Issue 133 May 13 - 19

Hard questions for PM on NZ water purity

Prime Minister John Key was in the hot seat this week as he appeared on the BBC current affairs show Hardtalk.

The show is known for the no-nonsense, incisive questioning of host Stephen Sackur who applied pressure as he questioned the PM on everything from Chinese investment in New Zealand farms to New Zealand's republican movement.

Science also got a look-in during the interview, with Key citing the advice of New Zealand seismologists early in the interview as the basis of his belief that it is worth rebuilding Christchurch.

Later, Sackur challenged New Zealand's "100% Pure" branding campaign, highlighting a recent column in the New Zealand Herald by environmental scientist and freshwater ecologist, Massey University's Dr Mike Joy, in which he wrote that New Zealanders "are delusional about how clean and green we are".

Key took issue with the criticism levelled by Sackur and with the claims of Dr Joy, saying the scientist was expressing an opinion which he could counter with opposing views from other experts.

However, the interview aired as the Government unveiled a package of policies aimed at improving freshwater quality in New Zealand, including funding of schemes for councils to clean up polluted waterways.

The SMC wrapped up feedback from scientists on the so-called National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management and while scientists were generally supportive of the policy, many expressed similar sentiments to those of Dr Joy, with several suggesting we have underestimated the seriousness of the degradation of our waterways.

"The current situation is really quite grim," wrote Angus McIntosh - Professor and Mackenzie Foundation Chair in Freshwater Ecology at the University of Canterbury.

"In a recent survey of small waterways on the Canterbury Plains we have found over 80% are either moderately or severely polluted. For Canterbury urban waterways (pre-earthquake), the situation is even worse," he added.

"In the interests of '100% pure NZ' we cannot continue along this pathway," wrote Professor David Hamilton, BOP Chair in Lakes Management & Restoration at Waikato University and President of the New Society Freshwater Sciences Society.

"Changes of wording in the NPS from 'avoid' to 'avoid, remedy or mitigate' could have major implications for freshwater management as working examples of mitigation in New Zealand are few, while remedy of degraded water bodies has only come at huge costs to the ratepayer and taxpayer," he wrote.

See the scientists' comments in full on the SMC website.

On the science radar

'The pill' for men, DIY guitar heroes, inside the jazz brain, digital schizophrenia, sexy politics and the case of the stolen bees.

UN lays out ambitious renewables target
The massive 900-page energy "bible" part of which was released by the IPCC this week suggests up to 77 percent of global electricity demand could be satisfied by power from renewable energy sources by 2050.

The goal for renewables however would only be achieved if policies were introduced by Governments to support it. The transition to renewable energy sources, such as hydro power, solar, wind and tidal generation, would also be costly - a global investment of as much as US$12.3 trillion by 2030, said the IPCC.

The report on renewables included the input of New Zealand scientists including Massey University's Professor Ralph Sims and NIWA's David Wratt, who helped review the geothermal section of the report. Around 70 per cent of New Zealand's energy is already generated from renewable sources, mainly hydro power stations.

The IPCC process involves every UN member country agreeing to line by line and word by word to the contents of the summary for policy makers that is included in the report, a process Professor Sims assisted with for New Zealand.

Budget 2011: Little expected for science
Next week's Budget is unlikely to feature any additional spending on science initiatives, though there may be some rejigging of existing funding within the RS&T vote.

Speculation emerged last month that a major reorgainsation of the Crown researhc institutions may be signalled in the Budget, with one scenario seeing the eight existing institutions merged into three.

However, the Minister for Science and Innovation, Dr Wayne Mapp ruled such a move out but said an increased focus on high-tech manufacturing would have implications for Lower Hutt-based Industrial Research. The Mayor of Lower Hutt, Ray Wallace, this week signalled his unease at speculation IRL may relocate from its base there to Auckland and/or Christchurch.

IRL this week kicked off its Scientist for a Day iniative, which aims to share the CRI's expertise with companies working in similar fields. Businesses can apply to join the scheme by June 30.

