Latest Sci-Tech Headlines [Page 5]
NZTech’s New Board Reflects New Zealand’s Future
Monday, 14 September 2020, 7:26 am | NZTech
NZTech chair Mitchell Pham, left, and chief executive Graeme Muller. By NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller Thanks to covid we are in the middle of a digital revolution that is changing the way the world does business. Technology is supporting the industries ... More >>
Diamond-based Nano-microscope Gives First Direct Observation Of Magnetic Properties Of 2D Materials
Saturday, 12 September 2020, 7:33 am | Skoltech
Artwork by David A. Broadway. Australian researchers and their colleagues from Russia and China have shown that it is possible to study the magnetic properties of ultrathin materials directly, via a new microscopy technique that opens the door to the discovery ... More >>
CLINUVEL Progresses Innovative DNA Repair Program
Thursday, 10 September 2020, 6:39 pm | Clinuvel
Drug tested to protect skin and regenerate DNA, firstly in XP patients at 10,000-fold skin cancer risk CLINUVEL PHARMACEUTICALS LTD today announced the progression of its drug SCENESSE® (afamelanotide 16mg) to treat the disease xeroderma pigmentosum ... More >>
Cold But Mainly Settled Weather This Weekend
Thursday, 10 September 2020, 11:43 am | MetService
A cold change is making its way up the country and MetService is forecasting rain to turn to snow for some elevated roads. However, most of the wet weather moves off the country on Friday leading to a relatively settled weekend albeit colder than ... More >>
NIWA Scientists Make Salmon Farming Breakthrough
Wednesday, 9 September 2020, 11:39 am | NIWA
NIWA scientists have made a breakthrough that may underpin expansion of the high-value New Zealand salmon farming industry. The industry is looking to expand by farming in more exposed locations, but NIWA aquaculture scientist Dr Javed Khan says such ... More >>
The Art Of War: How Bacteria Gather Intel For Guiding Their CRISPR – Cas Systems
Wednesday, 9 September 2020, 7:17 am | Skoltech
Researchers from the Severinov Lab at Skoltech have looked at how a poorly studied type of CRISPR–Cas defense system from a bacterium living at extremely high temperature gets to know its enemy by selecting snippets of bacteriophage’s genetic information ... More >>
Environmentally Friendly Way To Recycle Silicon Into Nanoparticles
Wednesday, 9 September 2020, 7:13 am | Skoltech
Skoltech scientists and their colleagues from Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) have developed a new method of silicon recycling. Their research was published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering . The majority of solar panels ... More >>
Opening Up Access To Science Education: Rocket Lab 2021 Scholarship Applications Now Open
Monday, 7 September 2020, 3:34 pm | Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab, the global leader in small satellite launch, has opened applications for its annual Rocket Lab Scholarship to those eager for a future in innovation, science, or engineering. The Rocket Lab Scholarship covers up to $20,000 in tertiary ... More >>
Marlborough Gravelly Soil Could Provide A New Understanding Of Liquefaction
Monday, 7 September 2020, 3:26 pm | Earthquake Commission
Scientists today started drilling deep into the fertile Marlborough land to gain new understanding of liquefaction in gravelly soils, and the impact of their findings will reach beyond our shores. Prior to the Kaikōura quake it was thought that only ... More >>
Rats With Chips: How Microchipped Rats Are Helping Scientists To Protect Our Native Birds
Monday, 7 September 2020, 11:40 am | Landcare Research
Some of the highest rat densities ever measured on the New Zealand mainland are being recorded in a study run by Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, at a remote Fiordland forest site. The study, run in collaboration with the Department of Conservation, ... More >>
Scientists Raise Safety Concerns For Glyphosate-Resistant GE Foods
Saturday, 5 September 2020, 5:16 pm | GE Free NZ
Scientists have found that spraying with glyphosate-based herbicide triggers unintended effects even in genetically modified soybean varieties resistant to this type of pesticide. The researchers, from GenØk–Centre for Biosafety in Norway and the ... More >>
