Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG update

A surge in Ireland's corporate tax boosts Government’s coffers

Receipts for first 10 months €2.45bn ahead of target

      

Figures from the Department of Finance point to an exchequer deficit of €2.18 billion to October down from €8.5 billion in 2014.

An €803 million surge in corporation tax receipts in the last month puts the Government on course to exceed fiscal targets set out in the Budget only three weeks ago.

Exchequer returns for October show that the Government collected €35.05 billion in tax in the first 10 months of the year, €3.08 billion more than in the same period last year and €2.47 billion above target.

Budget 2016 last month was predicated on a year-end deficit of 2.1 per cent of gross domestic product for 2015, but the Government now anticipates the year-end deficit will come in below 2 per cent of GDP.

Figures from the Department of Finance point to an exchequer deficit of €2.18 billion to October down from €8.5 billion in 2014. Although income tax and VAT receipts were behind target in the month, the shortfalls were eclipsed by increased corporation tax payments.

The overperformance in tax returns comes amid lower overall expenditure than forecast, although there were big spending overruns in the health service and the Department of Environment.

The State received €4.75 billion in corporate taxes in the 10-month period, €1.79 billion more than in 2014 and €2.02 billion above the Department’s target. “The over-performance in the year to date is broad based and primarily relates to improved trading and some timing factors,” the Department said.

Income tax receipts reached €13.86 billion to October, a year-on-year advance of €732 million and €95 million above profile. In the month of October, however, income tax receipts were €24 million or 1.7 per cent below target “driven by an underperformance in DIRT” returns.

Similarly, VAT returns in October were €58 million or 14.7 per cent below target at €340 million. Total VAT payments in the first 10 months of the year were €10 million, €716 million higher than in 2014 and €164 million ahead of target,.

The Department noted October was a non-VAT month, saying VAT receipts in the year to date reflect improved consumer confidence and spending as seen in the advance of retail sales

Excise duties also came in behind target in October but the figures show that returns from the local property tax, stamp duty, capital gains tax and capital acquisitions tax were each ahead of target.

Current expenditure to October reached €32.49 billion, €116 million below profile. A €242 million underspend in the Department of the Agriculture relates to early EU receipts, said the Department of Finance

Net current expenditure for health was €422 million or 4.2 per cent above profile at the end of October. Such spending “is expected to continue running ahead of profile until the end of the year,” the Department said.

Total exchequer debt servicing costs at end-October were €6.45 billion, down €333 million year-on-year on when excluding a sinking fund contribution in 2014. The reduction “largely reflects” the benefit of the early loan repayments to the IMF, said the Department.,

“Interest expenditure at end-October 2015, at €6,354 million,m was €532 million or 7.7 per cent below profile. This is primarily due to lower than expected costs on 2015 bond issuance as well as the faster pace of early repayment of the full portion of IMF loans, which were subject to the higher rate of interest.

Unemployment continues to decline as Irish economy recovers

Youth unemployment rate down to 19.7% versus 20.4% in September

    

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was down from 9.4 per cent in September and from 10.6 per cent for October 2014.

The unemployment rate is continuing to fall with new figures showing it dropped to 9.3 per cent last month.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined from 9.4 per cent in September and from 10.6 per cent for October 2014.

Ireland’s jobless rate compares with a current euro zone average of 10.8 per cent.

According to the latest Central Statistics Office data, the number of people unemployed fell to 203,000 last month, down 1,900 compared to the preceding month and a decline of 24,900 versus the same month a year earlier.

The youth unemployment rate stood at 19.7 per cent for October, down from 20.4 per cent in September.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for men declined from 10.5 per cent in September to 10.3 per cent last month. For October 2014, the male unemployment rate stood at 12.1 per cent.

The unemployment rate for women was unchanged last month versus September at 8.1 per cent but declined from 8.8 per cent for the same month last year.

Alan McQuaid, chief economist with Merrion said while migration has played a role in bringing the jobless rate down from its peak of over 15 per cent during the financial crisis, there is clear evidence of a sharp rise in employment in the past couple of years.

“Labour market conditions continue to strengthen. Consecutive gains in employment have been recorded over the ten quarters to the middle of this year, with some 130,000 additional jobs created since the low-point reached in mid-2012. Furthermore, employment growth remains broad-based, with increases seen in the majority of sectors monitored by the CSO,” said Mr McQuaid.