Some Budget wins across the Tasman

The Australian Federal Government's Budget held this week included an ambitious plan to generate half a million new jobs on the back of the country's continuing mining boom, but included A$22 billion in budget cuts across the funding spectrum.

Science and health research however avoided major cuts, with the largest programmes remaining in tact. Notable was an A$40 million injection of funding into the joint Australia-New Zealand bid to win the Square Kilometre Array project. The winner of that bid, which is also being hotly contested by South Africa, will be announced next year.

Scientific research, writing prize bonanza
Whether you are a science or health researcher, a scientist looking to extend your work in scienc ecommunication, or a writer who has examined engineering issues in the past year, there are plenty of awards coming up with large cash prizes attached to them.

They include:

The Prime Minister's Science Prizes: This annual collection of five prizes has $1 million in has $1 million in prize money attached to it, $500,000 of which goes to an individual or team of researhcers who have made a "transformative discovery" in New Zealand science.

Other prizes are awarded to an emerging scientist, a science teacher, a secondary school teacher and a science communicator.

That last category is aimed at a scientist who wants to take some time aside to upskill in science communication or undertake a media that may involve working with the mainstream media to communicate science. The prize has $100,000 attached to it - $50,000 of which must be used to carry out a programme of activities.
Entries open on 16 May and close on July 29

IPENZ Award for Excellence in Engineering Journalism: Did you write or broadcast about the earthquake or building engineering aspects of the Canterbury earthquake - or any other engineering-related issue in the last year? If so, make sure to get an entry into the IPENZ award which comes with a $5000 prize.
Entries close July 1

Medicines New Zealand Value of Medicines Award: If you are a heath researcher or clinician who has made a "contribution to improving the understanding, effectiveness or safety of the use of medicines" this inaugural award worth $20,000 is worth looking at.
Quoted: Dominion Post

'New Zealand is on the cusp of going one way or another. Much of the world - Germany, China - is going boots and all for renewables. New Zealand could be leading. Instead, it's digging up more coal.''

On renewable energy sources, Professor Ralph Sims
Massey University / IPCC

New from the SMC

In the news:

Hansen lectures heat coal debate - Climate change expert James Hansen kicked off his nation wide lecture tour last night in Auckland. His pointed analysis of the world climate and it's future is gaining increasing media attention and raising serious questions about how our energy choices affect New Zealand's clean, green image.

IPCC renewable energy report released - The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released a Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources. The Dominion Post covered the report drawing comment from Massey University Professor Ralph Sims, an expert who contributed to the document.

Governments water plan making waves - This week the government released their National Policy Statement on Freshwater, sparking debate about how the country deals with one of its most crucial resources.The New Zealand Herald's Economics Editor, Brian Fallow, covered the policy statement.
Experts respond:

Experts on water policy package - Following the announcement of the National Freshwater Policy Statement, the SMC contacted New Zealand experts for comment on the specifics of the plans and the implications for New Zealand. A comprehensive press release was also issues by Professor David Hamilton, President of the New Zealand Freshwater Sciences Society.

Reflections on Science:

Podcast: Peter Griffin does Cafe Scientifique - Peter Griffin, founding manager of the SMC and founder of Sciblogs.co.nz, spoke last week at Cafe Scientifique, Palmerston North. His presentation highlighted how the media dealt with breaking news stories and the need for the scientific community to step up its efforts to aid the media in covering science properly. A podcast of the talk is available on the SMC site.

AusSMC:

Australian experts on the 2011 budget - Following this weeks announcement of the 2011 Australian federal budget, our colleuges at the Australian SMC gathered commentary from experts. Their analysis not only covered continued funding for science in general, but also increased funding for mental health.