Tenth Anniversary Of The Darfield Earthquake - Expert Reaction
Friday, 4 September 2020, 9:33 am | Science Media Centre
Ten years ago today, Cantabrians were woken by a major, unexpected shake. The magnitude 7.1 quake was followed by a series of damaging aftershocks, including the fatal Christchurch earthquake six months later. The SMC asked experts to comment on the progress made ... More >>
Winter 2020 – NZ’s Warmest Winter On Record
Thursday, 3 September 2020, 1:51 pm | NIWA
New Zealand has just experienced its warmest winter on record, according to official NIWA climate data. NIWA’s Seven Station Temperature Series, which began in 1909, shows the 2020 winter was 1.14C above average, just nudging out winter 2013 from ... More >>
Steroids Help Treat Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients – Expert Reaction
Thursday, 3 September 2020, 12:13 pm | Science Media Centre
A review of seven clinical trials finds corticosteroids improve the chance of survival for COVID-19 patients. The research pooled data from more than 1,700 patients from around the world, including a trial run in New Zealand. It is authored by the World ... More >>
Cyber Attack Campaign Warning - Expert Reaction
Monday, 31 August 2020, 5:06 pm | Science Media Centre
An 'ongoing campaign' of cyber attacks has prompted the GCSB to issue a warning for New Zealand businesses. Two major news outlets have been hit with unsuccessful cyber attacks today, but the attacks have taken the NZX site down for the fifth trading ... More >>
Elon Musk Unveils Woke Studios’ Design For Neuralink Surgical Robot
Monday, 31 August 2020, 8:38 am | Neuralink and Woke Studios
Early digital sketches of the robot. Credit: Afshin Mehin (WOKE) One year ago, Elon Musk revealed to the world his latest project - Neuralink - and the creation of a brain implant that enables humans to control technology with their thoughts. In his More >>
SpaceBase Releases Free Assessment Tool To Grow The Space Industry In New Zealand
Monday, 31 August 2020, 6:31 am | SpaceBase
The global space industry is predicted to grow from the current US$360B to a trillion dollars annually by 2040, and is exponentially increasing today. Rapidly accelerating technologies have made space hardware smaller, cheaper and off the shelf, while increasing ... More >>
Dunedin-Shanghai MoU Supports Significant Parkinson’s Disease Research Collaboration
Friday, 28 August 2020, 10:15 am | Enterprise New Zealand
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Enterprise Dunedin, the University of Otago and the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission in 2016 has ensured funding for a third major science and technology research collaboration ... More >>
‘Lab In A Pocket’ Alerts Young Minds To The World Around Them, By Making Scientific Inquiry Fun.
Friday, 28 August 2020, 8:58 am | University of Auckland
Researchers at the ABI have create a low cost, ‘lab in the pocket’ for schoolchildren, a technology to spark and nurture a scientifically inquiring mind, allowing them to take scientific measurements of the world around and within them such as the quality ... More >>
Introducing Rhondair - New Dental Aerosol Capture System Provides Post-COVID Protection
Friday, 28 August 2020, 5:33 am | Rhondium Dental Labs
Rhondium Dental Labs is excited to introduce Rhondair – an Aerosol Capture System designed in New Zealand by local dentist turned serial inventor and entrepreneur Dr Simon McDonald. Dentists are one of the most at-risk occupations for exposure ... More >>
Hua Hong Semiconductor Launches 90nm Ultra-Low-Leakage Embedded Flash Process Platform
Thursday, 27 August 2020, 5:45 pm | ACN Newswire
Hua Hong Semiconductor Launches 90nm Ultra-Low-Leakage Embedded Flash Process Platform to Power High-Capacity MCU Solutions HONG KONG, Aug 27, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - Hua Hong Semiconductor Limited ( 1347.HK ), a global, leading specialty pure-play foundry, ... More >>
Spring Is Just Around The Corner
Thursday, 27 August 2020, 12:12 pm | MetService
