The Sandhill Cranes of Mississippi
Guest Author • Jun 17, 2010
Currently they are keeping a watch on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and have no immediate fears for the birds. Read More
Guest Work
What is the (e) in your eResearch?
Guest Author • Jun 16, 2010
By Julian Carver First eMail, then eCommerce, eBusiness & eProcurement, eGovernment, eDating, and now eResearch. Does simply putting an ‘e’ in front of an existing practice make it somehow sexier, and more now? I headed along to the Wellington eResearch Symposium last week to find out. OK, that’s not true. I did go to … Read More
Engaging Students — Ideas from the School of Chemistry, University of Bristol
Guest Author • Jun 16, 2010
By Dr Michael Edmonds A couple of weeks ago, I attended a fascinating talk by Dr Paul Wyatt from the University of Bristol entitled ’Teaching Innovations — Using Technology to Enrich the Traditional’. The talk described many of the innovative techniques used to teach practical chemistry at the University of Bristol as part of the School … Read More
Dealing with ’Anti-Science’ Commenters on Science Blogs
Guest Author • Jun 11, 2010
By Dr Michael Edmonds We’ve all come across them before — commenters on science blogs who propose less than scientific arguments. The fodder for such arguments is varied — vaccines, climate change, ’alternative’ medicine, the list goes on. The response to such people can vary; on many blogs they become the immediate target of derision, name … Read More
Science Fiction — Inspirational or Setting Unreal Expectations?
Guest Author • May 11, 2010
By Dr Michael Edmonds My fascination with science is closely mirrored by an enjoyment of science fiction. This is possibly because I see a lot of truth in physicist Edward Teller’s idea that ’the science fiction of today is the technology of tomorrow.’ However, having recently watched Iron Man 2 where Tony Stark (aka … Read More
Gluckman: The New Zealand Science System — into a brave new world
Guest Author • Apr 22, 2010
Text of a public lecture at NIWA, Auckland given by Chief Science Advisor to the Prime Minister, Professor Sir Peter Gluckman Thank you for the opportunity to speak. NIWA seems a particularly appropriate venue to address what might at first glance appear to be two apparently unrelated topics — the CRI reforms and the broader issues of public confidence in … Read More
Science, Climate Change and Integrity
Aimee Whitcroft • Apr 07, 2010
A statement from Professor Keith A Hunter FNZIC, FRSNZ, Vice-President – Physical Sciences, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology, Royal Society of New Zealand. Summary of Statement The science of climate change has been the subject of recent harsh criticisms in the popular media, with attacks on the integrity and professionalism of scientists. There is fault … Read More
Inaccurate reporting of scientific evidence perpetuates myths
Aimee Whitcroft • Mar 15, 2010
A guest post from the Immunisation Advisory Centre, following recent reports in the press questioning the safety of the Gardasil vaccine. Recently we have seen more examples of vaccine safety surveillance data being misinterpreted by both members of the public and the media. This misinterpretation of adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) data can perpetuate fear and confusion … Read More
Brain Awareness Week – merging the two cultures?
Guest Author • Mar 11, 2010
I’ve been a science communicator for as long as I can remember. It started way back in primary school, when I was the go-to girl for gross-out facts about the human body (thanks go to Usborne’s book of puberty). Talking about science was my way of life, and it’s what led me to my career in science journalism. But over … Read More
On the sequencing of the pea aphid genome
Guest Author • Feb 26, 2010
By Dr Peter Dearden* My group has been involved with genome sequencing since 2004, when we were asked to become involved with the honeybee genome. This week we published our second insect genome, that of the Pea Aphid which was the culmination of 6 years collaborative work with over 200 scientists from 15 countries. The project has cost several … Read More