As part of experiments carried out by NASA’s Mars 2020 rover, researchers will look at whether Martian air could be converted for astronauts to breathe.
International project collaboration, such as the pan-EU radio telescope LOFAR, would benefit Irish businesses and tourism, as well as our IT and science graduates.
Might the money spent on space exploration by governments and scientific institutes be better used for “real world” problems? Conor Farrell takes a look.
The EPA notes that although there are currently no hydraulic fracturing (fracking) projects under way in Ireland, the gas exploration method “is an emerging issue”.
Junior miniser Fergus O’Dowd has said that the state should provide an environment that encourages companies to take the risks involved in exploration.
While pornography can create dangerous misconceptions about sex, shutting down all such exploration only reinforces the notion that sex is something dirty and shameful, writes Genevieve Shanahan.
The Minister for Communication and Natural Resources has said a Norwegian-style 80 per cent tax on oil finds would not work, saying: “We’re comparing apples with oranges.”
A BAN ON “all forms of advertising” by betting companies before the 9pm watershed has been recommended by the Oireachtas Justice Committee.
A report published by the committee said around 3,400 15 and 16-year-olds are “engaged in problem gambling in Ireland”.
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“Stakeholders emphasised, in particular, the need for a pre-watershed ban on all forms of gambling advertising.
“They pointed out that a cultural shift had resulted in advertising on cigarettes being banned and advertising on alcohol being curtailed and recommended that the same approach be applied to gambling advertising,” the document states.
In terms of online adverts, the report notes that gambling ads are typically aimed at people over the age of 25. However, stakeholders noted “it can be challenging to prevent all websites from showing adverts to those underage”.
The report was compiled as part of the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Gambling Regulation Bill, which is expected to pass next year.
What do you think: Should all gambling ads be banned before 9pm?