Latest Sci-Tech Headlines [Page 3]
Novel coronavirus and border screening – Expert Reaction
Thursday, 30 January 2020, 12:04 pm | Science Media Centre
Kiwis currently in Wuhan will be evacuated in a joint Australian-New Zealand operation, as a novel strain of coronavirus continues to spread from the area. More >>
Major Asian gene study to help doctors battle disease
Wednesday, 29 January 2020, 8:32 am | University of Virginia
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Jan. 28, 2020 – An ambitious new study of genes in Asian populations is filling in big gaps in our understanding of human genetics, shedding light on the history of human migration and ultimately aiming to improve our ability ... More >>
Pump up the volume: why we love loud music
Tuesday, 28 January 2020, 7:02 pm | University of Auckland
You walk into a club and the music hits you like a wall. You have to yell in your friend’s ear to make yourself heard; the intensity is almost painful, but it swallows you up and that feels good. When you step outside much later, your ears are ringing ... More >>
Options for hemp-derived food products
Tuesday, 28 January 2020, 11:51 am | Liggins Institute
MIHI (Movers in Hemp Innovation) is a collaboration of Māori and non-Māori entities seeking to grow the hemp industry in New Zealand. The MIHI business cluster has received a $100,000 Māori Food & Beverage Development Grant from the High-Value Nutrition ... More >>
Wasps buzz off when there are more trees – study
Tuesday, 28 January 2020, 10:10 am | University of Auckland
Lush forest cover and limited human habitation mean fewer invasive wasps, new research on New Zealand’s offshore islands shows. More >>
Science Deadline - This Week in Sci-Tech
Friday, 24 January 2020, 3:39 pm | Science Media Centre
In this issue: Academia's glass ceiling, coronavirus spreads - could be from snakes , and media training in 2020. More >>
OK computer: How to prevent students cheating with AI
Friday, 24 January 2020, 10:33 am | The Conversation
OK computer: to prevent students cheating with AI text-generators, we should bring them into the classroom More >>
Warm weather for the weekend
Thursday, 23 January 2020, 12:41 pm | MetService
The weather is forecast to be fine and settled over the North Island, and many places can expect to see temperatures high in the 20s. However, clammy air trapped under the ridge will mean the warmth may feel sticky. More >>
Antibiotics unlikely to be a major contributor to obesity
Thursday, 23 January 2020, 9:01 am | National Science Challenges
A Better Start National Science Challenge’s research into the association between antibiotic exposure and childhood obesity is one of the largest studies of its kind ever conducted. It used a sample size of nearly 290,000 children and their mother’s ... More >>
Scientists ID way to halt blinding eye disease
Thursday, 23 January 2020, 8:14 am | University of Virginia
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Jan. 22, 2020 – Researchers have successfully treated age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in mice after finding an unexpected link between the two main forms of the blinding eye disease, the leading cause of vision loss in people ... More >>
Hillside foundations get a shake-up in cutting edge testing
Wednesday, 22 January 2020, 2:32 pm | Earthquake Commission
New shake testing of house foundations aims to ensure homes built on slopes are better able to withstand future earthquakes. More >>
Teaming up to tackle sea level rise
Tuesday, 21 January 2020, 12:40 pm | Greater Wellington Regional Council
Sea level rise is an imminent threat to certain areas of the Wellington Region, so how will locals adapt to changing landscapes – four university students from the US are here to find out. More >>
Summery days with cloudy starts
Tuesday, 21 January 2020, 11:11 am | MetService
MetService is forecasting fog or low cloud to affect a lot of the country in the coming days, however the afternoons look nice for many areas with warm temperatures and light winds. More >>
Funding Applications for Southsci 2020 Now Open
Tuesday, 21 January 2020, 11:09 am | SouthSci
SouthSci is now accepting funding applications for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related projects in 2020. More >>
Toxic algal blooms on the rise
Tuesday, 21 January 2020, 10:27 am | Greenpeace New Zealand
Dangerous toxic algal blooms in rivers are on the rise. The question is - will the Government’s new freshwater regulations, due mid-year, deal with the threat? More >>
Drug lab tests 10,000th sample
Friday, 17 January 2020, 1:59 pm | ESR
