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SMC Heads-Up: Sept 27 - Oct 4
SMC Heads-Up:
The upcoming week in sci-tech
Issue
3, Sept 27 - Oct 4
Dear science and tech
reporters,
Upcoming events, new research and SMC backgrounders and a taste of what might be on the news agenda science-wise next week. Contact us at the SMC for any more information.
Have a great weekend
Peter Griffin
manager
Science Media
Centre
National's science policy
shake-up
National officially released its science policy yesterday, which
confirmed some of the details previously leaked, including
the scrapping of the Government's Fast Forward fund, a
reduction in the R&D tax credit in favour of increased
direct Government funding of science and the appointment of
a Prime Minister's Science Advisor. Several other political
parties have already published their science policies,
including the Greens, United Future and New Zealand First. Labour's science
policy published in 2005 is outlined here. Contact the SMC if you want feedback on the policies
from scientists or their representative bodies.
The UK
and the USA already have science advisors working at a
high-level in government. Here's an interview in Science with Britain's
chief science advisor, John Beddington. A sample -
Beddington on genetically modified crops as an answer to
world food shortages:
"GM is not going to be the only answer. I would say is that the knowledge of the plant genome is going to be absolutely critical to improving agricultural production. GM is only one of the sort [of] techniques that can be used. But marker-assisted breeding and other aspects could be used equally well."
Carbon
emissions higher than ever
In 2007, carbon released from burning fossil fuels and producing cement increased 2.9 percent over that released in 2006, to a total of 8.47 gigatons, or billions of metric tons, according to figures released today by the Australia-based Global Carbon Project. That's at the high end of IPCC scenarios. More here.
Eco-labels: A threat or an
opportunity?
The Australian Science Media Centre held an interesting online briefing this week about the trend towards eco-labeling and the use by British retailers of food-miles as a measure of how far a product has come. The briefing is still available here.The issue is equally important to New Zealand food exporters facing the tyranny of distance.
Just last month, The Warehouse founder Stephen Tindall told a climate change conference in Auckland that he knew of one dairy exporter who had been turned down by a British retailer, with food miles cited as the reason. But distance from a supplier doesn't always measure best the energy consumed in making and shipping primary products. Do exporters need to get into eco-labeling to protect their lucrative markets? For experts on the subject contact the SMC.
New from the SMC
A new
Science Byte backgrounder looks at the
area of biomaterials and the work underway in New Zealand in
this area.
A science Alertwrapping up feedback from
scientists on the new genetics research infrastructure
involving the universities and CRIs.
New research
- An Australian report finds that the health and wellbeing of Australians aged around 25 years and under have been declining on a range of measures over the last 20 years,
- Warmer homes help chldren with asthma - New
Zealand research just published in the British
Medical Journal.
Storm over Statins - The Controversy
Surrounding Pharmacologic Treatment of Children - an article published this week in the
New England Journal of Medicine. For a New Zealand
perspective, contact the SMC.
Upcoming sci-tech
events
eResearch Australasia 2008: 29 Sep - 1 Oct
2008, Melbourne.
Focus on raising awareness for eResearch
activities in Australia and the Asia Pacific Region,
Information sharing and networking among those engaged in
eResearch activities. Details here.
Risks and rewards in
commercialising research: 2 Oct, AUT, Auckland 3pm.
Professor Stephen Henry, Professor of Biotechnology at AUT
and CEO, KODE Biotech Ltd. discusses the complexities and
risks associated with commercialising research.
contact:
bonnie.brannigan@aut.ac.nz for details.
ANZ Society for
Risk Analysis conference: 30 Sept - 1 Oct, Canberra. Where
science plays a role in the management of human health,
safety, and environmental risks. Details here.
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.
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