MetService is forecasting a showery weekend for the west of both Islands and a finer one for the east. However, ahead of this are several fronts bringing some snow today and rain tomorrow. MetService meteorologist Andy Best says, “An active ... More >>
Vaccine Alliance Formed As Collaborators Establish National COVID-19 Vaccine Screening Programme
Thursday, 27 August 2020, 10:00 am | Malaghan Institute
The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, University of Otago and Victoria University of Wellington will help lead efforts to secure a COVID-19 vaccine for New Zealand as part of the newly established Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand – Ohu Kaupare ... More >>
Science On Display: 'Art-on-a-Chip'
Wednesday, 26 August 2020, 4:55 pm | University of Canterbury
In a science-meets-art twist, UC Engineering researchers, Dr Rebecca Soffe and Associate Professor Volker Nock are unlocking the aesthetic potential of microfluidics, turning petite research aides into micro masterpieces Studying how tiny amounts of liquid ... More >>
A Major Update Of S-map Online Soil Data
Wednesday, 26 August 2020, 2:09 pm | Landcare Research
S-map Online, a tool developed and updated by Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, provides the best available soil survey data for New Zealand. The latest update to S-map, scheduled for August 27, is a significant nationwide update. A major focus ... More >>
First Confirmed Case Of COVID-19 Reinfection – Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 25 August 2020, 11:52 am | Science Media Centre NZ
A man in Hong Kong is the first confirmed case to have been infected with SARS-Co-V2 for a second time. Researchers in Hong Kong sequenced the virus genomes from both of the man’s infections and found significant differences, suggesting that the ... More >>
Children’s Bullying Behaviour Impacts Teacher And Parent Wellbeing
Monday, 24 August 2020, 12:54 pm | University of Canterbury
Some parents are not coping with their young children’s challenging behaviour, and even experienced teachers are struggling, according to Dr Cara Swit from the University of Canterbury’s (UC) School of Health Sciences . Dr Swit was ... More >>
New study uncovers more causes of coral bleaching
Monday, 24 August 2020, 11:41 am | University of Waikato
Increased nutrients in the ocean can accelerate coral bleaching caused by high sea temperatures, according to new research from University of Waikato Marine Scientist Joanne Ellis. More >>
Dr Judy Lawrence: Mind The Gap: From Emissions To Adaptation - Cautionary Tales
Saturday, 22 August 2020, 5:52 pm | New Zealand Fabian Society
The debate over Climate Change is easing. With more general acceptance of this it is time to move on to Adaptation and consider the implications of the first-ever National Climate Change Risk Assessment – and quickly. Dr Judy Lawrence is at the ... More >>
New Technology For Superheavy Ion Spectroscopy
Saturday, 22 August 2020, 7:45 am | Skoltech
Scientists proposed technology for measuring the spectra of ions in superheavy chemical elements with atomic numbers above 102. Their research results were published in Physical Review Letters and presented in the Physics magazine. Artificial elements ... More >>
University Labs And Staff Help Tackle Covid Testing Surge
Friday, 21 August 2020, 2:34 pm | University of Auckland
University of Auckland and Auckland DHB scientists have banded together to help New Zealand process a huge increase in Covid-19 tests after the latest outbreak of the virus. The Grafton Clinical Genomics Laboratory has analysed as many as 2,000 ... More >>
Active weather continues over New Zealand
Thursday, 20 August 2020, 1:32 pm | MetService
MetService is forecasting a continued period of unsettled conditions, with several lows and associated fronts bringing wet weather for many in the coming days. More >>
COVID-19 Border Testing Strategy – Expert Reaction
Thursday, 20 August 2020, 10:50 am | Science Media Centre
The government has today announced a new team will support the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 testing strategy, nationally and at the borders. The strategy was announced in June, but PM Jacinda Ardern said the risk of coronavirus getting through the border ... More >>
