Brainstorm | Opinion, Analysis, Reports, Features | RTÉ

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William Petty: "it is clear from Petty's work that not all lives 'count' the same" Image: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

How Oliver Cromwell's doctor pioneered the use of statistics

History • 25 Sep

The way things were: the audience at the last Electric Picnic

Are alcohol-free live music events really a good idea?

Health • 24 Sep

"Working from home in Ireland, especially during winter, will be at a significant cost. Irish homes already use 7% more energy and emit 58% more CO2 than the average EU homes."

How can we reduce heating bills for those working from home?

Energy • 24 Sep

The Aphasia Café in Cork allows those who aphasia to come together to socialise and practice conversations

How to help people deal with aphasia

Health • 22 Sep

A lander monitoring station at the edge of the Porcupine Bank Canyon, 300km west of Dingle at 700m water depth. Photo: Aaron Lim UCC

Under the sea: finding out more about corals in the Atlantic

Marine • 02 Sep

Drugs seized in June 2020 in Carrick-On-Suir, Co Tipperary

Why drug dealing and drug use will increase after Covid-19

Drugs • 15 Sep

"There are risks associated with remote hearings, especially so for vulnerable people, for whom it may exacerbate the challenges associated with participating effectively in the criminal process."

How remote court hearings present challenges for young people

Dublin's Berlin D2 where a brunch event attracted much criticism after a video showed attendees not complying with Covid-19 public health guidance

Ethics and the virus: 'nothing spoils mighty craic like ethics'

Ethics • 28 Aug

With an accelerated move to online banking due to the pandemic, the challenge of remote credit decision-making for consumers will likely increase

Do consumer warnings on financial products work?

Financial Services • 27 Aug

Do we worry unduly about children's diets? Photo: Getty Images

Does what we eat as children affect our future health?

Podcast • 27 Aug

'Clearly, Ireland needs a national strategy to allow us to get ahead of the virus: we need a Zero COVID or virus elimination approach'

What can Ireland do to achieve zero Covid-19?

Public Health • 25 Aug

Ahmad Tawfiq Al-Madani in 1950. Photo: Photo12/UIG/Getty Images

How the War of Independence inspired an Algerian nationalist

History • 21 Aug

"In order to electrify a large ship, the battery required would be twice as heavy as the vessel can safely carry - without even including passengers or cargo" Photo: Getty Images

The future of transport: what about trucks, ships and planes?

Transport • 20 Aug

Meeting the British by Paul Muldoon with artwork by Mary Farl Powers. Photo: Great Book Of Ireland/UCC

How did they make Ireland's modern day Book of Kells?

History • 19 Aug

Hey bud, two metres please

How do tiny organisms like bacteria communicate?

Bacteria • 13 Aug

'Favouring the term 'climate action' allows for positive messaging along the lines of the narratives around Covid-19 in that measures are being actively taken and we are all doing our part in the fight.'

How to sell positive messages to deal with climate change

Climate Change • 04 Aug

'When asked for their views on how employers, businesses and the government responded to the crisis, respondents generally focused more on the government response'

What Ireland has to say about unemployment during the pandemic

Ireland • 30 Jul

Out of sight, but not out of mind

What happens to the waste that goes down the drain in your home?

Podcast • 31 Jul

"Might calls for abolishing or defunding police forces be relevant in a country such as ours with a different type of police force?"

Is police abolition relevant to Ireland?

Policing • 28 Jul

The foundation of an alternative legal system by the first Dáil played a key role in the setting up of a counter-state

The story of the first Dáil's 'illegal' legal system

History • 24 Jul

"The portrayal of the two young teenagers from the northside of Cork City parallels several classical criminological theories that explain young people's transgressive behaviour"

Here's what criminologists make of The Young Offenders

The Young Offenders • 28 Aug

"The most striking modern use of the body-as-machine metaphor isn't in explaining how the body works, but in how it fails to work"

Why do we talk about our bodies as if they were machines?

Ideas • 16 Jul

"Relatively short journeys are a good opportunity to switch from carbon intensive modes (such as driving) to zero carbon modes (such as walking and cycling)"

Here's how more walking and cycling will reduce carbon emissions

Transport • 15 Jul

"While the gut of the worm is different than ours, the idea of adding in bacteria that produce a specific metabolite has potential medical applications"

Do worms hold the answer to our food cravings?

Health • 13 Jul

Planet of the Humans: "we end up with a piece where you could well come away thinking wind turbines are worse than coal power plants." Photo: Rumble Media

Why you can't rely on some documentaries for the full picture

Documentaries • 09 Jul

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