Guest Work

‘Compassionate conservation’: just because we love invasive animals, doesn’t mean we should protect them

Guest Author • Sep 09, 2020

• Biodiversity,
• brumbies,
• conservation,
• goats,
• horses,
• invasive species

Kaya Klop-Toker, University of Newcastle; Alex Callen, University of Newcastle; Andrea Griffin, University of Newcastle; Matt Hayward, University of Newcastle, and Robert Scanlon, University of Newcastle On an island off the Queensland coast, a battle is brewing over the fate of a small population of goats. The battle positions the views of some conservation scientists and managers who believe … Read More

TikTok suicide video: it’s time platforms collaborated to limit disturbing content

Guest Author • Sep 09, 2020

• Social media,
• TikTok

Ariadna Matamoros-Fernández, Queensland University of Technology and D. Bondy Valdovinos Kaye, Queensland University of Technology A disturbing video purporting to show a suicide is reportedly doing the rounds on the popular short video app TikTok, reigniting debate about what social media platforms are doing to limit circulation of troubling material. According to media reports, the video first showed up … Read More

The waggling wisdom of bees

Guest Author • Sep 04, 2020

• bee,
• insecticide,
• insects,
• NZ insects

To celebrate Bee Aware Month in New Zealand, guest writers Hannah Davidson and Elodie Urlacher from EPA describe why understanding the world of bees and other insects is important in protecting them from harm. It is a fresh spring morning, and you stretch your legs as you wait for your sister to return from a food run. Read More

10 years since the Darfield earthquake rocked New Zealand: what have we learned?

Guest Author • Sep 04, 2020

• Canterbury Earthquakes,
• Christchurch,
• Darfield earthquake,
• surface fault rupture

Mark Quigley, University of Melbourne Many of us may remember the magnitude 6.2 earthquake that hit Christchurch, New Zealand, on February 22 2011. The quake caused 185 deaths, thousands of injuries and billions of dollars in damage and economic loss. But six months before that earthquake an interconnected maze of previously unidentified active faults ruptured beneath … Read More

The SMC Video Competition: The Science of Bellringing

Guest Author • Sep 04, 2020

• anthropology,
• chemistry,
• culture,
• music,
• physics,
• science communication,
• video competition

Recently, the Science Media Centre ran the first round of its 2020 SAVVY Video Competition for science researchers. With twelve entries, ranging from infant nutrition to the science of bell-ringing, we judges were incredibly impressed by the creativity and quality of submissions. This week, we’re featuring the work of runner-up prize winner, MA student Scott Pilkington. My name is … Read More

NZ’s cyber security centre warns more attacks likely following stock market outages

Guest Author • Aug 31, 2020

• cybersecurity,
• DDoS,
• DDoS attacks,
• NZX

Dave Parry, Auckland University of Technology The Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) has issued a warning to all New Zealand businesses to be prepared for cyber attacks, following almost a week of daily attacks on the New Zealand stock exchange (NZX). The attacks have caused outages, sometimes for hours, of NZX’s public-facing website since Tuesday last … Read More

The SMC Video Competition: The DREAM Study

Guest Author • Aug 27, 2020

• children,
• Diet,
• Exercise,
• Obesity,
• science communication,
• sleep,
• video competition

Recently, the Science Media Centre ran the first round of its 2020 SAVVY Video Competition for science researchers. With twelve entries, ranging from infant nutrition to the science of bell-ringing, we judges were incredibly impressed by the creativity and quality of submissions. This week, we’re featuring the work of runner-up prize winner, Dr Cherie Stayner. Introducing the Diet, … Read More

The SMC Video Competition: The Science of Camouflage

Guest Author • Aug 21, 2020

• camouflage,
• ecology,
• insects,
• NZ insects,
• science communication,
• video competition

Recently, the Science Media Centre ran the first round of its 2020 SAVVY Video Competition for science researchers. With twelve entries, ranging from infant nutrition to the science of bell-ringing, we judges were incredibly impressed by the creativity and quality of submissions. This week, we’re featuring the work of first place prize winner, PhD candidate Morgane Merien. My name … Read More

Marketing a vaping lifestyle to non-smokers is working: Vaping is seen as trendy and viewed positively by consumers

Guest Author • Aug 09, 2020

• Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Bill,
• vaping

Dr Sommer Kapitan, Auckland University of Technology, and Dr Patrick van Esch, Auckland University of Technology The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Bill will limit vape sales at dairies and service stations to only three flavours, and make vaping illegal in smokefree areas. Vaping laws will be more aligned with tobacco laws, especially in regards to advertising and … Read More

When rehoming wildlife, Indigenous leadership delivers the best results

Guest Author • Aug 06, 2020

• conservation,
• Māori,
• relocation,
• taonga

Aisling Rayne, University of Canterbury; Channell Thoms, University of Canterbury, and Levi Collier-Robinson, University of Canterbury This article is republished from The Conversation. Read the original article. Whakapapa [genealogy] binds tākata whenua [people of the land] to the mountains, rivers, coasts and other landscapes, linking the health of the people with that … Read More