Currently underway, having returned for its seventh year, is Samhain agus Science, an annual science festival organised by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS). Roving reporter Terry Flanagan spoke to Prof. Chris Bean of DIAS.

Individually, Starlings are small, dark birds that at first glance don’t seem particularly special. But when they gather together in massive flocks on winter evenings to perform their aerial ballet, it’s quite a different matter! Tonight, our panel discuss the phenomenon of Starling murmurations.

For the first time, researchers have provided direct evidence of the role of gut health in wild populations of birds. Researchers at University College Cork recently published their findings in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Lead researcher Shane Somers joins us on the show.