On Monday, as part of Science Week, the 5th and 6th years were enthralled by a talk about bats from Nicole Foley. Ms Foley is studying bats as part of her doctorate studies in UCD in the research group of Dr Emma Teeling. We found out some surprising facts about bats (they make up 20% of all mammals) and she tried to dispel the rather macabre myths that are associated with bats. Bats play a huge role in the ecosystem, for example in pollination and seed dispersal, however, Dr Teeling’s research group study bats to find out more about the process of ageing and the evolution of natural immunity. Ms Foley brought some examples of bats which were found by most of the students to be interesting and just a little gross at the same time! A huge thank you to Ms Foley for a great talk.
