Infrequently Asked Questions

Featured image: Curiouser and Curiouser: The mysterious incidence of testicular cancer in Māori

Curiouser and Curiouser: The mysterious incidence of testicular cancer in Māori

Lynley Hargreaves • Jun 15, 2017

Originally posted on Royal Society Te Apārangi’s Past and Future series where, as part of 150th anniversary celebrations, early career researchers are invited to share discoveries in their fields from days gone by or give us a glimpse into where their research may take us in the future. By Jason Gurney, Department of Public Health, University of Otago, … Read More

Featured image: The Royal Society, 150 years on

The Royal Society, 150 years on

Lynley Hargreaves • Apr 06, 2017

There’s a common thread running through the 150 year history of the Royal Society Te Apārangi. That is the Society’s ability to reinvent itself, says historian John Martin, who wrote the book Illuminating our World: 150 Years of the Royal Society Te Apārangi launched in Wellington last night. The Society’s latest reconception, in some ways, takes the organisation back to its … Read More

Featured image: Kaka, cognition and how bird brains help us understand intelligence

Kaka, cognition and how bird brains help us understand intelligence

Lynley Hargreaves • Mar 23, 2017

Dr Rachael Shaw Bird brain shouldn’t be an insult anymore, says Victoria University Research Fellow Dr Rachael Shaw, because birds can do amazing things. Dr Shaw studied the cognition of a population of curious robins in Wellington’s Zealandia ecosanctuary with a Fast-Start Marsden Fund grant. Together with students, she has since found these birds may be able … Read More

Featured image: Deciphering scientific history (and handwriting)

Deciphering scientific history (and handwriting)

Lynley Hargreaves • Mar 08, 2017

Dr Simon Nathan The human side of James Hector, the dominant scientist of nineteenth century New Zealand, long lay hidden in the illegible scrawl of Hector’s handwriting. Then Dr Simon Nathan began writing a biography of the man who established the museum that became Te Papa and the institute that became the Royal Society of New Zealand. In making … Read More

Featured image: The secret of connecting communities with science

The secret of connecting communities with science

Lynley Hargreaves • Feb 16, 2017

Professor Hamish Spencer When the remote and rural Tolaga Bay community approached Allan Wilson Centre scientists about a tree planting project in 2011, an amazingly successful partnership began. The project blossomed in scope. It normalised a scientific approach across the community. Funding was lost, but other funding gained, and some of the collaborations continue to this day. Professor Hamish … Read More

Featured image: ’tis the season we ate sugar

’tis the season we ate sugar

Lynley Hargreaves • Jan 26, 2017

Dr Lisa Te Morenga It’s particularly hard to reduce sugar intake over the holiday season, when so many of our social interactions revolve around the consumption of sweet food, says University of Otago Research Fellow Dr Lisa Te Morenga. It’s also difficult when we don’t know, or won’t admit, how much sugar we’re eating. Dr Morenga provided expert … Read More

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Featured image: I need to discuss my concern…

I need to discuss my concern…

Lynley Hargreaves • Nov 24, 2016

Distinguished Professor Viviane Robinson Education leaders can shy away from difficult conversations with teachers, or, struggle to recognise when they’ve prejudged the situation. But they can be taught to do better, and The University of Auckland’s Distinguished Professor Viviane Robinson is doing just that. Professor Robinson’s work on research-based guidance on student-centred leadership just won her the … Read More

Featured image: New Zealand needs climate leadership

New Zealand needs climate leadership

Lynley Hargreaves • Nov 10, 2016

Professor Ralph Sims We’ve got to get cracking – grow trees, stop wasting food, stop burning coal, electrify the vehicle fleet. That’s the message from Massey University’s Professor Ralph Sims, who chaired the panel which produced the Royal Society of New Zealand report Transition to a low-carbon economy for New Zealand. Six months after the report we still lack … Read More

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Featured image: The future of milk

The future of milk

Lynley Hargreaves • Oct 28, 2016

Dr Skelte Anema Value-added milk products are likely to continue their rise, says new Royal Society of New Zealand Fellow Dr Skelte Anema. That means we’ll keep moving away from commodities like dried milk powder and export more expensive products such as fresh and long-life liquid milk and cream. A Principal Research Scientist at the Fonterra Research and Development Centre, … Read More

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