Many Aucklanders have a lot of questions about the ongoing measles outbreak. The Science Media Centre went to the experts for answers. Measles is continuing to spread in Auckland, and officials are saying anyone travelling there should make sure they’re immunised at least two weeks before they go. From 1 January to 3 September 2019 there have been 975 … Read more
The outbreak of measles has reached a dangerous tipping point. What does ‘herd immunity’ mean, and why does that matter? Welcome to New Zealand, 2019, where 850 cases of measles have been reported since January and experts are warning of mass contaminations at sports tournaments and public gatherings. I’m writing this from Auckland, where at … Read more
Residents in Los Angeles and Orange County warned to check for symptoms after an infected NZ teen visited theme parks including Disneyland and Universal Studios earlier this month. Californian health authorities have issued warnings to residents and visitors after a New Zealand teenager was found to have spent five days in the US state while … Read more
The anti-1080 lobby has made a martyr out of kea, but that ignores another salient fact: kea survival in large part depends on pest control. Dave Hansford explores on the challenge to balance pest control with conservation. In April this year, Zero Invasive Predators (ZIP) announced that two kea had died after eating 1080 baits … Read more
The recent discovery of a fossil parrot the size of a human toddler is even more reason for Foulden Maar to be protected, writes the chairperson of Save Foulden Maar, Kimberley Collins. Last week, scientists discovered a new species of extinct parrot in the St Bathans Fauna. Weighing in at seven kilograms and standing just … Read more
A new study has found that nearly 50% of New Zealand girls are getting their periods before high school. Experts say it is time for our education system to step up. Nearly 50% of New Zealand girls will have their first period before they begin secondary school, and 6.3% while they are still at primary … Read more
Research shows young New Zealanders are stubbing out cannabis – and Māori more than most. Research released today shows kids are smoking less and less weed, with Māori and Pasifika in particular increasingly choosing to abstain. Academics from the University of Otago, University of Auckland, and Victoria University of Wellington cross-analysed three National Youth Health … Read more
The world’s largest parrot, standing up to a metre tall with a beak that could crack most food sources, used to live in New Zealand, paleontologists have revealed after a breakthrough fossil find. If you think kea having a crack at your wing mirrors are scary, imagine how much more we’d fear native parrots if … Read more
Forget 1080 – these days 5G is the conspiracy theory that everyone is freaking out about. But is there any basis for the scare stories? Emily Writes tries to unravel fact from fiction. Have you heard the news about 5G? Folks are absolutely frothing over it in conspiracy groups on Facebook. They’re absolutely convinced that … Read more
DiscoveryCamp gives Māori and Pacific high school students the chance to experience science at a tertiary level. Alice Webb-Liddall finds out why it’s important to get these young people interested. Māori and Pacific people have been experts in science for thousands of years. They navigated the earth using astronomy, grown food with biology and created … Read more
Otago scientists say the lobby group has misrepresented the research. Academics from the University of Otago have torn apart claims made by Family First about the links between cannabis, psychosis and violence in a paper published this morning. Prompted by a Family First petition calling for a government inquiry, the paper critiques a “tendentious” argument … Read more
Each year, thousands of students embark on a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree, the first step in any number of challenging healthcare careers including dentistry, pharmacy and medicine. But what happens when you realise Health Sci isn’t for you? This story was first published in the Otago University student magazine Critic Te Arohi. It was … Read more
From a school for budding beekeepers to a street-side garden growing produce for locals, Auckland’s abuzz with projects making the city safer for pollinators. Auckland’s a hive of activity aimed at helping our pollinators and it’s all a part of For the Love of Bees. A living social sculpture, it invites everyone and anyone to … Read more
Today (NZT) is the 50th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11, the first spaceflight to land humans on the Moon. Astronomer Richard Easther looks back. One of my earliest memories is standing with my father on the balcony of my grandmother’s house in Auckland. “Ma’s House” had a spectacular view northwards, across Auckland’s Hauraki … Read more
