SMC Heads-Up: Dam dilemma, evidence for midwives, Media 3

SMC Heads-Up: Dam dilemma, evidence boost for midwives, goodbye Media 3

Issue 249 20 - 26 September 2013

Dam highlights DOC's dilemma

Radio New Zealand led its bulletins for much of the week with an investigative scoop into claims a submission from the Department of Conservation on a controversial dam proposal was suppressed by minister Dr Nick Smith.

The draft submission from DOC on the proposed Ruataniwha Dam water storage scheme raised concerns about its potential effects on freshwater habitat and water quality. These concerns were echoed by Massey University freshwater ecologist Russell Death.

But the draft was never submitted, with a neutral two paragraph statement later taking its place after conservation minister Nick Smith requested a briefing on its contents.

Dr Smith has defended his role the issue this week, in the face of calls from the Green Party for him to resign.

Dr Smith told Morning Report this week that other government agencies were responsible for fresh water quality and it was appropriate that submissions came from them instead.

A Southland Times editorial on the subject published yesterday said Dr Smith "has some explaining to do" about his role in the matter.

"He denies any direct interference but there is still concern that he may have said no more or less than was necessary to trigger an alarming piece of self-censorship in his own department".

"DOC should be able to make submissions that reflect its role to ensure as best it can, and advocate as compellingly as it can, the protection of the environment," the editorial added.

The Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor, Professor Sir Peter Gluckman earlier this month released a report looking at the use of evidence in policy decisions across government departments.

He noted that while DOC has a Chief Scientist position it is without "advisory independence".

He added: "DOC also benefits from good internal capabilities and processes for knowledge production, analysis and the ability to judiciously commission external scientific input and expertise.

"However, there are systemic obstacles that can prevent the application of objective evidence in policy and practice. DOC has previously undertaken a review of its science transfer process, which tracked the mechanisms and the roadblocks of getting science into policy. Some of these findings are being implemented."

The Department of Conservation's key functions are laid out in the Conservation Act and include: "to preserve as far as practicable all indigenous freshwater fisheries, protect recreational fisheries and freshwater habitats" and "to advocate conservation of natural and historic resources."

Media 3 bows out for good

It was New Zealand's only current affairs TV show concerned with goings on in the media, but the Russell Brown-fronted Media 3 will not return to screens next year.

In a blog post on PublicAddress, Brown wrote that it was TV3's decision to pull the plug on the show, which screened at 11.30pm on a Wednesday night.

"NZ On Air remained keen to fund us and gave us more time to find another screen, but that has not proved possible. I wouldn't rule out something similar appearing in future, but for now, it's done."

Over its six year run - first as Media7 on the now-defunct TVNZ7 and then as Media3, Brown dealt with a wide range of issues, including the media's coverage of science.

Science specials included Sir Peter Gluckman and Lord Robert Winston and touched on everything from climate change to communicating risk and uncertainty.

The SMC worked closely with the Media3 team and thank them for the attention they paid to science over the years. We wish Russell and the team well for the future.

What was big in science news this week...

Ig Nobel awards, google vs. death, no methane on Mars, Voyager hits deep space, Shark finning kills coral, and the origins of life on earth?

One-on-one midwife care delivers

Continuous care led by an individual midwife care throughout pregnancy- the standard approach in New Zealand - is just as effective as, and cheaper than, sharing care between several health professionals.

The different models of pregnancy care went head to head in a Australian randomised controlled trial, the results of which were published in the Lancet this week.

The Midwives @ New Group practice Options (M@NGO) study recruited 1748 pregnant women from Australian hospitals and randomly allocated them to receive either continued care from an individual midwife throughout pregnancy, birth, and after the baby is born (known as 'caseload midwifery'; 871 women) or standard maternity care shared between several health professionals (877 women).

The study found no difference between the groups in number of caesareans, use of epidurals, instrumental births, admission to neonatal intensive care, or preterm birth.

However, women who received caseload midwifery care were less likely to have an elective caesarean, required fewer pain drugs, had less blood loss following birth, shorter hospital stays, and better breastfeeding rates-which together, say the authors, accounted for the lower cost of caseload midwifery.

"The caseload model of midwifery care has been largely overlooked in maternity systems because of a perception that the service will be too expensive and that the model is not safe for complex pregnancies," explained lead author Professor Sally Tracy from the University of Sydney. "Our results show that in women of any risk caseload midwifery is safe and cost effective."