Infectious Diseases Expert Awarded University’s Highest Honour
Thursday, 20 August 2020, 9:52 am | University of Otago
The COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged global cooperation and highlighted the importance of science-based policy in preventing the devastating impact on communities and economies by novel infectious diseases, according to the winner of the University of Otago’s ... More >>
Machine Learning, Meet Human Emotions: How To Help A Computer Monitor Your Mental State
Thursday, 20 August 2020, 8:12 am | Skoltech
Researchers from Skoltech, INRIA, and the RIKEN Advanced Intelligence Project have considered several state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms for the challenging tasks of determining the mental workload and affective states of a human brain. Their ... More >>
Tsunami Evacuation Zones Home To 1 In 10 New Zealanders
Wednesday, 19 August 2020, 9:01 am | NIWA
NIWA scientists have completed the first national assessment of people and buildings at risk in New Zealand’s tsunami evacuation zones. The assessment, aimed at making more detailed information available to improve disaster management, has found nearly ... More >>
Genomic Sequencing Update On Auckland Covid-19 Cases – Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 18 August 2020, 4:28 pm | Science Media Centre
Results of genome testing from two Auckland COVID-19 cases that were under investigation have confirmed that one case is connected to the new community cluster, while the other is not. The second case is a man who works as a maintenance ... More >>
Youth-led Exhibition On Climate Change To Open In October
Tuesday, 18 August 2020, 3:53 pm | Otago Museum
Climate change is the biggest environmental challenge of our time, a challenge the next generation of decision-makers needs to rise to. More and more the New Zealand youth are taking the lead in highlighting the urgency of this issue. Otago Museum ... More >>
Lexus New Zealand Partners With AUT To Support Emerging Design Talent
Tuesday, 18 August 2020, 10:08 am | Lexus New Zealand
In a move to showcase New Zealand’s innovative design talent on the world stage, Lexus New Zealand has teamed up with the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies to encourage local entries into the International ... More >>
Tech Sector Helps Government Embrace Digital Future
Tuesday, 18 August 2020, 7:36 am | NZTech
As New Zealanders step back to alert level Lockdowns, the tech sector is significantly supporting the government on its journey to embrace an enhanced digital future, NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says. New Zealand has in recent years been ranked one More >>
Wet And Windy Winter Week
Monday, 17 August 2020, 2:42 pm | MetService
We’ve had settled conditions for the last few days, but MetService is forecasting that to change this week as a slow moving ridge of high pressure over the country gives way to northeasterlies Monday, then a northwest flow on Wednesday. "A ... More >>
Kiwi Medicinal Cannabis Pioneers Agree To Work Together
Monday, 17 August 2020, 12:04 pm | Joint Press Release
New Zealand medicinal cannabis sector leaders, Kāriki Pharma and Puro have signed a landmark agreement to work together to produce some of the world’s best medicinal cannabis products. Puro are a Marlborough based medical cannabis grower, with growing ... More >>
COVID-19 Cases Found Outside Auckland – Expert Reaction
Friday, 14 August 2020, 1:59 pm | Science Media Centre
Community transmission of COVID-19 has extended beyond Auckland’s borders, with new cases confirmed in the rural Waikato town of Tokoroa. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said there are 12 new confirmed and one probable case in the ... More >>
Kiwi COVID 19 Vaccine Developer In Biobead Tech Collaboration
Thursday, 13 August 2020, 4:40 pm | COVID-19 Vaccine Corporation
COVID-19 Vaccine Corporation (CVC) , New Zealand’s COVID-19 vaccine development company, is collaborating with Dr Iain Hay, senior lecturer in Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland and his group. The university’s commercialisation ... More >>
Efforts To Track Down The Origin Of The New Cases Of COVID-19 In The Community Are Ongoing.