Imagine if we treated our native birds with as little care as we do our precious fish stocks, writes ecologist Stella McQueen. Earlier this year, 900 at-risk native mudfish were relocated to make way for a wastewater development. But despite a huge amount of planning, volunteer hours, and a $160,000 bill, only a handful survived. … Read more
The Black Caps’ World Cup loss at Lord’s this morning has much of the country feeling pretty shit. From massage to mindfulness, here are five ways to feel just a tiny bit better. There’s a lot of weepy people out there today folks, a lot of real sad individuals. When you draw twice and still … Read more
A team of Kiwi scientists is using pictures taken by satellites in orbit to enable farmers to spot pollution on their land. New Zealand scientists are looking to put satellite imagery to good use by identifying pollution on Kiwi farms, helping make tomorrow a tiny bit greener. University of Auckland’s Intelligent Vision System lab (IVS) … Read more
Scientists say that 5G is safe, but a small, vocal group of people insist it causes cancer. RNZ’s Susan Strongman speaks to two of the rollout’s most rowdy opponents. Sue Pockett and Stephanie Honeychurch are puffed up like sparrows waiting for me as I disembark from the ferry on Waiheke Island. It’s a cold, drizzly morning, … Read more
Scientists have been pleading the world to take action on climate change, yet a sizable chunk of the population still denies or downplays its reality. Gareth Shute runs down the most popular arguments for ignoring climate change and finds them wanting. There’s been consensus in the scientific community about climate change for at least a … Read more
Out of all of the people responsible for global inaction on climate change, why on earth would you point the finger at environmental NGOs, asks Danyl Mclauchlan. Medical students often succumb to a form of hypochondria called ‘intern’s syndrome’ in which they convince themselves they’re infected with the diseases they’re studying. If they’re tired and … Read more
I have worked for the last 15 years or so as a professional in various parts of the environmental movement. And I’m sorry. I was one of the people who told you changing your light bulbs or buying organic couscous would make things OK. I was wrong and I knew I was wrong at the … Read more
A new list of prioritised research for infertility topics shines a light on the areas where a real difference can be made. For too long people confronting infertility have been overlooked in those decisions, writes Cindy Farquhar, fertility expert and co-chair of a new international report In this digital age, with everything seeming to happen … Read more
If you want to do something to reduce your carbon footprint, you’ll probably consider both an electric vehicle and installing rooftop solar panels. But which is more effective? With overseas research often inapplicable to New Zealand, one man ran the Aotearoa-specific numbers. Phil Jones is not your average greenie. He’s worked in the sustainability sector … Read more
Concern about nitrates in Canterbury municipal water supplies emphasises the need for new ways to solve the nitrate problem, and Dr Anna Garden might be the scientist to do it. Dr Anna Garden is not your typical chemist. You won’t find her in a laboratory. She sits at a computer imitating experimental conditions unachievable in … Read more
Climate change and a warming ocean are putting immense stress on coral reefs in the Pacific. But some locals are refusing to passively accept the death of such vital ecosystems, reports Radio NZ Pacific’s Jamie Tahana. Listen to more on this story on Dateline Pacific here. When Kristine Zipfel jumped into the sea off Mo’orea, … Read more
An innovative new roading system is being trialled in New Plymouth that could reduce the amount of plastic sent to landfill. It’s a New Zealand-first, so Tara Ward got up close and personal with the road to see what all the fuss is about. The fair city of New Plymouth made the news this … Read more
Cheer up, at least it’ll all soon be over. So scientists have helpfully let us know that come 2050 we will all be burnt alive slash drown slash muslide slash rocks falling on your head. Climate change they say could become an “existential threat to human civilisation” that can never be undone. If that doesn’t … Read more
Lightning strikes about 190,000 times a year in New Zealand – one strike every 167 seconds, on average. So what does it feel like to get hit? Kate Newton reports for RNZ. Tucked under a large bush on a rainwashed coastal hillside, Martin Williams was watching the sky above Sponge Bay get darker and darker. … Read more
Climate treaties, sustainability goals and energy commitments are proliferating around the world. The answers to these targets must involve new materials and research in this area is happening in New Zealand, writes Dr Geoff Willmott. Last Friday, students across the country walked out of school for the second time this year in protest against climate … Read more