“With the Irish economy continuing to grow strongly in 2015, an average jobless rate of 9.6 per cent is envisaged for this year down from 11.3 per cent in 2014. We now think the figure at year-end based on these latest CSO numbers will be around the 9.2 per cent level, and falling below the 9 per cent mark in 2016,” he added.

Davy forecast that unemployment could fall to as low as 8.2 per cent next year given the positive outlook for the labour market.

Business group Isme said however that the latest figures showed job creation had slowed and needed to be reinvigorated.

Meat and cancer link will not hurt Irish exports,

Says Phil Hogan

Agriculture commissioner Phil Hogan says EU’s products ‘are very best in the world’

    

EU agriculture commissioner Phil Hogan believes the recent WHO report on meat links to cancer was “misinterpreted”.

A controversial report putting various meat products in the same category of cancer risk as tobacco and asbestos will not impact on Irish exports, EU agriculture commissioner Phil Hogan has said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) research published last week provoked considerable public concern when it said red meat such as beef and lamb were “probably carcinogenic”, linking consumption to higher risks of pancreatic and prostate cancer.

However, Mr Hogan has moved to quell industry fears from the report’s fallout during a speech to the annual Irish Co-operative Organisation Society conference in Dublin on Tuesday.

“Our meat products are the very best in the world,” he said of wider-European production.

“My services and I have taken note of the recent WHO report and we do not believe it will have any meaningful impact on sales of our high-quality, traceable meat products.”

Mr Hogan limited his comments on the subject to just that, although they follow clarification from the WHO itself which said the message contained in its report had been “misinterpreted”.

Spokesman Gregory Härtl said the research was about reducing meat consumption. “We’re not saying stop eating processed meats altogether.”

New markets

Elsewhere, in a broad speech on European agriculture, Mr Hogan said the “era of quotas is over” and the future is about new markets and financial investment.

The EU is now the world’s largest trader of agri-food products with exports totalling €122 billion and imports €104 billion.

“We have had an increasingly positive trade balance since 2010 and last year we maintained our good export performance even despite the Russian ban [on imports following international sanctions imposed against it],” he said.

The market future will be shaped by an expanding global middle class, he said, whose growth in disposable income will result in significant changes to dietary patterns and demand for higher quality food.

“Opening up new markets will be a key priority in the coming years. We are optimistic about finding new markets for our products – perhaps within the EU, but also elsewhere in the world such as the Far East,” he told delegates.

Trade agreement has been secured with South Korea while talks are ongoing withVietnam and Japan; a free trade deal with the latter, Mr Hogan said, would represent “huge prospects” for the beef and grain sectors.

Next year he is to visit a number of countries on a “diplomatic offensive”, beginning with Columbia and Mexico in February.

On the issue of finance, he said: “European dairy farmers will soon be able to make use of volatility-proofed loans. The opportunity to make progress on such a tool has been one of the themes of our engagement with the European Investment Bank.

The brains of men and women are no different

   

One study claimed the hippocampus of women to be larger in relative comparison to the whole brain while another proclaimed the male brain the winner. The latest analysis discredits all those claims.

There are no significant differences in the brains of men and women, either in terms of memory or emotional responsiveness. Many other gender differences including a larger size in the male have been proven inaccurate in a new study.

The meta-analytical study undertaken by researchers at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago collated the findings from 76 studies involving more than 6,000 people to arrive at the conclusion. The study was published in the journal Neuroimage.

Examining the hippocampi in male and female brains, the study found no major difference. This is the part of the brain responsible for memory and emotion.

Earlier studies have been contradicting. While one claimed the hippocampus to be larger in women in relative comparison to the whole brain, a Cambridge study in 2014 proclaimed the male brain the winner.

“Many people believe there is such a thing as a ‘male brain’ and a ‘female brain,'” said Lise Eliot, associate professor of neuroscience at Rosalind Franklin and the study’s lead author. “But when you look beyond the popularized studies—at collections of all the data—you often find that the differences are minimal.”

Research in the past has also found that female brains are on average 8% smaller than male brains. However, there has been no proven link between size and intelligence.

The latest study also refuted any difference in the way male and female brains understand their left and right hemispheres and process language. The researchers also discredit any size variation in the corpus callosum, the nerve tissue bundle that connects the two sides of the brain to communicate.