The study is backed up by similar findings in a recent Cochrane systematic review which concluded "most women should be offered midwife-led continuity models of care"

The research has been welcomed by the Chief Executive of the NZ College of Midwives, Karen Guilliland, who was quick to note that midwife lead maternity care has been the New Zealand standard since 1996.

"While women in New Zealand expect to have their own midwife providing their care from pregnancy test to 4-6 weeks after the birth of the baby the rest of the world has been slow to accept this model of care as a government funded option" she explained in a media release.

Read more about the study and subsequent media coverage, on the Science Media Centre website.

Lack of sleep weighs on teen boys

Poor sleep habits have been linked with teen weight gain in a new study, but the findings only seem to apply to boys.

Researchers from the University of Otago examined the sleeping habits and physical measurements of almost 700 secondary school students, identifying a link between less sleep and higher body fat, but only in males. The research was published this week in the Nutrition Journal.

According the results, the average 16-year-old boy sleeping eight hours a night could expect an extra 1.8cm on their waistline and 1.6kg (9%) more body fat compared a similar boy getting 10 hours of sleep per night.

"The key aspect to this research is that that we examined adolescents," said lead author Dr Paula Skidmore in a media release. "Most of the research in this area to date has focused on younger children, whose parents tend to be stricter about bedtimes. Teenagers get more leeway over bedtimes"

"Our results suggest that for older teenage boys, making sure that they get adequate sleep may help to maintain a healthier a body. It seems to be that, within reason, the more (sleep) the better for boys."

"It was unexpected that we did not find the same result in girls, who may actually be more aware of their diet and more in tune with a healthier lifestyle."

Although the authors admit the study wasn't designed to explain why reduced sleep was associated with weight gain in teen boys, they note that increased appetite, hormonal changes and reduced energy expenditure have all been hypothesised to play a role in how sleep affects body composition.

Read more about the study and subsequent media coverage, on the Science Media Centre website.

Policy news and developments

HSNO Report: The Environmental Protection Agency has released its annual report on the effectiveness of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act.

Snapper: Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy this week announced measures aimed at rebuilding the Snapper 1 stock, including lowering recreational catch limits and increasing commercial monitoring.

Nappy compost: Environment Minister Amy Adams has announced the accreditation of a product stewardship scheme which turns nappies and sanitary waste into compost.

Communicating stats and risk

The seventh in a series of articles from the new edition of the SMC Desk Guide for Covering Science which is available in full here.

It may be tempting to try to put risk in perspective by comparing it to something your audience is familiar with (e.g. road accidents, smoking a pack of cigarettes a day). But be careful!

When translating statistics and risk from one context to another, it's all too easy to get things wrong. Here are a few common pitfalls (continued from last week).

Single event probabilities

The chances of a single, undesirable event taking place can be easily confused with the everyday likelihood of things going wrong.

Example: A psychiatrist prescribes a drug to his patients with the warning that they will have a "30% to 50% chance of developing a sexual problem" such as impotence or loss of sexual interest.

His patients may understand this to mean 30 - 50% of their own sexual encounters will be problematic, and refuse the drug. But the psychiatrist actually means that of every 10 patients taking the drug, three to five will experience a sexual problem at some stage. Explaining it this way, he finds his patients are less concerned about the risk.

Rare exposures

If being exposed to some harmful factor increases your risk a lot, but that harmful exposure is very rare, it may be important for a small number of individuals but cannot have a big impact on the average reader.

Example: Angelina Jolie has a particular genetic variant in the BRCA gene that gives her an 85% lifetime risk of breast cancer.

This is a very high risk, but the genetic variant is rare - only about 1% of women have it - so only a very small fraction of all breast cancer could be prevented by genetic testing.

________________________________________

"Virtually all new technologies pose risks along with benefits. Thus 'safe' and 'effective', whether applied to new drugs, devices or processes, are always relative terms. It is irrational to ask whether something is safe or not. Nothing is 100 percent safe. Policy decisions involving science must balance risks and benefits."

Boyce Rensberger, Science writer, editor and former Director of MIT's Knight Science Journalism Fellowships

Quoted: Gisborne Herald

"If New Zealand's extended economic zone was taken into consideration, we have more area of the planet per head of population than any other nation on the planet.

"The 1.7 square kilometres per person statistic will undoubtedly lead to wealth for New Zealand in the future. The question is, will it be this generation or future generations that ultimately benefit from it ?"

