What lies beneath?
Tuesday 15th November - 7pm
October 12, 2022 11:18 am
Leave your thoughts
- In-person talk with Dr Shane O’Reilly
- 7.00pm
- ATU Sligo room A0004
- Public Event (12+)
The chemistry and biology buried below Ireland’s seafloor –
At the bottom or our seas, oceans, and bays – buried beneath the sediment on the seafloor – exists one of the largest habitats for life on Earth. Here, microorganisms with unique metabolisms and ingenuity dominate and critical chemical reactions happen that ensure the balance of our carbon cycle and other natural systems. Ireland’s seabed territory is more than ten times our landmass, yet we have barely scratched the (seafloor) surface. In this talk, we will what organisms eke out a living in these extremes, what unique geochemistry they drive and how, perhaps, they can be utilized for the benefit of society and the environment.
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Dr. Shane O’Reilly is a research scientist at the cross-section of life sciences, chemistry, and geology and he is a lecturer in ATU Sligo. Shane specializes in the use of lipids (or fat), hydrocarbons and other organic molecules as molecular fossils or fingerprints. Shane earned his degree and PhD from Dublin City University; he spent several years as a researcher in Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University College Dublin. He has also worked in research policy and public engagement in Science Foundation Ireland.
