News

Covid-19 and the Science Media Centre

Katherine Hurst • Dec 18, 2020

• coronavirus,
• COVID-19,
• SMC

“Always expect the unexpected” could be the Science Media Centre’s motto, but 2020 has proven more unexpected than most years. The novel coronavirus spread through all aspects of the SMC’s work: queries from journalists, media briefings, expert reactions to breaking news, and distributing recent scientific research through the Scimex website. Even the SMC’s … Read More

Teen body dissatisfaction predictor of adult depression

Caroline Lord • Dec 08, 2020

• body dissatisfaction,
• Depression,
• Self-esteem,
• Social media,
• teenage depression

New research, published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, shows a credible link between adolescent body dissatisfaction and the onset of depression in adulthood. Young people who experienced dissatisfaction with their appearance faced an increased risk of depression in their early adult lives of between 50% to 285%. The trend was present in both male and female … Read More

Māori and Pacific academics paid and promoted less

Caroline Lord • Dec 03, 2020

• academic careers,
• Māori researchers,
• pasifika,
• PBRF,
• universities

Glass ceilings are a reality for Māori and Pacific academics at New Zealand universities, according to new research. This group is already in the minority, making up just 5% and 2% respectively of the academic workforce, with less than 4% and 1% employed at professor level positions. These employment levels remained static between 2012 and 2017. The new study, … Read More

Scientists should welcome charges against agency over Whakaari/White Island — if it helps improve early warning systems

Guest Author • Dec 01, 2020

• GNS Science,
• volcanic eruption,
• volcano,
• Whakaarii,
• White Island,
• WorkSafe

Shane Cronin The decision by Worksafe, a government agency focused on workplace safety, to bring criminal charges against 13 parties in relation to last December’s eruption of Whakaari/White Island heralds a new chapter for volcano scientists in New Zealand. On December 9, 2019, 22 people died and 25 suffered injuries when Whakaari erupted. They were not locals caught … Read More

A few days in the life of an ER

Katherine Hurst • Oct 30, 2020

• moon,
• news,
• SMC

Most people hear “ER” and they think of an emergency room – ambulances, patients, life and death situations. But for the staff at the Science Media Centre, ER stands for “Expert Reactions” and means timely comments from experts responding to breaking news.  When news breaks, journalists often want quotes about the importance … Read More

Assisted dying will become legal in New Zealand in a year — what has to happen now?

Guest Author • Oct 30, 2020

• End of Life Choice Act,
• Euthanasia,
• Referendum

Jeanne Snelling, University of Otago and Andrew Geddis, University of Otago The preliminary results of New Zealand’s referendum on the End of Life Choice Act were conclusive. Some 65.2% of voters supported the law coming into force, while 33.8% opposed it. Although around 480,000 special votes are still to be counted, the margin is so great there is no chance … Read More

COVID-19 coverage

Sarah-Jane O'Connor • Feb 04, 2020

• 2019-nCov,
• coronavirus,
• COVID-19,
• outbreak,
• WHO,
• World Health Organization,
• Wuhan

Our Scibloggers have been providing updates on the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. This page will be updated as more posts are published. As of 11 February 2020, the virus has been officially named COVID-19. 12 March 2020 Wellington, we have a problem… Now that the WHO has declared a pandemic, what next? Sarb Johal The Psychology Report … Read More

New Zealand’s space pioneers stamp their mark

Guest Author • May 03, 2019

• Alan Gilmore,
• Albert Jones,
• Beatrice Tinsley,
• Carter Observatory,
• Charles Gifford,
• Gifford Observatory,
• NZ Post,
• Pamela Kilmartin,
• space,
• space exploration,
• William Pickering

Erin Maessen Six of New Zealand’s ‘space pioneers’ have been commemorated in a new series of stamps launched by New Zealand Post. Designed by Hannah Fortune, and sprinkled with a layer of real meteorite dust, the stamps feature homegrown talent including Beatrice Hill Tinsley, Charles Gifford and Sir William Pickering. New Zealand Post chair Jackie Lloyd said … Read More

Slow-slip event off the coast of Gisborne

Guest Author • Apr 05, 2019

• Geonet,
• gisborne,
• GNS Science,
• slow slip earthquakes

Dr Laura Wallace Scientists have been monitoring a slow-slip event that started in the last week off the east coast near Gisborne. Slow-slip movement model showing direction of movement of GeoNet GPS sites and amount of displacement at the plate boundary. So far we’ve recorded 10-15 cm of movement at the red area. Slow-slip events are quite common in … Read More

Island focus to reduce extinction

Guest Author • Apr 04, 2019

• conservation,
• eradication,
• invasive mammals,
• island biology,
• IUCN Red List

Erin Maessen Focusing conservation efforts on 169 islands, including five in New Zealand, could help to combat the global extinction crisis. This is according to the findings of a collaborative study between forty institutions, including universities and conservation organisations, published in PLOS ONE last week. The researchers combined conservation benefit with feasibility to assess 1,279 islands worldwide, whittling … Read More