Blog

International Children of Alcoholics (COA) Awareness Week in its 15th year

International Children of Alcoholics (COA) Awareness Week, the annual campaign to raise awareness of how children are affected by parental alcohol problems, is now in its 15th year. The campaign runs from 11 until 17 February and aims to support people who are either growing up or have grown up in households impacted by parental […]

Beyond the lab – why you don’t have to be a scientist to work in science

The International Day of Women and Girls in Science, observed annually on 11 February, was founded by the United Nations to promote full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls around the world. The day aims to achieve gender equality for women working in science and technology, empowering women and […]

Manage your drinking this Dry January

As the new year begins, many of us will be considering how we can make improvements to our mental and physical wellbeing in 2024. For some, cutting down on alcohol will be at the top of the list of New Year’s resolutions. And that’s where Dry January comes in. Founded in 2013 by Alcohol Change […]

Sober celebrities choosing to go without alcohol

A recent Healthy Ireland survey revealed that 22% of the population (aged 15+) are categorised as binge drinkers. But by way of contrast, whether for health and lifestyle choices or for other personal reasons, Drinkaware found that 11% of Irish adults never drink alcohol. And while high levels of binge drinking were reported among the […]

Cocaine use in Ireland reaches an all-time high

Figures from the Health Research Board (HRB) have found that cocaine is now the most common problem drug in Ireland with a 259% increase in the number of cases between 2016 and 2022, accounting for around 30% of drug treatment programmes. The same study also found that demand for cocaine use treatment soared within the […]

DNA tests for court: when to use the most powerful test available?

All relationship DNA tests work in the same way – by analysing the DNA samples of individuals and comparing them to identify matching DNA at a number of markers (loci).  Every person inherits half of their genetic material from each of their parents, meaning that individuals who are biologically related are likely to share more […]

Twin birth rates are declining in Ireland: here’s why

In Ireland, almost 2 in 100 births are twins. While global data has shown that the rate of multiple births has gradually increased since the 1980s, with factors such as fertility treatments and women starting their families later on in life contributing to this, new figures present a stark change. Information from a Senior Parliamentary […]

Drug & alcohol testing for work and official matters

What is drug and alcohol testing? As a leading drug and alcohol testing laboratory, we test for a wide range of drugs and their metabolites using hair, oral fluid, urine, and nail samples. We also offer a full alcohol testing service including point-of-care breath tests, blood analysis, nail analysis, hair analysis and SCRAM Continuous Alcohol […]

Did you know these celebrities had a twin?

There are plenty of famous siblings in the A-list world including the Kardashians, the Beckhams, and the Williams sisters. But what you might not know is that some of our favourite celebs have a lesser-known twin. As a leading DNA testing laboratory, we often meet families that have experienced multiple births, with twins being the […]