Guest Work

Learning from the Laureates: Harold Kroto's presentation tips

Guest Author • Jul 03, 2013

University of Canterbury PhD chemistry student Sandra Atkinson is one of 15 young scientists from around the world selected to attend a five day event following the 63rd Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting in Germany. She is rubbing shoulders with Nobel Laureates all week and blogging about it here on Sciblogs… by Sandra Atkinson Sandra Atkinson I thought I’d better … Read More

A plague of people? The population question explored

Guest Author • Jun 11, 2013

by Dr John Robinson During the decades of the 1960s and 1970s there was increasing evidence that humanity was harming the earth and moving into an uncertain future.   It was realised that many major problems – financial and economic collapse, climate change, oil price rises and resource shortages, terrorism and war, food and water scarcity, and overpopulation – are … Read More

Everyone loves a wood-burning heater but is the harm worth it?

Guest Author • May 30, 2013

By Fay Johnston, University of Tasmania At this time of year there’s nothing better than being warm and cosy in front of a blazing wood fire. But take a moment to walk outside and check your chimney – it could be polluting an entire neigbourhood. I have to declare that I am ambivalent about this. I love nearly every … Read More

It’s true: 97% of research papers say climate change is happening

Guest Author • May 17, 2013

By John Cook Today, the most comprehensive analysis of peer-reviewed climate research to date was published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. Our analysis found that among papers expressing a position on human-caused global warming, over 97% endorsed the consensus position that humans are causing global warming. Overwhelming agreement among scientists had already formed in the early 1990s. Read More

Get real, forensic scientists: the CSI effect is waning

Peter Griffin • Apr 29, 2013

By Ahmad Samarji, Victoria University [Ed: Note – I’ll be moderating a panel discussion in Wellington tonight featuring a scientist, criminologist, journalist and policeman talking about the science of crime – details here] You’ve heard of the so-called CSI effect – the manner in which the exaggerated portrayal of forensic science on crime television shows such … Read More

Visualising plastic pollution in the world's oceans

Guest Author • Mar 26, 2013

by Laurent Lebreton While the common misconception of global plastic pollution in our oceans is based on descriptions of the north Pacific gyre being a trash island the size of Texas, the reality is much more complicated. Although plastic is not biodegradable unlike other floating marine debris, it is eventually broken down by the sunlight into microscopic particles that … Read More

Can Kim Dotcom's Mega beat the law where Megaupload failed?

Guest Author • Jan 30, 2013

By Karl Schaffarczyk, University of Canberra Just 12 months after being arrested for copyright infringement, racketeering and money laundering for his involvement with now-defunct cyberlocker Megaupload, and despite facing extradition from New Zealand to the US to face such charges, Kim Dotcom has launched Megaupload’s successor: Mega. Flamboyant internet mogul Kim Dotcom The site went … Read More