Brainstorm | Opinion, Analysis, Reports, Features

Primary school teachers make their point with placards at the INTO congress in Galway in April 2019

How the Easter Rising split Ireland's largest teachers' union

Support from the Irish National Teachers Organisation for the Rising strained relations with their Northern Protestant membership

History • 10 Oct 19

"The more times we expose ourselves to anxiety, the anxiety decreases"

What you need to know about anxiety, panic and worrying

We spend too much time worrying about what we can't control and this feeling of not having control feeds into our anxiety

Health • 13 Feb 20

Will Brexit Britain stand up for Hong Kong?

The British tendency to prioritise trade with China over a defence of Hong Kong's autonomy may be amplified by Brexit

Hong Kong • 09 Sep 19

"To date, only a very small number of online programmes exist that relate to supporting breast cancer patients"

A strong hand for breast cancer patients

Exercising has been proven to improve shoulder and arm functions for patients after surgery

Health • 30 Aug 19

"The organisms are not fussy about what gut they live in"

What happens when the drugs don't work?

We take a deep look in this week's Brainstorm podcast at how and why we use modern antibiotics

Podcast • 13 Jul 20

Donald Trump meets Peter Griffin on Family Guy

How to resist the cultural turmoil of the Trump years

Messages of resistance in troubled times tend to emanate from the culture industry so is this true of Trump's America?

Donald Trump • 07 Aug 19

A £41 million putt: Shane Lowry at The Open at Portrush. Photo: Jan Kruger/R&A/R&A via Getty Images

How much is the Open worth to Northern Ireland?

Some number-crunching about the economic value of this weekend's all-star golf tournament in Portrush

Economics • 21 Jul 19

"The same computer model can not only mimic brain activity observed in humans and some animals, but also replicate change-of-mind and error correction behaviour"

Could machines become self-aware?

Humans make about 35,000 decisions every day so is it possible for AI to deal with a similar volume of high decision uncertainty?

Artificial Intelligence • 04 Jul 19

Virtual reality can be one way to help stroke patients recover.

The role technology can play in the future of stroke recovery

Stroke is the largest cause of adult disability in Ireland, but the use of robotics, VR, brain stimulation, and apps have great potential in helping people make a better recovery from stroke.

Health • 12 Jun 19

There has been a recent surge of interest in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of those involved in sport and their supporters (Photo: ©INPHO/Bryan Keane)

The importance of wellbeing interventions in sport

Mental Health • 24 Jun 19

Seeing the likes of Leah Lyons playing for Ireland can encourage girls to take up and continue playing sport (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

The challenge behind increasing teenage girls' physical activity

Adolescent girls are being left at the bottom of the class when it comes to being physically active, and we need to develop effective interventions to promote lifelong physical activity behaviours in this age group.

Exercise • 07 Jun 19

""Whilst the majority of the population experience good mental health, there remains a significant minority for whom trauma exposure has led to severe and enduring mental illness" Photo: Jnoz Balzs/ EyeE/Getty

"Protestants keep toasters in the cupboard"

Dealing with Northern Ireland's high rates of mental illness requires dealing with perceived differences between groups

Mental Health • 17 Apr 19

"When we see players collide on the field, rising dazed and unbalanced, the obvious question is have they sustained a concussion?"

Why concussion is a lose-lose injury for players

Research has found that concussion can affect a player's balance, reaction time, multi-tasking and risk of further injury

Concussion • 11 Apr 19

Victims of an IRA bomb in 1973. Photo: David Cairns/Getty Images

How Northern Ireland's doctors and nurses coped with the Troubles

The experiences of medical staff working during the Troubles gives an insight into the effects of conflict on people and society

The Troubles • 03 Apr 19

"5G signals are less capable of traveling large distances so they require strengthening in the form of increased infrastructure such as booster antennas"

Should we be worried about radiation from 5G networks?

There have been increased health concerns about mobile phone usage and new 5G networks, but are they justified?

Health • 13 Mar 19

"Very little in the way of specific treatment pathways and support exists to support victims who identify as male, transgender or LGBT+"

Why all victims deserve support

Is it time to challenge our own stereotypical beliefs and acknowledge that all victims deserve support regardless of gender or sexual orientation?

Victims • 05 Mar 19

Volunteers at Wandsworth food bank in London prepare parcels. Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images

Are food banks merely a sticking plaster for food poverty?

Food banks are a symptom of austerity measures and government inaction which fail to tackle the real causes of food poverty

Food Poverty • 07 Feb 19

"Concussion generates more debate than all other sports injuries combined"

How to change attitudes around concussion in sport

The rise of sports-related brain injuries raises issues about the widespread culture of playing while hurt

Sport injuries • 31 Jan 19

Hank the Dog painted in September 2016 in Belfast by Verz. Photo: Omar El Masri

The link between street art and social protest in our cities

Street art in cities from Belfast to Berlin often communicate messages of social significance

art • 24 Jan 19

For rent: large building outside Belfast, not used in over two years

Brexit and the Northern Ireland Assembly - a case of what if?

What if there had been an active Northern Ireland Assembly with a power-sharing Executive addressing Brexit issues?

Brexit • 23 Jan 19

"Current figures indicate that over 900,000 people in Ireland live with some type of arthritis making it the biggest cause of disability"

All you ever wanted to know about arthritis

How arthritis plays a stealthy long game with people's lives and what science is doing to out-manoeuvre it

Arthritis • 18 Jan 19

'Middle-class nationalism has obviously been destabilised by Brexit, but Leo Varadkar's hardline stance against compromise with London will do nothing to assuage Catholic concerns'

Is 'The Border' more of an Irish problem than an English one?

The Irish Government's hardline attitude to the border during Brexit highlights a neglect for what this means for Northern Ireland

Brexit • 15 Jan 19

"Some long term trends are favourable - on average, people have been becoming richer and are living longer lives - and such trends will probably continue."

What are the big economic trends on the way in the next decade?

Here's how the US economy, Chinese growth, oil prices, globalism, unemployment and Brexit will affect our world

Economics • 10 Jan 19

Northern Ireland's eerie silence in the eye of Brexit hurricane

The ongoing political stalemate at Stormont comes in the middle of the biggest constitutional storm to hit these islands in decades

Northern Ireland • 11 Jan 19

"Stroke can have a wide range of affects on our lives with such common movement problems as paralysis of one side, arm weakness and impaired walking"

How to prevent strokes

Stroke is a largely preventable condition and we could all be working towards reducing our chances of having a stroke

Strokes • 14 Jan 19

Ulster University