Thursday, 13 August 2020, 2:10 pm | Science Media Centre
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said in this afternoon’s media conference that genomic sequencing had not yet revealed an exact link between the new cluster of cases and border quarantine cases. So far, the new community cases ... More >>
Student Quad Bike Invention A Winner
Thursday, 13 August 2020, 11:59 am | NIWA
An invention that could save lives has taken the top spot at the NIWA Waikato Science and Technology Fair. Lachlan Coleman, a student at St. Paul's Collegiate, invented a device called “Roll Gauge” that helps prevent rollover on vehicles like quadbikes ... More >>
UC scientists study climate impacts on Antarctic seals
Thursday, 13 August 2020, 9:29 am | University of Canterbury
A New Zealand-led international study of the crabeater seal population in Antarctica aims to understand environmental impacts on one of the southern-most mammals in the world. More >>
Next Steps As COVID-19 Returns - Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 12 August 2020, 2:58 pm | Science Media Centre
New Zealanders have been briefed with new information about how the Government is handling new cases of community transmission. The SMC asked experts to comment on the following: 1. Mask wearing 2. Contact tracing tech 3. Legal powers 4. Mental ... More >>
New Board Members For Antarctica New Zealand
Wednesday, 12 August 2020, 12:55 pm | Antarctica New Zealand
Antarctica New Zealand is pleased to welcome two new Board members. Independent Director, Jenn Bestwick and Environmental Manager, Neil Gilbert have joined the organisation. The appointments were announced in today’s New Zealand Gazette. Mrs Bestwick is ... More >>
Manawatū Sci-tech Startups Get Momentum Boost
Wednesday, 12 August 2020, 11:26 am | UniServices Limited
Manawatū-based university science and technology staff and student entrepreneurs will be able to bring their startup projects to market faster, and with more likelihood of success, when the fifth branch of the Momentum Investment Committee (MIC) launches ... More >>
“Game Changing” Cloud-based Climate Physical Asset Risk And Ranking Product Released
Wednesday, 12 August 2020, 11:02 am | CLIMsystems
It has been twenty years in the making but the scientific team at CLIMsystems has cracked several major technological hurdles with the release of Climate Insights. Manging Director at CLIMsystems Dr Peter Urich and his team recognised a growing ... More >>
A Proposed Origin For SARS-CoV-2 And The COVID-19 Pandemic
Tuesday, 11 August 2020, 4:44 pm | Independent Science News
by Jonathan Latham, PhD and Allison Wilson, PhD In all the discussions of the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, enormous scientific attention has been paid to the molecular character of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including its novel genome sequence in comparison ... More >>
Early NZ Scientist Careers Made Vulnerable By COVID-19 – Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 11 August 2020, 4:39 pm | Science Media Centre
The COVID-19 pandemic is making the careers of NZ researchers even more vulnerable, according to a new discussion paper. The report says this risk is “particularly acute” for Māori, Pasifika, and female scholars, who are more likely to have insecure ... More >>
Chatbot As Therapy For Tinnitus – Study Launch
Tuesday, 11 August 2020, 2:52 pm | University of Auckland
Chatbot technology that offers therapy for tinnitus sufferers via a mobile device such as a smartphone will be trialled at the University of Auckland. Researchers are recruiting participants for the ‘Tinnibot’ study which is aimed at helping ... More >>
Election 2020 & Science
Tuesday, 11 August 2020, 2:00 pm | Science Media Centre
Ahead of the 2020 general election, scheduled to be held on September 19, the Science Media Centre posed nine science-related policy questions to political parties. Full responses are available <strong><a href="https://sciencemediacentre.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fdc5316d8cbd7a248ee94eaeb&id=b0ac89646f&e=67d2de6c0f" ... More >>
Kiwi Kids Embark On Virtual Field Trip To Learn About Alpine Fault
Tuesday, 11 August 2020, 12:28 pm | Earthquake Commission
Students from around New Zealand will soon embark on a unique field trip to discover the incredible powers which created the South Island landscape and still pose a threat to our communities. And they will be all be able to do this from the safety of their ... More >>
Creative Block Of Molecular Evolution: Adaptive Mutations Repeat Themselves In Tiny Crustaceans
Tuesday, 11 August 2020, 8:21 am | Skoltech
A group of scientists from Skoltech and the Institute for Information Transmission Problems of RAS (IITP RAS) showed, using Lake Baikal amphipods as an example, that parallel evolution driven by adaptations can be detected at the whole-genome level. ... More >>
Biodiversity Strategy Launched – Expert Reaction
Monday, 10 August 2020, 6:47 pm | Science Media Centre
The Minister for Conservation has launched a long-term strategy aiming to keep ecosystems resilient and varied. Te Mana o te Taiao – The Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy sets five key goals to reach by 2050, with specific objectives and goals ... More >>
No Long-Term Climate Benefits From COVID-19 – Expert Reaction
Monday, 10 August 2020, 6:44 pm | Science Media Centre
Policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 will have a ‘negligible’ impact on long-term warming, according to new research. Scientists have calculated that recent reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants may only result in climate ... More >>
Request For Proposals For New Digital Cadastral Survey Data Model
Monday, 10 August 2020, 10:22 am | Land Information New Zealand
Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) has published a Request for Proposals for the development of a 3-dimensional Cadastral Survey Data Model and Exchange (3D CSDM) on the Government Electronic Tender Service (GETS). The Request for Proposals closes ... More >>
