diseases like smallpox, bubonic plague and influenza became pandemics because of the movement of people

Coronavirus • 25 Nov 20

"There were no cases of severe Covid-19 in those who received the vaccine"

Why the Oxford Covid vaccine is a global game changer

The Oxford vaccine has scored highly for safety, storage and price

Coronavirus • 25 Nov 20

"The high prevalence of deficiency in this country is living proof that optimal vitamin D levels cannot be achieved through our low sunlight exposure and poor dietary intakes alone."

What we know about low Vitamin D levels and high Covid-19 rates

A huge number of studies have shown strong links between Vitamin D deficiency and risk of Covid-19 infection

Vitamin D • 24 Nov 20

"Working from home comes with its own challenges, such as changes in communication, technological difficulties, interference of private life or higher self-organising demands"

It's not just you: how work during Covid has got much harder

The pandemic has changed our wellbeing, behaviour and attitudes to home, work and society

Work and Careers • 23 Nov 20

"While men may get flu more often than women, they get much milder infections in general than women"

Are men more likely than women to get infectious diseases?

Biological, physical, lifestyle and cultural factors play a role in determining your susceptibility to infection

Health • 12 Nov 20

'Very positive and significant': a Covid-19 vaccine breaththrough

Latest trial results provide indications that vaccination can protect against the virus

Brainstorm • 09 Nov 20

"Will the first European country to go into a new lockdown be able to conquer the second wave of coronavirus?" Photo: Brian Lawless/PA

Will Ireland's new lockdown beat the second Covid-19 wave?

If Ireland does not get things right this time, it is likely to face another lockdown early in 2021

Ireland • 05 Nov 20

"A recent study of several healthcare centres in the US found that 72% of Covid patients received antibiotics even though only only 7% had a bacterial infection."

How Covid-19 will increase the problem of antibiotic resistance

The growing use of antibiotics to treat Covid-19 patients will exacerbate the problem of antibiotic resistance

Health • 04 Nov 20

"Most of us are private about our spiritual lives and we keep them to ourselves"

Is there a spiritual side to dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic?

For many, health of the spirit is every bit as important as physical and mental health

Spirituality • 03 Nov 20

Dublin's Theatre Royal on Hawkins Street in 1912. Photo: National Library of Ireland via Flickr

How Irish cinemas stayed open during the 1918 flu pandemic

Irish cinemas went on a highly publicised hygiene spree in their struggle with public-health authorities

Cinemas • 02 Nov 20

"What is important to remember is that fitness content online is often an extension of diet culture"

Why fitness content on social media is a double-edged sword

There are dangers when we use Instagram and social media as main sources of information when it comes to health and fitness

Fitness • 03 Nov 20

Could the fall in outside temperatures be playing a part in the rising numger of Covid-19 cases across Europe?

Does cold weather help Covid-19 to spread?

Here's what we know so far about how changes in the weather affect the pandemic

Coronavirus • 30 Oct 20

Imelda May on Irish: "overcome with grief for a language that was stolen from me"

Is the lockdown a good time to brush up on your Irish?

This may be the perfect opportunity for those who wish to re-engage with Irish or any other language

Languages • 28 Oct 20

"Previous studies carried out before the pandemic have shown that delirium is often under-recognised in older hospital patients."

How confusion is a key Covid symptom in older people

Research has found that many frail older Covid-19 patients had delirium as the only presenting symptom of the virus

Health • 28 Oct 20

A woman walks past a store in Dublin the day before Ireland begins a second national lockdown. Photo: Paul Faith/AFP via Getty Images

How 6 more weeks of lockdown will test the nation's unity

It may be hard to persuade an exhausted and sceptical public with little trust in government to follow public health directives

Lockdown • 22 Oct 20

"The source, spread and meaning of bad information are just three aspects of the problem"

The high cost of health misinformation

Exposure to an abundance of information, both good and bad, is having an effect on our decision making process

Coronavirus • 19 Oct 20

"Airborne transmission is very important indoors, particularly in poorly ventilated spaces where levels of the virus can spread throughout the room and build up over time". Photo: Getty Images

Why airborne transmission of Covid-19 will increase this winter

We will be spending more time indoors this winter and airborne transmission means the risk of the virus spreading is even greater

Coronavirus • 15 Oct 20

"When Covid-19 brought a halt to the sporting world for athletes, it was not dissimilar to sustaining an injury" Photo: Getty Images

How Covid-19 was the injury athletes never saw coming

This was the year athletes had to come to terms with a life void of sport and its targets, goals, routines and structures

Sport • 14 Oct 20

"we should be trying to ensure that as many people as possible are protected from Covid-19 infection, not 'learning to live with the virus'." Image: Shutterstock/EamesBOT

Why we can't learn to live with Covid-19 until we have a vaccine

Control of an infectious disease through build-up of natural immunity has never been achieved before

Coronavirus • 14 Oct 20

"Children certainly don't have a problem with being out in all weathers" Photo: Getty Images

5 reasons why outdoor learning is a good idea for primary schools

Outdoor learning is about more than merely taking lessons designed for the classroom outside on a sunny day

Schools • 13 Oct 20

White House physician Sean Conley and doctors at Walter Reed Medical Center where US president Donald Trump was treated for Covid-19 with remdesivir. Photo: Getty Images

Is remdesivir the 'magic bullet' when it comes to Covid-19?

An expert verdict on the effectiveness of the drug recently used to treat US president Donald Trump

Medicine • 13 Oct 20

"It is not surprising that we are made to be outdoors" Photo: Getty Images

Why spending time outdoors improves our mood and brains

The positive feelings we get from being outside correspond to the stress relief and attention restoration features of nature

Nature • 13 Oct 20

"There has been considerable pushback to the idea that we can do without supervisors and managers, but the last six months has been a trial run of how well employees and organisations get along without close supervision."

How the end of the office may also mean the end of your boss

Working from home has shown many employees that they do not need a manager or superviser to get work done

Brainstorm • 06 Nov 20