Griffin's Gadgets

Forget fake news – the bigger problem in science is PR hype!

Peter Griffin • Aug 18, 2017

• fake news,
• hype,
• research,
• Victor Chang

Thousands of scientific journal papers are being published every week and their authors and institutions are often under intense pressure to generate interest in the research beyond the world of peer review. Research leader Professor Sally Dunwoodie from the Victor Chang Institute with her team. Credit: Victor Chang Institute That can be a healthy thing – it is increasingly … Read More

The political parties and where they stand on science

Peter Griffin • Aug 11, 2017

• election 2017,
• Green Party,
• Labour Party,
• National Party,
• New Zealand First,
• R&D,
• Science policy,
• TOP Party

With the Metiria Turei controversy behind us and ‘Jacindamania’ fading, it may be time for policy positions from our political parties to get more of an airing. Yesterday saw the New Zealand Association of Scientists and the New Zealand Public Service Association team up to give the major political parties and TOP candidate Geoff Simmonds the opportunity to … Read More

The Martian Trust – a nutty idea that just won’t work

Peter Griffin • Aug 01, 2017

• Charles Polk,
• Martian Trust,
• space

In December I was invited to a meeting at Carter Observatory of The Martian Trust, a charitable organisation set up in New Zealand to “build a self-sustaining research base on Mars”. I’m passionate about space and science, so I was intrigued to hear how the trust, founded by former Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer Dr Charles Polk, planned to … Read More

Wikipedia is where everybody starts – boosting the profile of New Zealand women in science

Peter Griffin • Jul 28, 2017

• diversity,
• women in science

How many women of New Zealand science, living or deceased, can you name? Before I started working at the Royal Society running the Science Media Centre, I’d have to admit that it was an embarrassingly small number on either count. Now, I’m privileged to have met hundreds of women in science and to have learned about numerous other women who … Read More

A climate sceptic to the end – Chris de Freitas dies

Peter Griffin • Jul 12, 2017

• Chris de Freitas,
• climate change,
• global warming

Former University of Auckland academic Dr Chris de Freitas, has passed away after a two year illness from cancer. Chris de Freitas I had no idea Chris was even sick, so was shocked to hear of his death at the age of 68. He was a climate scientist, had a PhD in climatology and trained in Canada … Read More

Finland’s nuclear waste and the NZ connection

Peter Griffin • Jul 07, 2017

• ARANZ Geo,
• Nuclear power,
• nuclear waste

You don’t hear much about Finland being a big user of nuclear power, but the country’s four reactors supply nearly a third of the country’s electricity needs. A fifth reactor is currently being built to boost capacity, as other European countries mothball or proceed to phase out their nuclear facilities due to lingering fears over the safety of nuclear … Read More

Media mega-merger was never a sustainable option anyway

Peter Griffin • May 03, 2017

• Fairfax,
• journalism,
• media,
• merger,
• news,
• NZME,
• Science

The Commerce Commission’s rejection of a plan for our two biggest media companies to merge is one of the most significant determinations from the regulator in years. Many journalists in NZME and Fairfax New Zealand newsrooms around the country will be disappointed. The merger was pitched to them as the last hope for sustainability in a cash-strapped industry struggling … Read More

All sorts of fascinating creepiness at Bug Lab

Peter Griffin • Apr 10, 2017

• bugs,
• insects,
• Te Papa

It was after closing time and the museum was quiet and empty, except for a small group of us who had been allowed into the Bug Lab exhibition after hours for a self-guided tour. In the hushed gloom of the exhibition I wandered among the exhibits and stopped in front of a screen explaining the reproductive habits of the … Read More

Royal Society of New Zealand kicks off 150th celebrations

Peter Griffin • Apr 05, 2017

• Royal Society of New Zealand

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

Brian Greene, string theory and a great ticket giveaway

Peter Griffin • Mar 21, 2017

• Brian Greene,
• physics,
• string theory

Theoretical physicist Brain Greene brings his A Time Traveller’s Tale show to Auckland on Sunday night. Sciblogs is offering readers the chance to pick up two A reserve tickets to see this acclaimed show. All you need to do to enter is tell us what “string theory” is. Write your brief explanation of string … Read More