New psychoactive drugs and chemically concealed compounds have been among the thousands of suspected drug samples tested at a rapid screening lab near Auckland Airport. More >>
It’s time to care about the insects
Friday, 17 January 2020, 12:12 pm | University of Waikato
While reports last year on insect decline calling the situation an ‘insect apocalypse’ have been widely criticised for their methods, Dr Chrissie Painting from the University of Waikato, along with 70 other researchers from 21 countries, says that there is ... More >>
Researchers develop technique to 3D print 'living' plastics
Thursday, 16 January 2020, 4:52 pm | University of Auckland
In a world-first, researchers at the University of Auckland have demonstrated how to 3D print a ‘living’ resin, a novel technique that enables the creation of ‘living’ and ‘self-repairing’ plastics, and could be a game changer in medical ... More >>
2019 second hottest year on record, UN confirms
Thursday, 16 January 2020, 11:17 am | UN News
Last year was the second warmest year on record, the World Meteorological Organization ( WMO ) confirmed on Wednesday. More >>
Novel coronavirus detected in China –Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 14 January 2020, 5:16 pm | Science Media Centre
The virus was detected after more than 40 people were hospitalised with pneumonia in Wuhan City, China and the outbreak traced to a large animal and seafood market. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that person-to-person transmission ... More >>
Fisheries management helps prevent overfishing - Reaction
Tuesday, 14 January 2020, 11:27 am | Science Media Centre
Roughly half of the world’s fish catch is being managed sustainably, but the other half is not properly assessed or managed, leaving vast areas prone to overfishing, according to a new global study. More >>
It’s a colourful life under the Antarctic ice
Monday, 13 January 2020, 12:50 pm | NIWA
The rich diversity of marine life near Scott Base in Antarctica has stunned scientists diving under the ice to set up environmental monitoring sites. More >>
World attention for New Zealand’s threatened fungi
Friday, 10 January 2020, 12:20 pm | Landcare Research
World attention for New Zealand’s threatened fungi Established in 1964, the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species ( www.iucnredlist.org ) is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity. It is now ... More >>
2019 NZ's fourth warmest year on record - Expert Reaction
Thursday, 9 January 2020, 11:36 am | Science Media Centre
Last year was New Zealand's fourth warmest year since recording began in 1909, according to the 2019 Niwa Annual Climate Summary. Annual temperatures were +0.5 to +1.2 degrees Celsius above the annual average across the majority of New Zealand, the report found. More >>
Australian bushfires continue to blaze – Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 8 January 2020, 3:40 pm | Science Media Centre
Fires continue to rage across south-eastern Australia and three blazes may join forces to create a mega fire on the Victoria-New South Wales border. More >>
ASB creates biodegradable Sustainaball to celebrate Classic
Wednesday, 8 January 2020, 10:40 am | ASB Bank
ASB is taking a sustainable spin on one of the most iconic Kiwi summer props, the humble tennis ball, creating a world-first biodegradable Sustainaball which can produce a native New Zealand seedling. While a normal tennis ball can take hundreds of years ... More >>
The epic life of the spiny red rock lobster
Monday, 6 January 2020, 11:18 am | NIWA
Sam Fraser-Baxter heads to the Wairarapa for one of New Zealand’s longest-running marine surveys – counting baby lobster. More >>
NZ striving to create inclusive digital identity environment
Monday, 6 January 2020, 10:39 am | Make Lemonade
Aotearoa New Zealand has a golden opportunity, now at the start of a new decade, to demonstrate a truly inclusive digital identity environment, Digital Identity New Zealand (DINZ) executive director Andrew Weaver says. Such is New Zealand’s progress, ... More >>
Aussie bushfire smoke reaches NZ – update 2nd Jan 2020
Friday, 3 January 2020, 10:02 am | NIWA
A thick river of smoke has been flowing across the Tasman Sea for over a month, tracked in detail by scientists using satellite imagery. Most of the time the smoke passes to the north of New Zealand, or is removed by rainfall before it reaches us. However, ... More >>
Ten years of the weather with you
Monday, 30 December 2019, 9:09 pm | NIWA
If you happened to be in Timaru on February 6, 2011 you might recall it was uncomfortably, ridiculously hot. More >>
Where are the monarchs?