Any gender differences between the brains are “tiny” and more the result of environmental factors, Gina Rippon, a neuroscientist at Aston University in Birmingham,

Are moody individuals just very good at adapting?

    

Moody individuals who ride an emotional roller-coaster may be exhibiting a natural ability to adapt to change, experts claim.

According to a new theory, moodiness helps to reinforce our responses to positive or negative environmental factors.

If an experience makes us happy, we are going to seek more of it. In contrast, we are likely to avoid something unpleasant that brings us down. From the point of view of survival, both reactions are useful.

The psychologists behind the theory cite the example of unexpected gains on the stock market improving a city trader’s mood.

That positive feeling, enhanced if the trader is a moodier person, may then lead to more risk-taking and swift adaptation to a rising market.

Writing in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, the team – led by Dr Eran Eldar, from University College London, concluded: “The ubiquity of moods and the extent of their impact on our lives tells us that, throughout the course of evolution, our moodiness must have conferred a significant competitive advantage.

“Being moody at times may be a small price to pay for the ability to adapt quickly when facing momentous environmental changes.”

At the same time, the scientists accepted that moodiness can be destructive.

For instance, a persistent negative mood might cause a person to perceive outcomes as worse than they really are, leading to a downward spiral.

Exploring the function of mood could lead to a better understanding of mood disorders, the researchers believe.

Dr Eldar added: “We think that this novel approach may help reveal what predisposes particular individuals to bipolar disorder and depression.”

Half the population of this endangered antelope has died off in a two-week period

Scientists are working to come up with an explanation for what has happened.

   

Scientists are struggling to explain why half of a particular species of antelope died off in a two-week period earlier this year.

The adult saiga antelopes, most of which reside on the plains of Kazakhstan, saw a population drop of at least 150,000.

The animal is regarded as extremely endangered and is known for its highly unusual appearance, with large protruding eyes and serrated tusks.

Its population numbers had previously undergone big dips, falling from 1.25 million in the mid-1970s to around 30,000 in 2003. The die-off this year happened in May, and scientists have been investigating since then.

Before it happened, it was estimated that there was around 250,000 to 320,000 of the animals in the world.

While it is unclear exactly what happened to cause the deaths, a number of theories have been advanced.

The Guardian is reporting that it may have been a bacteria called pasteurella that lies dormant in the throats of the animals could be to blame for the deaths – with an expert speculating that an unknown factor might have triggered its activity.

Kazakhstan activists have speculated that fuel from Russian rockets may be to blame.

It is thought that the repopulation of the animal may be difficult, as infrastructure investment in the countries it is native in has blocked a number of its migratory paths.

A UN-backed meeting at the end of last month saw an agreement between countries where the animal is native on taking measures to restore its population.   

Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG update

Ireland’s Tax revenue running at €548m ahead of target

 

Latest exchequer numbers provide more proof of economic recovery, says Noonan. 

Minister for Finance Michael Noonan: If this pattern continues in the second half of the year the Budget adjustment will be somewhat less than the €2 billion originally planned.

Tax revenue for the first seven months of the year is now half a billion euro ahead of target, according to the latest exchequer returns.

The stronger-than-expected performance, if maintained until the Budget in October, should give Minister for Finance Michael Noonan greater scope for tax breaks.

The figures show total tax revenue stood at €22.4 billion at the end of the July, a 6.4% increase on the same period last year, and €548 million or 2.5% ahead of the department’s target.

Income tax, which is the biggest tax heading, generated €9.2 billion, was 7.6% up on last year, and €54 million or 0.6% ahead of profile for the period.

The higher income tax receipts reflected the greater number of people at work this year compared to last.

The figures show VAT, which reflects consumer spending, was also ahead of expectations.

The sales tax brought in €7.1 billion, which was 7.2% up on last year, and €242 million or 3.4% better than originally forecast.

Corporation tax receipts came in at €2.1 billion, 3.4% ahead of profile, while excise duty was €2.8 billion, which was 5% ahead of projections.

Overall, the exchequer deficit stood at €5.2 billion at the end of July, up marginally from €5.1 billion at this stage last year.

However, when the once off transactions, such as the sale of Irish life and the offload of so-called contingent convertible capital bonds in Bank of Ireland are excluded, the deficit this year has improved by €2.3 billion when compared to last year.

