Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
SMC Heads-Up: Polar blast and the SMC in the headlines
SMC Heads-Up: Polar blast and the SMC in the headlines
Issue 236
21 - 27 June
2013
Quick Links
Polar blast
freezes New Zealand
New Zealand is in the icy grip of a winter storm, with cold southerlies from Antarctica bringing snow, wind and hail.
Earlier in the week, MetService
Meteorologist Daniel Corbett commented,"This winter storm
will have quite a bit of bark and bite, and is expected to
bring widespread severe weather for much of New
Zealand."
Severe Weather Warnings from
MetService are still in place for most of the
country.
"While snow will be a major issue for those
in the South Island, wind and hail will affect many North
Island districts," Corbett said.
The SMC contacted
experts for comment on the cold snap.
Assoc
Prof James Renwick from Victoria University of Wellington,
explained:
"To get an event like this, which
is pretty extreme, we need the westerly wind that normally
blow across New Zealand and the southern oceans to slow down
and to buckle into a series of big meanders, north-south
waves around the hemisphere. This is more likely to happen
in the negative phase of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM)
and we have just gone into negative SAM territory in the
past few days."
Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman, Director, He Kainga Orang/Housing and Health Research Programme at University of Otago, Wellington, noted the importance of good housing in cold weather:
"Cold
can kill, but heat is the medicine. New Zealand villas and
bungalows, as the names suggest, are built for temperate
climates, increasingly uncertain with climate change driving
extreme weather events, such as snow storms. Our houses are
made of relatively light-weight materials and in winter most
of them are colder than recommended by the WHO for health
and well-being. Only a third of our existing houses have
had insulation retrofitted."
Citizen Snow
Science
NIWA researchers are braving the cold
conditions to monitor snowfall in the South Island and the
public can help them gather data by measuring the snowfall
in areas of low elevations around their homes as part of the
initiative How Deep is the Snow at your
Place?
You can read more
commentary and safety advice on the Science Media Centre
website.
On the science radar this week...
Cellphone induced injuries, naked mole rat cancer clues, virtual reality a reality, clever chickens and wooden batteries?
SMC global network profiled
The work of Science Media Centres around the world has been highlighted in a series of articles in a leading journalism magazine.
The series, published in
the Columbia Journalism Review
features SMC staff and high profile journalists exploring
the work of the SMCs through articles written in a
back-and-forth format, with authors providing an opening
statement based on an initial question and responding to
each others points.
The Review, a highly
regarded journalism magazine, covers news and media industry
trends and explores the stories behind the news.
With independent Science Media Centres now operating
in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, it is
unsurprising that the network of SMCs has gained attention
from media commentators.
In the first article of the
series the Director of the UK SMC, Fiona Fox, addresses the
question, Does the UK model help
journalists? Co-author Connie St Louis,
President of the Association of British Science Writers,
offers a different perspective on how the SMCs should
approach their mandate.
"By facilitating more
scientists to enter the fray, we have made it much easier
for journalists to access the best science in a timely
manner," writes Fiona Fox.
"During crises like
Fukushima, or on complex and politicized stories like
'Climategate', the SMC proactively offers great experts for
interview, quotes from leading scientists, reliable
factsheets, and press briefings where journalists can
question experts in the middle of an unfolding story."
The second article in the series features Australian
SMC Director Susanah Elliot and SMC NZ Manager Peter
Griffin, writing in collaboration with Reuters reporter Kate
Kelland, responding to the question, How did the SMCs perform during the
Fukushima nuclear crisis?
Kate
Kelland writes, ."[...] the best that reporters stuck in
London, New York, or other far-away cities could do was
ensure the scientists we talked to were the best kind of
experts giving their best judgement on the best levels of
information they could get hold of at the time."
"The SMC made that happen. And we could not have done
the same without them. "
Part 3 of the series,
focusing on the proposal for a US Science Media Centre will
be published on www.cjr.org tomorrow.
Quoted: Dominion
Post
"They might actually decide that if it's
safe, it's bloody boring and not cool to
do."