Monday, 30 December 2019, 8:58 pm | Moths and Butterflies NZ Trust
A survey over recent weeks by the Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust shows real concern for the health of NZ’s monarch butterfly population. More >>
Where are the monarchs?
Monday, 30 December 2019, 8:07 pm | Moths and Butterflies NZ Trust
A survey over recent weeks by the Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust shows real concern for the health of NZ’s monarch butterfly population. More >>
What’s in the NIWA freezer?
Monday, 23 December 2019, 10:59 am | NIWA
Just past the locks, alarms and big heavy doors is a rather macabre sight. To see it, you first need to grab a heavy jacket, pick a beanie out of the box and put on a pair of industrial strength gloves because it’s cold in there: -20C to be ... More >>
NZ eco-innovation finalists announced
Friday, 20 December 2019, 2:40 pm | Callaghan Innovation
Insulation made from clothing off-cuts, mushroom-derived construction material, a robotic farming system, an AI-powered recycling bin and a game turning locals into citizen scientists, are among ten finalists announced today for New Zealand’s official ... More >>
Reassessment of benzyl alkonium chlorides
Friday, 20 December 2019, 12:26 pm | Environmental Protection Authority
Submissions on our proposed updates to the benzyl alkonium chloride (BAC) approvals are now open. More >>
Summer break a chance to help people with autism
Friday, 20 December 2019, 11:59 am | University of Auckland
A student venture developing virtual reality technology to help people with autism has received funding to bring the concept to life over summer. More >>
Give nesting birds a fighting chance this summer
Thursday, 19 December 2019, 1:54 pm | Department of Conservation
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is reminding the public to be careful near shorebird nesting sites on the East Coast this summer. More >>
Nearly Christmas!
Thursday, 19 December 2019, 12:26 pm | MetService
Metservice expects a busy weather week ahead in the run up to Christmas. The all important Christmas Day Forecasts on Metservice.com get the human touch from Friday as our meteorologists take over from the computer driven output. More >>
Environmental impacts of tourism – Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 18 December 2019, 2:08 pm | Science Media Centre
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) Simon Upton warns that increasing numbers of tourists are eroding the very attributes that make New Zealand such an attractive country to visit. More >>
Study survey’s health risk in NZ rivers
Wednesday, 18 December 2019, 10:13 am | ESR
A pilot study gathering data on the human health risks posed by New Zealand rivers and streams is getting underway this summer. More >>
How many moa?
