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Science Life

Farewell for now

Rebecca McLeod • Feb 01, 2011

You may have noticed that I have been a complete slacker with Science <-> Life lately. It seems life just keeps getting in the way and unfortunately the first thing to suffer has been my blogging efforts. I am about to go on maternity leave (less science, more life!) and so feel that now is the right time to shelve … Read More

On ladybird ejaculation and pushing the frontiers of science

Rebecca McLeod • Dec 09, 2010

I must admit, my first thought was â€œladybirdâ€™s ejaculate?!â€ I mean, they just seem so cute, and well, ladybird isnâ€™t exactly a name that conjures up an image of a testosterone-ravaged creature. This was quickly followed by a second thought: â€œHow on Earth do you get a ladybird to ejaculate?â€ … Read More

Life abounds deep in the Kaikoura Canyon

Rebecca McLeod • Oct 27, 2010

Why are we humans trying to get to Mars when we still have so much exploring to do here on lowly old Earth?! Perhaps we know enough about our seas already? Well, recent findings of scientists from NIWA and further afield suggest otherwise. In a paper in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, these marine … Read More

New Zealand kelp forests under threat as total allowable catch limits announced

Rebecca McLeod • Sep 24, 2010

I am still reeling from an announcement made yesterday by the Minster of Fisheries and Aquaculture Phil Heatley regarding the setting of the total allowable “catch” for giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera). I thought I might try and calm down a little before I wrote this post, but the 20 or so emails that greeted me this morning from marine ecologists … Read More

The science of counting whales

Rebecca McLeod • Sep 14, 2010

Yes, that is what you think it is... loving in the deep south. Photo: Lesley Douglas One of the tasks facing the research team was to count the whales in the bay. Sounds easy enoughâ€¦ that is until you start to consider the logistics. There are a LOT of whales to count (this year there were around 200 in a … Read More

Media coverage of science — what is holding scientists back?

Rebecca McLeod • Aug 24, 2010

I had my 10 minutes of fame last week as I was powdered up and thrust before the cameras for TVNZ7’s Media7 special on science and the media. A really fun experience, but there was some kind of weird time-absorbing phenomenon going on in the TVNZ studio that seemed to reduce my time to about 10 seconds. Before I … Read More

Now we can all be deep sea explorers

Rebecca McLeod • Aug 20, 2010

Have you ever wondered what lies beneath the blue as you have flown over Cook Strait? Did you know that there is a massive network of undersea canyons off Otago? And have you ever realized just how quickly you can plunge into the deep ocean just off the coast of Fiordland? … Read More

Conflict apparent on the West Coast as marine protection recommendations released

Rebecca McLeod • Aug 15, 2010

...one of the coolest things about the proposed MPAs is their proximity to National Parks. All of the four proposed MPA sites are situated alongside National Parks, and this will provide for a continuum of protection from, in many cases, the tops of mountains, to the depths of the sea. Read More

The birds and the bees… and the trees?

Rebecca McLeod • May 25, 2010

New Zealand has suffered a dramatic and well documented decline of native birds. I began to wonder whether ecologists here have ever tried to quantify the potential impact of this decline on the health of our native forests. Here we are all worrying about possums! Could out-of-control insects be doing more damage? … Read More

World Heritage Status: Added protection, or unintended destruction?

Rebecca McLeod • May 18, 2010

Sometimes I curse being an environmental scientist. Particularly when I’m traveling overseas. While my fellow travelers gaze in awe at the natural wonders around them, I can’t help but see signs of pollution and degradation. I have just returned from a stint in Vietnam where I visited a World Heritage Area. It really got me thinking… When UNESCO (the United … Read More

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