The Investigators (Irish TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Investigators is an Irish
scientific television series broadcast on RTÉ One
. The series examines some of the most interesting projects being worked on by leading Irish scientists across the globe and assesses what potential impact they may have in the future. The selection of projects is diverse, ranging from the identification of a protein which may help to arrest and even reverse the onset of Alzheimer's disease
to the design of a camera which can capture an extraterrestrial event that happened billions of years ago. Each programme focuses on a specific area of life such as Ireland in Space, Ageing, Sensor
s, Climate Change
, Crops of the Future and the Nano Revolution. The series airs each Thursday at 23:05.
in five of its episodes.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
scientific television series broadcast on RTÉ One
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
. The series examines some of the most interesting projects being worked on by leading Irish scientists across the globe and assesses what potential impact they may have in the future. The selection of projects is diverse, ranging from the identification of a protein which may help to arrest and even reverse the onset of Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
to the design of a camera which can capture an extraterrestrial event that happened billions of years ago. Each programme focuses on a specific area of life such as Ireland in Space, Ageing, Sensor
Sensor
A sensor is a device that measures a physical quantity and converts it into a signal which can be read by an observer or by an instrument. For example, a mercury-in-glass thermometer converts the measured temperature into expansion and contraction of a liquid which can be read on a calibrated...
s, Climate Change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
, Crops of the Future and the Nano Revolution. The series airs each Thursday at 23:05.
Series one
Series one was broadcast on RTÉ in seven parts from 8 November 2007.| Summary | Broadcast date | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Cancer" | 8 November 2007 | ||
| "Climate Change" | 15 November 2007 | ||
| "The Brain" | 22 November 2007 | ||
| "MAL" | 29 November 2007 | ||
| "Wave Energy" | 6 December 2007 | ||
| "Functional Food" | 13 December 2007 | ||
| "Genetics" | 20 December 2007 | ||
Series two
Series two began broadcasting on 6 November 2008. It featured researchers from UCDUniversity College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
in five of its episodes.
| Summary | Broadcast date | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Sensors and the World of Artificial Intelligence" | Irish scientists marry the technologies of nanoscience, sensors and the computing power of the internet. | 6 November 2008 | |
| "Crops of the Future" | Research has opened up new horizons for crop growers in areas such as human health, from "superbreads" to plants that could help in the production of a HIV/Aids vaccine. | 13 November 2008 | |
| "Climate Change" | The important work on mathematical models of our future climate. These are run on powerful computers operated by the UCD Meteorology and Climate Centre and the Irish Centre for High End Computing. | 20 November 2008 | |
| "Ireland in Space" | Irish researchers are working on new materials for use in the European Space Agency European Space Agency The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states... 's 2013 mission to Mercury Mission to Mercury Mission to Mercury is a juvenile science fiction novel, the ninth in Hugh Walters' Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. series. It was published in 1965 in the UK by Faber and in the US by Criterion Books... , a device to measure radiation on satellites and a camera that can picture an event in space which happened billions of years ago. |
27 November 2008 | |
| "Aging" | Research is being acrried out at UCD, Beaumont Hospital Beaumont Hospital, Dublin Beaumont Hospital, is a public hospital located in Beaumont, Dublin, Ireland. It is managed by the Irish Government's Health Service Executive and provides acute-care hospital services, including a 24-hour emergency department, for the population of Dublin. In 2008, the hospital served 149,559... , Dublin and Remedi, Galway Galway Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the... into the earlier diagnosis and possible prevention of related diseases. It includes research to identify a protein which may help to arrest and even reverse the onset of Alzheimer's disease. |
4 December 2008 | |
| "The Nano Revolution" | Interviews with several pioneers in this area - Professor Mike Coey from TCD, UCD's Professor Ken Dawson and DIT Dublin Institute of Technology Dublin Institute of Technology was established officially in 1992 under the but had been previously set up in 1978 on an ad-hoc basis. The institution can trace its origins back to 1887 with the establishment of various technical institutions in Dublin, Ireland... 's Dr Suresh Pillai, who has designed a nanoparticle Nanoparticle In nanotechnology, a particle is defined as a small object that behaves as a whole unit in terms of its transport and properties. Particles are further classified according to size : in terms of diameter, coarse particles cover a range between 10,000 and 2,500 nanometers. Fine particles are sized... which can be activated by fluorescent lighting designed to kill the MRSA Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans. It is also called multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus... hospital bug. |
11 December 2008 | |
International broadcasts
| Country | TV Network(s) | Series Premiere | Weekly Schedule | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| truTV | Unknown | Tuesday-Saturday 4:00 AM ET | Currently airing |