Sciblogs highlights

Some of the highlights from this week's posts include:

The chances of Royal Weddings arising randomly... - Ken Perrot applies the reasoning of intelligent design to the odds of martial success for Prince William.
Open Parachute

Who are you going to call......well, a scientist actually! - Peter Kerr takes a look at the new 'scientist for a day' initiative from Industrial Research Ltd which offers innovative businesses interaction with experts.
sticK

Suck this, old king coal - A new coal industry group is sponsoring inhalers for asthmatic children and explaining the dangers of solar power - or is it?. Gareth Renowden investigates.
Hot Topic

The clouds that weren't - Elf Eldridge gets starry-eyed over the Magellanic galaxy clouds in the New Zealand night sky.
Just so Science

The perils of pink nail polish - Michael Edmonds examines the controversy of a mother putting pink nail polish on her son, raising questions about gender, colour preference and sexuality.
Molecular Matters

Pink - not for boys? - Alison Campbell also dips into the nailpolish debate, drawing on the classic nature vs. nurture dichotomy.
Bio Blog

You still have to know how the tools work - Do science students today have an appreciation of how they are getting their results? Grant Jacobs muses on the proliferation of computational, outsourced and kit-based methodologies.
Code for Life

Research highlights

Please note: hyperlinks point, where possible, to the relevant abstract or paper.

Roof space heating ineffective - New Zealand researchers have examined the efficiencey of home ventilation systems that utilise roof space heat. Their recently published research shows that while there are some small temperature gains made by pumping roof space air into living areas, these benefits are insignificant in practical terms. More information can be found in the University of Otago press release.
Energy and Buildings

Health food stores offer poor advice - A new study has compared the advice of pharmacies and health food stores given to an actor masquerading as medication-using patient seeking supplements. The results of the research found that health food stores were less likely to refer the individual to a GP and more likely to suggest supplements which might have negative interactions with prescribed medication.
New Zealand Medical Journal

CT scans overused for children's head traumas: A multi-center study of more than 40,000 children with minor blunt head trauma shows that CT scans may be unnecessary in many cases. The researchers suggest that instead simply observing injured children for a period might reduce the use of head CT by as much as half without compromising care -- and without exposing children to ionizing radiation.
Pediatrics

Sexual orientation affects cancer survivorship: A recent study has identified new associations between sexual orientation and cancer outcomes. Gay men have a higher prevalence of cancer compared with heterosexual men, and lesbian and bisexual female cancer survivors report lower levels of health than heterosexual female cancer survivors.
Cancer

Genetic test for breast cancer survival: A test that screens for genetic markers of chemoresistance, chemosensitivity and endocrine sensitivity shows promise for predicting which breast cancer patients will fare best following chemotherapy, which could be useful in determining treatment plans for newly-diagnosed patients.
Journal of the American Medical Association

Twinning is winning: Compared with other mothers, women who deliver twins live longer, have more children than expected, bear babies at shorter intervals over a longer time, and are older at their last birth, according to a new study. The findings do not mean having twins is healthy for women, but instead that healthier women have an increased chance of delivering twins.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Babies losing sleep over parents' problems: A new study of more than 350 families has found that instability in the parents' relationship when the children are 9 months old predicted difficulties falling asleep and staying asleep when they were 18 months old. The findings suggest that the marital stress can negatively impact child development at a younger age than previously thought.
Child Development

Musicians escape auditory aging: Musical training appears to offset some of aging's effects on perception and cognition.Older people (45-65) who have spent their lifetime playing a musical instrument perform better than average in tests of auditory memory and hearing.
PLoS ONE

Gas drilling methods contaminate water: Analysis of drinking water from wells near natural gas extraction areas has revealed high levels of methane. The methane is believed to have leaked from active extraction sites where treated water is used to break apart the shale in which natural gas is trapped.
Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences

Growing clouds from ocean bugs' emissions: Marine bacteria produce sulphur emissions that can follow two pathways: release to the atmosphere where they seed cloud formation and cool the climate, or sequestration in seawater when they enter the ocean food web. New research looks at the genetics behind what causes ocean bugs to release one form of sulphur over the other, opening the possibility of manipulating them in future as a defence against global warming.
Nature