“The Exchequer returns for the first seven months of 2014 show a strong performance in terms of both tax and expenditure. Cumulative tax receipts are up €1.3 billion compared to the same period in 2013. This is further evidence that the recovery is taking hold across the economy,” Mr Noonan said.

“If this pattern continues in the second half of the year the Budget adjustment will be somewhat less than the €2 Billion originally planned,” he said.

On the spending side, the July figures show total net voted expenditure of €24.2 billion, which is €172 million, or 0.7%, down on the same period last year, and €73 million less than forecast.

However, current expenditure is still running ahead of budget, primarily because of a €273 million or 3.9% overrun in health.

Net voted current expenditure at €23,071 million is 0.1% or €24 million above profile. This is driven by overspends in the Health Group which is €273 million (3.9%) over profile.

This is being partially offset by under spends in several other departments, most notably social protection where spending is €121 million lower than profile.

On the basis of these figures, the Government is comfortably on course to hit its budget deficit target for 2014 of 4.8% of gross domestic product.

The cost of serving the national debt to the exchequer was €5.1 billion so far this year, a decrease of €45 million or 0.9% on last year. The reduction was largely down to timing factors, the department said.

How erratic work “Shift work eg.” schedules can impact on your health

 

Shift work, night work, changing routines all of them come at a huge cost to your health and fertility, 

Being paid extra money for working the ‘graveyard’ shift may help pay the bills but it comes at huge cost to your health, an increasing body of research shows.

Erratic work schedules that disturb a person’s body clock — known as the circadian rhythm — can increase the risk of contracting deadly diseases like cancer and diabetes.

The latest study to add to the growing evidence of serious health implications finds that working overnight or different shifts is associated with a higher risk for type 2 diabetes.

The highest risk was linked to rotating shifts, where different parts of a 24-hour shift cycle are worked, rather than a fixed pattern.

In their analysis, published in the British Medical Journal, researchers found that working rotating shifts, rather than consistent work hours, was associated with a 42% increased risk for type 2 diabetes. Overall, they concluded that people working unconventional schedules may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by an average of 9%. For men, that risk increases to 37%.

“Some potential biological mechanisms may explain the link between shift work and diabetes,” the researchers write in their study.

“First, shift work may interfere with the normal synchrony of the light/dark cycle, sleeping and eating patterns, which might cause a mismatch of circadian rhythms.”

The researchers say shift work may put men at greater risk of diabetes because levels of the male sex hormone, testosterone, are controlled by the body’s natural circadian rhythm. Lower testosterone can cause insulin resistance and therefore raise the risk of the disease.

“The result suggests that male shift workers should pay more attention to the prevention of diabetes,” say the researchers. “Rotating shifts are especially detrimental to one’s health because inconsistent work schedules also mean erratic sleep and therefore an inconsistent sleep-wake cycle, which is associated with insulin resistance.”

The meta-analysis is based on data from 12 previously published studies involving more than 226,600 adults. Among that number, 14,600 study participants were confirmed to have type 2 diabetes.

Other studies have linked shift work to a number of other serious health problems.

Last year, researchers in Canada found that women who work nights for more than 30 years may be at a higher risk of breast cancer than other women.

The study, also published in the British Medical Journal, analysed the careers of 1,134 women with breast cancer and 1,179 women without the disease. Late night and rotating shift work can have a serious impact on women’s health, particularly her fertility. A study last year, involving 119,000 women, found female shift workers had a 22% greater risk for menstrual problems and as much as 80% higher risk for low fertility than women who kept normal work hours.

Expectant mothers who worked at night also experienced higher rates of miscarriages, researchers at the University of Southampton found.

In a 2012 study, men who work nights were found to be almost three times more likely to develop prostate cancer than those who do day shifts. They are also at much greater risk of a number of other types of cancer, with higher rates of tumours in the bowel, bladder and lungs.

10% of Ireland’s motorists observed using phone a behind the wheel driving

 

Men account for 63% of those caught making calls while driving their vehicle.

One in 10 (10%) of Irish motorists continued to use hand-held phones in the last two weeks of July ahead of new rules which saw penalty points increase for drivers caught using their phone while driving.

One in 10 Irish motorists continued to use hand-held phones in the last two weeks of July ahead of new rules which saw penalty points increase for drivers caught using their phone while driving.