University of Otago researcher
Brent Caldwell rejects the idea that nicotine inhalers might used by children
as a gateway drug to tobacco.
New
from the SMC
Gene patents:
Australian experts respond to a US court decision
on gene
patenting.
Polar blast:
Experts comment on the cold weather brought in by
Antarctic southerlies.
McKibben on
climate: US climate campaigner Bill Mickibbon
wraps up his lecture tour of
New Zealand.
Sciblogs
highlights
Some of the highlights
from this week's posts:
Optimal airports - Eric
Crampton looks at the economics of plans to extend the
Wellington airport runway - at the cost of a million dollars
a meter. Dismal Science
Ariadne
'Gene Patents' What's the Fuss?
In the wake of a recent US court decision, Doug Calhoun
takes a look at gene patenting.
sticK
Better environmental campaigns from Big
Data - Big data can be harnessed to win votes
and help the environment writes Wayne Linklater.
PolitEcol
Research highlights
Please
note: hyperlinks point, where possible, to the relevant
abstract or paper.
Endangered native
plants: New research from DOC scientists has
highlighted the endangered nature of native cabbage plants
in the Lepidiums genus - famously eaten by Captain
Cook and other early explorers to fend off scurvy. Botanists
have undertaken an extensive study of Lepidiums
species, discovering ten new species - one of which is
already extinct, identified only by historical samples.
The costs of concussion: An analysis of ten years worth of ACC concussion claims in sports shows that moderate-to-severe concussion (MSC) accounts for the lion's share of costs. From 2001-2011 there were over 20,000 sport-related ACC concussion claims from seven sports codes, costing $16.5 million. MSC represented 6.4% of the total claims but 78.8% of the costs. The authors note that Maori, rugby union players, females and those aged 30-39 might benefit the most from targeted MSC prevention initiatives.
Journal of Science and Medicine in Sports
3D 'BigBrain' most detailed reconstruction yet: A landmark three-dimensional digital reconstruction of a complete human brain, called the BigBrain, now for the first time shows the brain anatomy in microscopic detail-at a spatial resolution of 20 microns, smaller than the size of one fine strand of hair-exceeding that of existing reference brains presently in the public domain.
Living-dead
cabbage:
3D room mapping with sound: Inspired by echolocation in bats and dolphins, researchers have devised a computer algorithm that can reconstruct the shape of a room by "listening" to the echoes from a simple sound source, such as a finger snap. With additional research, the authors suggest, the method can be expanded to determine the shape of a room and reveal the location of a person using a cellphone within the room.
Policy
updates
Some of the policy highlights
from this week:
Joyce in EU:
Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce was in
Europe this week to strengthen
NZ's science, innovation and international education links
with the EU.
Aerosol consultation:
The EPA is welcoming people to have their say on proposed changes to the site
and storage conditions for aerosols.
Online
scams: Consumer Affairs has launched a new guide to educate seniors
about online scams, coinciding with Fraud Awareness
Week.
Upcoming sci-tech events
• Future of Healthcare in New Zealand - 2013 Healthcare Congress -25-26 June, Auckland.
• Getting on with it - the effects of genetic testing - Café Scientifique - 27 June, Lower Hutt.
• For these and more upcoming events, and more details about them, visit the SMC's Events Calendar.
ENDS
Science Media Centre NZ
Our aim is to promote accurate, evidence-based reporting on science and technology by helping the media work more closely with the scientific community.
The Science Media Centre is New Zealand's only trusted, independent source of information for the media on all issues related to science. Thousands of news stories providing context from and quoting New Zealand researchers have been published as a direct result of our work.
Business Canterbury: Urges Council To Cut Costs, Not Ambition For City
Wellington Airport: On Track For Net Zero Emissions By 2028
Landcare Research: ANZAC Gall Fly Release Promises Natural Solution To Weed Threat
NZ Anti-Vivisection Society: Auckland Rat Lovers Unite!
University of Canterbury: $1.35 Million Grant To Study Lion-like Jumping Spiders
Federated Farmers: Government Ends War On Farming
