Guest Work • Jun 06, 2017
Mention the words “New Zealand” and “science” in the same sentence, and one image automatically springs to mind; that of Ernest Rutherford, earnestly staring out from the $50 note. Yet there are many more diverse and compelling scientific and technological innovations throughout New Zealand history. From Tā moko uhi (chisels) and pioneering plastic surgery techniques, to disposable syringes and … Read More
Robert Hickson • Apr 20, 2017 •
Here’s a weak signal associated with changing dietary habits. Grasshoppers were on the menu at a Major League Baseball game in the US recently. At a Seattle Mariners vs Astros game six kilos of spicy grasshoppers sold out. I wrote in October in more detail about some of the trends and challenges associated with traditional western food consumption. Read More
Peter Griffin • Apr 05, 2017 •
It’s a big day for the Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi as it welcomes guests from all over the world to begin six months of celebrations around its 150th anniversary. I’ve been an employee of the Royal Society of New Zealand for nearly nine years. It has been a fantastic host and guardian for the Science Media … Read More
Eric Crampton • Mar 27, 2017 •
And here we go for another edition of “Because you’ve misspecified the problem, your proposed solution might make things worse.” The past couple of weeks have had renewed anger about water bottling plants. If you buy land with water drawing rights attached to it, you don’t get charged for drawing that water. The value of the water is baked into … Read More
Guest Work • Mar 13, 2017 •
By George Jones I have not been seen around Wellington for a while, so I think it is about time that I tell you what I am doing now. I have for many years been worried about the world and its problems, and in 2011 with the help of colleagues I delivered a copy of a book “World on … Read More
John Kerr • Mar 09, 2017 •
New research reveals how raindrops on soil create bioaerosols – tiny droplets of bacteria-laden water – which can help spread harmful microbes, including kiwifruit pathogen Psa. Although soil bacteria are usually pretty slow at getting around, wet weather has been suggested to give them a hand travelling large distances. But exactly how rain gets bacteria from the soil into the air has been … Read More
Guest Work • Feb 24, 2017 •
By Clive Phillips, The University of Queensland and Matti Wilks, The University of Queensland Futurists tell us that we will be eating in vitro meat (IVM) – meat grown in a laboratory rather than on a farm – within five to ten years. IVM was first investigated in the early years of this century and … Read More
Guest Work • Feb 22, 2017 •
by Dr Rebecca Priestley On Friday last week, I noticed that the Royal Society of New Zealand’s Science Book Prize was no longer. I don’t recall ever seeing an announcement about it, but the online information about the prize now reads in the past tense, saying the prize “was a biennial book prize to encourage the writing, publishing and … Read More
John Kerr • Feb 20, 2017 •
Pandemics, predators and predicting sea-level rise are just a few of the issues covered in our Sciblogs Horizon Scan special series. We asked experts across the spectrum of New Zealand science to give us their take on the big issues in their field and what might be around the corner. What does the future hold in store for New Zealand … Read More
Guest Work • Feb 10, 2017 •
By Dr Glen Creasy, Senior Lecturer in Viticulture, Lincoln University. Wine is a fascinating beverage. It is the culmination of a myriad of effects on the grapevine and its fruit, decisions made by the winemaker, handling of the bottles and the time until it’s poured into your glass. It is an expression of the environment it was made in, … Read More