The research commissioned by Easytrip observed more than 1,000 drivers on motorways and other major roads, more than 10% of whom were observed talking or texting while driving, in traffic or stopped at traffic lights.

Men were more likely than women to do so, with men making up 63% of those who were observed using their phone while behind the wheel.

From August 1st, penalty points for holding a mobile phone while driving increased from two points to three, provided that a €60 fixed charge is paid within the stipulated period.

Those who do not pay the fixed charge and are subsequently convicted in court will now receive five penalty points, where in the past they would have received four.

Heavy snorers are a ticking time bomb

 

Sleep apnoea is linked to a number of life-threatening illnesses, but there is help at hand.

Sleep apnoea is linked to a number of life-threatening illnesses.

We tend to think of snoring as one of life’s everyday irritants, on a par with noisy neighbours or a kettle that won’t switch off when boiled. In fact, snoring can indicate seriously underlying health issues, which, if left untreated, may jeopardise our well-being and, in severe cases, our life.

Research has shown snoring is bad for us in many ways. It can impact on our sex lives (by impairing the libido) and is known to lead to a greater risk of birth complications among pregnant woman.

SLEEP APNOEA IS LINKED TO A NUMBER OF LIFE-THREATENING ILLNESSES

Needless to say the chances of a good night’s sleep are far lower too. Most serious of all, snoring is linked to sleep apnoea, a condition whereby the sufferer stops breathing in their sleep multiple times during the night.

Obviously this reduces the quality of the individual’s repose so that, following a ‘good’ night’s rest, they may be left feeling lethargic and sleep-deprived.

More ominously, it is associated with heart disease and other life-threatening conditions – studies have shown those with this sleep disorder have a 40% higher chance of dying at a relatively young age.

“90% of snorers are ‘simple snorers’,” says Professor Yves Kamami, a leading global expert in the condition, based at the Fitzwilliam Private Clinic in Dublin.

“However, if you don’t treat the snorers after a few years, it starts to become sleep apnoea syndrome. The patient stops breathing during the night – there is an obstruction at the back of the throat and nose.

“Because of the obstruction, there is a lack of oxygen going to the brain. So the patient is suffering from apoxia [oxygen deficiency in the blood]. This can lead to strokes and other major things.”

There is more than one kind of sleep apnoea. The most common are obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and central sleep apnoea (CSO). In the first – the more regularly occurring of the two – the airway is blocked, typically by the soft tissue at the back of the throat after it has collapsed during sleep (if you stop breathing 10 or more times in an hour, a person is categorized as suffering obstructive sleep apnoea).

In the latter, the airway remains clear. However, problems in the part of the brain controlling respiration have resulted in a failure to signal the breathing muscles.

Anyone can suffer apnoea, including children. That said, men over 40 are at highest risk, especially if overweight, have large tonsils, a large tongue, small jaw bone or a large neck (a circumference of 17 inches or above for men, 16 inches for women).

“When someone has a snoring problem, usually after a few years it leads to sleep apnoea syndrome,” says Prof Kamami.

Sleep anea can be treated by wearing a CPAP machine that aids breathing in order to prevent a blockage in the throat, right

“The patient stops breathing during the night due to an obstruction at the back of the throat and the nose. Because of the obstruction there is a lack of oxygen in the brain. Someone who has sleep apnoea or snoring does not have a restful night’s sleep. They may suffer tiredness in the morning. With each passing year an ever greater number of ailments are linked to apnoea,” he says.

“Glaucoma of the eyes is caused by sleep apnoea,” says Prof Kamami. “We have diabetes caused by sleep apnoea. Year after year we are seeing that sleep apnoea syndrome is causing many more diseases.”

The risk of developing the condition increases with age he says.

“Men start to snore at about 40, women at about 50. The main reason is lack of hormones in the blood. As the levels of hormones decrease, the aging of the body is quicker.

“That leads to obstruction at the back of the throat because the uvula in the soft palate [a fleshy extension of the palate] is longer and thicker than before.”

Sleep apnoea is treatable in a number of ways. Sometimes the sufferer merely needs to change their lifestyle. It is recommended they give up alcohol after 6pm as this can make it more difficult for the throat to stay open in sleep. Losing weight can help too.