Tuesday, 17 December 2019, 4:10 pm | Landcare Research
Flightless birds were once the largest and heaviest terrestrial fauna on many archipelagos around the world – including the nine species of moa in New Zealand. More >>
Aotearoa Science Journalism Fund - Round 5 winners
Tuesday, 17 December 2019, 10:32 am | Science Media Centre
Five new projects will be funded in the latest round of the Aotearoa New Zealand Science Journalism Fund. More >>
Beech mega-masts and predator plagues – Expert Q&A
Monday, 16 December 2019, 4:06 pm | Science Media Centre
When New Zealand's beech trees seed, they produce a bounty of food for native birds - and the mammals that feed on them. More >>
Our new rock-star Professor
Monday, 16 December 2019, 2:16 pm | Antarctica New Zealand
He has carved an internationally renowned career focusing on earth sciences, and now Professor John Cottle, from the University of California Santa Barbara, is coming home. More >>
Severe Weather before Santa gets to town
Monday, 16 December 2019, 1:20 pm | MetService
As excitement builds for Santa’s arrival, MetService has started receiving questions about the Christmas Day weather forecast, but it is also important for the public to be aware that there are several significant weather features striking Aotearoa ... More >>
A Moth Named Barbara
Monday, 16 December 2019, 1:18 pm | Otago Museum
Dunedin’s Dr Barbara Anderson, who is passionate about all things moths, has just had a species named after her. Ichneutica barbara is a moth within the Noctuid family, which is one of the largest moth families in the world. More >>
GNS Science maps show risk levels at White Island still high
Thursday, 12 December 2019, 5:02 pm | GNS Science
Risk assessment maps released by GNS Science (dated 02 and 12 December 2019) show the crater floor of Whakaari/White Island is still a high-risk area, with a further eruption looking increasingly likely. The maps were released at a National Emergency ... More >>
Changeable weather continues into the weekend
Thursday, 12 December 2019, 1:18 pm | MetService
Changeable, Spring-like weather is forecast over the next week. Fast-moving weather features tracking up the country will bring showers to many, but rain to western areas of South Island, for the remainder of this week and into the weekend. More >>
‘Tis the season for a Christmas weather forecast…
Thursday, 12 December 2019, 12:07 pm | NIWA
If Santa is quick he can hop on a ridge of high pressure for his big trip to New Zealand very soon. More >>
Potential new cancer treatment a step closer
Thursday, 12 December 2019, 11:33 am | QIMR Berghofer
QIMR Berghofer researchers have discovered a potential new cancer immunotherapy target that involves switching off a regulatory cell to stop tumours growing and spreading. More >>
Risk of Whakaari/White Island eruption remains high
Thursday, 12 December 2019, 11:17 am | GNS Science
The risk of further eruptions at Whakaari/White Island is unchanged and remains high, GNS Science experts say. More >>
Southland greenhouse gas emission profile for 2018
Wednesday, 11 December 2019, 5:13 pm | Great South
Great South has today released a profile of Southland’s emission sources for the 2018 calendar year. More >>
Calculations show “medium likelihood” of Whakaari eruption
Wednesday, 11 December 2019, 4:57 pm | GNS Science
There is a “medium likelihood” of an eruption outside the vent area of Whakaari/White Island, with volcanic tremor increasing, GNS Science experts say. More >>
NIWA's Hotspot Watch
Wednesday, 11 December 2019, 4:40 pm | NIWA
A weekly update describing soil moisture across the country to help assess whether severely to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing these soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions ... More >>
Climate explained: 7 reasons to be wary of waste-to-energy
Wednesday, 11 December 2019, 9:26 am | The Conversation
Many developed countries already have significant waste-to-energy operations and therefore less material going to landfill. More >>
2019 NZMA's Robinson Award Manuscript Announced
Wednesday, 11 December 2019, 9:19 am | NZMA
The New Zealand Medical Association’s 2019 Richard Robinson Award is for the medical research manuscript Childhood predictors of adult adiposity: ¬ Findings from a longitudinal study - NZMJ 23 March 2018, Vol 131 No 1472 ISSN 1175-8716 The authors of the study, ... More >>
Unprecedented carbon monoxide readings in Central Otago
Wednesday, 11 December 2019, 9:07 am | NIWA
Researchers at NIWA’s Lauder atmospheric research station in Central Otago have measured prolonged carbon monoxide concentrations well above normal levels. More >>
When penguins ruled after dinosaurs died
Tuesday, 10 December 2019, 12:50 pm | Flinders University
What waddled on land but swam supremely in subtropical seas more than 60 million years ago, after the dinosaurs were wiped out on sea and land? More >>
White Island eruption – Expert Reaction Update
Tuesday, 10 December 2019, 12:04 pm | Science Media Centre
Steam and gas jets are still coming out of the active vent on Whakaari / White Island, following the eruption yesterday afternoon. More >>
Why White Island erupted and why there was no warning
Tuesday, 10 December 2019, 9:39 am | The Conversation
The sudden eruption at White Island was short-lived but produced an ash plume that rose several kilometres above the vent. GNZ Science , CC BY-ND More >>
