News

Hearing healthcare in NZ’s future

Erica Mather • Aug 11, 2015

• aging,
• audiologist,
• demography,
• healthcare,
• hearing loss,
• New Zealand,
• population

It has been well established that New Zealand’s population is aging. Studies have been conducted to assess the impact of the increasing incidence of chronic illnesses on healthcare services, but the burden of hearing loss has been overlooked. A greater proportion of the New Zealand’s population is living longer, meaning that centrally-funded health and social resources are being put … Read More

Parasites hijack flowers – Chief pollinators at risk

Erica Mather • Aug 06, 2015

• bumblebees,
• dispersal,
• Environment and Ecology,
• flowers,
• honeybees,
• parasites,
• pollination,
• vector

The spread of bee parasites has been found to be mediated by flowers, according to new research from the UK.  Infected bees deposit parasites onto flowers as they forage.  The parasites are then dispersed by other bees that visit the same flowers, and even spread between bee species.  These results reveal flowers to be ‘hotspots’ of pathogen dispersal, aiding the … Read More

Aquatic organisms inspire the development of ingenious sunscreen

Erica Mather • Jul 31, 2015

• aquatic organisms,
• chitosan,
• environment and ecology,
• evolved,
• Health,
• mycosporines,
• sunscreen,
• UV-A and UV-B

A newly designed sunscreen has harnessed the biological strategies that aquatic organisms evolved to prevent the negative effect of UV radiations.  Despite being made from fish mucus, crustacean shells and fungi, the sunscreen is more effective than current products and can be applied to skin as well as your backyard furniture. There is an urgent need to create new sunscreens … Read More

Climate change action could be thwarted by ambivalence

Erica Mather • Jul 30, 2015

• awareness,
• climate change,
• COP21,
• environment and ecology,
• multi-national,
• risk perception

A new multi-national study has analysed a number of contributing factors for their impact on the way climate change is interpreted across the globe.  Public awareness and risk perception of climate change were found to be influenced by a combination of nation-specific aspects.  These findings highlight the need to develop better communication strategies that are tailored to individual nations. Read More

Osteoporosis supplements: A bone of contention

Erica Mather • Jul 23, 2015

• calcium,
• Health,
• osteoporosis,
• Supplements,
• vitamin D

Calcium and vitamin D continue to be hailed as effective supplements to treat and prevent osteoporosis, despite mounting evidence to the contrary, warn two New Zealand doctors.   They contend that blind enthusiasm for supplementation is being perpetuated by the vested interests of an insidious network of groups including industry, advocacy organisations and academia. Many older adults are … Read More

Humpback whales spotted in record numbers

Erica Mather • Jul 17, 2015

• Cook Strait,
• environment and ecology,
• humpback whales,
• migration,
• survey

Delighted researchers and volunteers counted a record 137 whales during the Cook Strait Whale Survey completed this week.  This is the highest tally since the survey began in 2004 and suggests that their numbers are increasing in New Zealand waters. The annual four-week survey, run by DOC research in partnership with oil and gas company OMV New Zealand, is timed … Read More

The ‘mini Ice Age’ media sensation – and the reality

Erica Mather • Jul 15, 2015

• environment and ecology,
• ice age,
• magnetic waves,
• maunder minimum,
• solar cycle,
• Sun,
• sunspots

“Earth heading for ‘Little Ice Age’ in 15 years”, “The Little Ice Age cometh”, and the obligatory “Winter is coming”. They are just some of the headlines that have run around the world following a new analysis of sunspot cycles presented by Northumbria University’s Professor Valentina Zharkova at a conference organised by the Royal Astronomical Society. But as the Washington Post … Read More

Benefits of blackcurrants revealed

Erica Mather • Jul 14, 2015

• anthocyanins,
• Blackcurrants,
• Depression,
• Environment and Ecology,
• Health,
• mental performance,
• monoamine oxidases,
• mood,
• Parkinson's disease

Convinced that smoothies really are a superfood?  You may not be imagining it if they contain blackcurrants. The berry, examined extensively by scientists at Plant & Food Research (NZ) and Northumbria University (UK), has been found to positively affect mental performance. The impressive results show, for the first time, an improvement in accuracy, attention and mood after independent consumption of … Read More

Collaborative Archaeology and Restoration on Marae DIY

Brigid Gallagher • Jul 06, 2011

• archaeology,
• Community Collaboration,
• Julie Sparham,
• Louise Furey,
• Marae DIY,
• Ongarahu Pa,
• Western Bay of Plenty

One of the missions I originally set for myself on Digging the Dirt was to show that New Zealand was archaeologically exciting and dynamic.  Tonight’s instalment of Marae DIY on Maori TV has to be a great example of this.  As part 2 of a double feature the Marae DIY team are undertaking the restoration of an archaeological site, … Read More

Environmental negotiations ??!!??

Rebecca McLeod • Oct 05, 2009

• conservation land,
• development,
• environmental groups

Well here we go again – the stage is being set for another battle of “the environmentalists” versus “the developers”. This time, the battle grounds are numerous, and share one thing in common – conservation land status. As the Government prepares to conduct a stock take of the mineral deposits in conservation land around the country, mining companies and … Read More