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Science Deadline: Sugary drinks, tweeting scientists
Science Deadline: Fizz over sugary drinks, tweeting scientists and a new SMC hire
Issue 395, 14 Oct 2016
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Top news from scimex.org the Science Media Centre's news-sharing platform.
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FIZZING OVER SUGARY
DRINKS
Public health researchers and
doctors gathered in Wellington this week to discuss how to
tackle sugary drinks.
The FIZZ symposium on Tuesday included the launch of a new"no sugary drinks" logo which the organisers hope will be used organisations, events and leaders to show their commitment to being free of sugary drinks.
The logo has since been temporarily pulled while it is redesigned, following concerns from Coca-Cola about the shape being too much like a Coke bottle.
The FIZZ Symposium came at the same time that the World Health Organization called for governments to tax sugary drinks in order to fight the global epidemics of obesity and diabetes.
The call was based on a WHO report that said policies that raised retail prices of sugary drinks by at least 20 per cent would result in reduced consumption of those products.
At the FIZZ Symposium, University of Auckland tax lawyer Dr Michael Littlewood spoke about how a tax on sugary drinks might work. He said a $1 per litre charge would be reasonable and would mean the pricier yet smaller cans of fizzy drink were not targeted more than the large, low-cost bottles.
The New Zealand Beverage Council responded to the "no sugary drinks" logo by saying beverages were being unfairly targeted. Council president Olly Munro said "narrowing it down to just one product isn't helpful and isn't going to tackle the issues that we're facing".
A sugar factsheet published last month by the Royal Society of New Zealand said current food labelling made it difficult for consumers to assess how much sugar has been added to food and drinks and that high-sugar beverages can easily lead to overconsumption.
QUOTED: THE SPINOFF
"But one of the problems that’s been diagnosed in journalism is this problem of fake balance.
"So when you have a
scientist who’s talking about human-made climate change
and you get a climate skeptic to get a balancing quote. That
doesn’t serve the readers."
Stuff.co.nz
editor Patrick Crewdson
responding to a story on the
Spinoff.
TWITTERING SCIENTISTS
SEE BENEFIT
While many scientists have
yet to take to social media, a new study finds those that
have see benefits for their work.
The Otago University-led study, published today in PLOS One, surveyed over 580 scientists from a range of disciplines on their attitudes toward social media.
Kimberley Collins, who did the research as part of her Master of Science Communications thesis, said most scientists surveyed saw the benefit in using Twitter. "They said it was a good way to access a large and diverse audience. They also appreciate the ease of communicating in snippets, how little time it takes, and how accessible it is."
They found scientists used Twitter mostly to communicate with colleagues and share peer-reviewed literature within the scholarly community.
Kimberely surveyed scientists who had identified themselves as "scientists
Looking for a way to dip your toe into Twitter? Join Tuesday's SciCommNZ chat.
Read more about the research on scimex.org.
Policy news & developments
Cataract tool nationwide: All potential cataract procedures nationwide are not being assessed using a prioritisation tool to help patients and specialists understand potential benefits from surgery.
New freshwater institute: Niwa and the University of Waikato will team up for a new joint institute for freshwater management - Te Waiora - on the University's Hamilton campus.
New VC for Massey: Veterinary scientist Professor Jan Thomas has been appointed the new Vice-Chancellor for Massey University, to replace Steve Maharey who is stepping down at the end of the year after eight years in the role.
TESSA EVANS: NEW SMC
HIRE
Our new media coordinator will help
take key services like Scimex.org and SMC Picks to the next
level.
Tessa Evans this week joins the Science Media Centre team from Australia, where she has been presenting forensic science workshops in high schools around Australia from Cairns to Perth.
A Kiwi by birth, Tessa did her undergraduate science degree majoring in chemistry at Victoria University, before moving to Australia to complete her MSc in chemistry at the University of Melbourne.
While her research focused on the wettability of coal dust, Tessa has also done some work for an aquatic ecology group looking at blue carbon ecosystems. Along the way, Tessa has also delved into science media, interning at Australian website The Conversation and serving as an editor on the online science magazine Lateral.
Tessa joins the team with primary responsible for the New Zealand-related content on the Scimex.org portal, which weekly features embargoed research papers and releases, as well as the SMC Picks, our twice-weekly mail-out to journalists.
In her spare time, she goes hiking, and enjoys doing West African dance. The SMC welcomes Tessa to the team. You can contact her here.
New from Sciblogs - NZ's science blog network
Some of the highlights from this week's Sciblogs posts:
How old can you go? The limits to human
ageing
Making plans to live forever? You
might be out of luck, with new research suggesting a
biological upper limit to human
life.
News
With a US meat
company now investing in vegan burgers, Robert Hickson
wonders what the future will hold for 'cellular
agriculture' or lab-grown
food.
Ariadne
Stunning photos from NIWA scientists
Being a scientist in the field can
be a hard slog - but it can also lead to opportunities for
unbelievable photos.
News
How we relate – What is meaningful
engagement?
Unlike previously Twitter
SciCommNZ chats, this time you get a head's up on the topics
- check them out and prep for next Tuesday's chat.
Ice
Doctor
Upcoming
events
Please see the SMC Events Calendar for more events and
details.
• Healthier Lives 2016 Kōrero
Tahi: 18 October, Wellington. A day for
researchers, policy-makers and health practitioners to focus
on the issues relating to the rise of non-communicable
diseases. Registration essential.
• The value of community engagement in research: 18 October, Dunedin. Prof Lisa Matisso-Smith presents a public lecture as the recipient of the Distinguished Research Medal 2016.
• Future sea level rise: 18 October, Wellington. Prof Eric Rignot will review the current knowledge of ice sheet mass balance and its potential to raise global sea level by many metres.
• Why is the universe left-handed? 18 October, Auckland. Prof Peter Schwerdtfeger - 2015 winner of the Royal Society's Rutherford Medal - discusses what is responsible for the single-handedness in the universe.
• Immune therapy for melanoma: 18 October, Auckland. Prof Rod Dunbar will discuss the current state of immune therapy for melanoma and what the future might bring.
• Kudos Awards: 19 October, Hamilton. The Hamilton Science Excellence Awards will be presented at a black-tie dinner.
• What if...we all drove electric vehicles? 20 October, Dunedin. Director of the University of Canterbury's GREEN Grid project, Allan Miller, will present this sustainability seminar.
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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