The most common treatment is a continuous positive airway pressure device (CPAP), which blows air into the nose to prevent the airway from collapsing during sleep. CPAP devices look like oxygen masks and, while usually effective, can take a little getting used to.

One method pioneered by Kamami is laser assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP), whereby the uvula is removed. Lasers are also used to reduce the ‘turbinates’ in the nose, three bones that protrude into the nasal passageway and warm and moisten the air as we breath.

Typically, sleep apnoea involves three distinct blockages, says Prof Kamami. “One blockage is the nose, the second is the soft palate. The third is the tongue. When we have all three…the laser can only treat the nose blockage and the soft palate.

“With the nose, we cure the blockage for about 10 years. For the soft palate obstruction we cure it for life. We cannot use a laser on the tongue. In some cases, if the person loses weight [it can help]. The weight of the tongue is related to the weight of the body – if you gain five kilograms in your body you gain five grams in your tongue. Fitness is an issue. You first need to lose weight. That reduces the size of the tongue.”

When treated, the improvement in lifestyle is immense, says Prof Kamami. “Someone with sleep apnoea does not have a restful night sleep. They suffer tiredness in the morning. [After treatment] they will feel refreshed. They will have a deeper sleep – they will feel a big improvement in their quality of life.”

The CPAP machine can prevent a blockage in the throat.

New blood test for prostate cancer will improve diagnostic accuracy

  

A NEW BLOOD TEST FOR PROSTATE CANCER IS IMPROVING THE ACCURACY OF DIAGNOSES AND MAY EVEN REDUCE THE FREQUENCY OF FALSE POSITIVES AND UNNECESSARY BIOPSIES.

The Prostate Health Index (PHI) test could fill the diagnostic gap clinicians currently have when screening for prostate cancer.  By using three different prostate-specific markers, the test is more accurate in detecting prostate cancer than the current prostate specific antigen (PSA) test.

Over the last several years, there has been much debate in the realm of over-screening, over-diagnosis, and the inaccuracy of diagnostic tools in prostate cancer.  This test greatly improves this dilemma by giving clinicians more accurate information on what an elevated PSA level might mean, and the probability of finding cancer from a biopsy.

What is wrong with our current standard of testing?  Simply put, PSA is not specific to prostate cancer.  Elevations can be seen with any prostatic disease including infection, benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer.

Here are some other factors which can affect PSA levels:

1. Prostate biopsy or massage: Both can temporarily affect PSA level

2. Race: African-Americans have higher baseline PSA levels than Caucasians

3. Prostate volume: Increase in PSA level of 4 percent for every ml of prostate volume

4. Age: Older men have higher baseline PSA

5. Certain medications: 5-alpha reductase inhibitors are used to treat BPH and male-pattern baldness  and can decrease PSA by 50 percent after 6 months

As you can see, physicians and patients alike are faced with challenges with the current standard for prostate cancer diagnosis, which is based on the fact that men with higher levels of the PSA protein are more likely to have prostate cancer.  This lack of specificity can lead to false‐positives for cancer and ultimately unnecessary biopsies.

The PHI test promises to better distinguish prostate cancer from non-cancer disorders.  This is done by using a process that evaluates three different PSA markers to determine the likelihood of cancer in patients with elevated PSA levels.

Hopefully, the accuracy of this test will decrease the need for biopsy in many men who test positive for elevated PSA levels in order to get a dependable diagnosis.

We could soon find life on alien planets

A SPACE EXPERT CLAIMS

 

The discovery of life on an alien planet may be a lot closer than many believe. Or so claims some of the world’s leading planetary scientists.

Dr Sara Seager, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has expressed that scientists could be said to be standing on a “great threshold” of space exploration that could see evidence of extra-terrestrial life being discovered in the next 20 years.

Considering the enormous size of the Universe, life beyond the Earth seems “inevitable”, according to Dr Seager. She further expressed that the chemical fingerprints of life written in the atmospheres of planets orbiting nearby stars could be found in the coming decades, by the next generation of space telescopes.

It is possible that in the next two decades, a handful of “potentially habitable” exoplanets will have been found with the knowledge that statistically every star in our galaxy, the Milky Way, should have at least one planet.

It is now known that small rocky worlds like the Earth are common and Nasa’s James Webb Space Telescope, due to be launched in 2018, will analyse the atmospheres of dozens of such “super-Earths” that could sustain life.