Understanding fungal 'zombie' ants: Tropical carpenter ants, when infected by a parasitic fungus (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis), become erratic and zombie-like and are manipulated by the fungus into dying at a spot that provides optimal conditions for fungal reproduction. New research looks at altered behaviour patterns in zombie ants in Thailand and shows how the fungus manipulates ant behaviour.
BMC Ecology

Have Neanderthals been lying about their age? New radiocarbon dating of fossil remains has refined estimates of how recently Neanderthals were living in Eurasia. The 'youngest' Neanderthal samples in the Caucasus mountains are approximately 40,000 years old, suggesting that Neanderthals and homo sapiens may not have coexisted for as long as originally though.
Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences

Bat ears guide sonar: Researchers have mapped out the diversity of bat ears in a hope to inspire the design of new intuitive methods of manipulating waves with physical shapes, such as sonar and radar. As well as identifying key components of the ear's functionality, the analysis of ears from 59 bat species has revealed how the shape of the ear differs greatly between species and is influenced by the evolutionary environment.
Bioinspiration & Biomimetics

Outdated caveman technology raises questions: Analysis of ancient tools found at a site in Russia's Ural mountains suggests that either Neanderthals inhabited the area much more recently than thought, or that later humans in the area used the more rudimentary tools of the previous Neanderthal cultures, despite more modern tools being in use elsewhere.
Science

Policy updates

Some of the highlights of this week's policy news :

EPA bill passed - The Environmental Protection Authority bill passed it's third reading this week, heralding the establishment of an overarching independent expert Crown entity tasked with protecting the environment.

Health Minister going global - Next week Health Minister Tony Ryall will represent New Zealand at two key international health forums during May, the Commonwealth Health Ministers' Meeting and the World Health Assembly.

Freshwater policy released - The government has released a policy package on freshwater, commiting to cleaning up New Zealand waterways but also intensifying responsible irrigation.

New boss for CERA - Roger Sutton has been announced as the permanent chief executive of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA). Sutton is presently chief executive of Canterbury electricity lines company Orion Networks.

Upcoming sci-tech events

Climate Change: a scientific, moral and legal issue - Lecture tour by NASA scientist James Hansen - May 16, Wellington; May 18, Dunedin; May 19 Gore; May 20 Christchurch.

Future of Coal Symposium - Held by the Victoria University Institute of Policy Studies - May 17, Wellington.

The future of energy production & consumption - Panel Discussion - 17 May, Lower Hutt.

Mental Health and Social Justice Symposium - University of Auckland - 18 - 19 May, Auckland.

New Zealand: the place where talent wants to live - Lecture by Sir Paul Callaghan - 19 May, Wellington.

For these and more upcoming events, and more details about them, visit the SMC's Events Calendar.

ENDS

BUDGET 2012:
Parliament Debate Live - Video Of Budget 2011
Keith Ng Interactive Graphic: How the Budget Breaks Down
BUDGET 2012 - FULL COVERAGE: Reports / Analysis - Press Kit - Reaction (from everybody) - Previews (from everybody) - Pre-Budget Announcements

Gordon Campbell: On the Budget’s Spreadsheet Victories

It wasn’t as if expectations were sky high, exactly. Chances are, it was always more likely that we’d be seeing Bigfoot rampage through the Beehive lock-up than catch a glimpse of a credible growth agenda from this government. More >>

Sludge Budget Report - Short The Dollar! MEMO: To international bankers FROM: C.D. Sludge Please short the dollar! It'll be good for both you and us. And you know you want to. Greexit, Eurogeddon... watch out... flight to quality and all that. Follow your instincts. The NZ Debt Management Office has been so surprised at the unprecedentedly low interest rates that it can borrow at that it has already entirely pre-funded the 2013 fiscal deficit - all $8 billion of it! More >>

Pattrick Smellie Comment: Doddling along the best we can hope forCriticising Budgets for lacking vision or imagination is like shooting fish in a barrel, but even so, this year's Budget again feels like a missed opportunity. Perhaps it's the intrusion of real world needs that means the government couldn't make better political use of the $558.8 million it expects to gather in its first partial asset sale. More >>