Prof Tim Stern, Victoria University of Wellington, on New Zealand's geological resources.

New from the SMC

In the News:

Midwifery: New research shows that NZ-style one on one midwife care is as effective as, and cheaper than the Australian Model of shared care.

Teen sleep: Poor sleep habits have been linked with weight gain in teen boys, according to New Zealand research.

Reflection on Science:

Chemical warfare: Assoc Prof Allan Blackman, University of Otago, writes about the history of chemical warfare in his regular Otago Daily Times column.

Sciblogs highlights

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

Bionic ears let the deaf hear - Grant Jacobs gives an overview of the medical wonder that is the cochlear implant.

Code for Life

Collaborobots - Will machines steal our jobs or make our lives easier? Robert Hickson discusses 'collaborative robots'.

Ariadne

Who needs a science minister? Peter Griffin canvasses opinion on Tony Abbot's decision to leave science out of the Australian cabinet.

Griffin's Gadgets

Meet the newest members of our family - Aimee Whitcroft introduces the minuscule 'shrimpies' living in her closed circuit Ecosphere.

misc.ience

Relative velocity America's Cup style - The temptation to dig into the physics behind the race for the 'Auld Mug' proves too great for Marcus Wilson.

Physics Stop

Research highlights

Some of the major research papers that made headlines this week...

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

Tracking stormy seas: Working in some of the wildest waters on the planet, researchers have measured mixing in the Southern Ocean by releasing tiny quantities of an inert chemical tracer into the Southeast Pacific. They tracked the tracer for several years as it went through Drake Passage between Antarctica and South America, allowing them to observe observe the dramatic mixing of currents due to the rough undersea mountains of the passage.

Nature

E-readers kindle hope for dyslexics: E-readers are more effective than reading on paper for some with dyslexia, according to new research. The results suggest it is the use of short lines on the display, and not the device itself, that leads to the benefits observed in the study of over 100 dyslexic students.

PLOS ONE

Parasite brain change: Infection with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii can make mice lose their innate, hard-wired fear of cats. This loss of fear may persist after the parasite is no longer detectable in their brains, suggesting that initial infection may cause permanent neurological changes. As T gondii may also affect mental functioning in infected humans, the animal study raises important question about the ongoing effects of the parasite.

PLOS ONE

Bacterial batteries: US Scientists have created a hybrid battery in which microbes convert organic matter in wastewater into electricity, at an efficiency comparable with with commercially-available solar cells. When the electrode is spent, it can be removed and recharged by oxygen exposure.

PNAS

Altruistic bonuses boost bottom line: Providing employees with a 'prosocial' bonus to spend on charities or co-workers -- rather than themselves -- may increase job satisfaction and team sales, according to a new series of studies. The authors write, "... shifting the focus from the self to others can create a more altruistic, satisfying, and productive workplace."

PLOS ONE

Sniffing out odour categories: We have long known that tastes can be broken down into five distinct types, but what about smells? Using advanced statistical techniques US researchers have identified 10 basic odour qualities: fragrant, woody/resinous, fruity (non-citrus), chemical, minty/peppermint, sweet, popcorn, lemon and two kinds of sickening odors: pungent and decayed.

PLOS ONE

Upcoming sci-tech events

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

• The Quest to Cure Cancer at a Genetic Level; and Understanding the Genome to Improve Medicine - Genetics Week public lectures from Jessica Wapner and Prof Martin Kennedy - 23 September, Auckland.

• Beyond the human genome: cutting-edge developments in leukaemia treatment - Genetics Week public lecture from Jessica Wapner and Ian Morison - 24 September, Dunedin.

• Dealing Ethically with Genes for Criminality; and Not guilty by reason of genetics: New Zealand law and genetic defenses - Genetics Week lecture with Julian Savulescu and Colin Gavaghan - 25 September, Dunedin.

• Bioethics Centre 25th Anniversary Symposia: Genetics and Ethics, 25 September; Sports and Ethics, 26 September, Dunedin.

• What if... Antarctica warms? 'What if Wednesday' public lecture from ProfBryan Storey - 25 September, Christchurch.

• From Evolution to the Environment - Genetics Week public lecture evening - 26 September, Dunedin.

• Impressionism, Science, and Industry - Lecture from Prof Jonathan Mane-Wheoki - 26 September, Wellington.

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