Marcus Wilson • Nov 15, 2018 •
It’s been a couple of weeks since the NIH studies on mice, rats and cellphones hit the headlines. The studies were released with perfect timing to be used in our Science Communication paper – a third-year level paper for science undergraduates on communicating science ideas well. In short, we had half the class look at what mainstream media said about … Read More
Grant Jacobs • Oct 02, 2018 •
There’s a new billboard on South Auckland motorway near the exit to Middlemore hospital encouraging drivers to question the safety of vaccines, Short answer: yes. But what’s in vaccines is not really the issue, it’s a way to distract people from the real question: are you better off with the vaccine than without it? You could turn … Read More
Jean Balchin • Apr 13, 2018 •
A recent study in Scientific Reports suggests that being in the presence of peers (such as friends, coworkers or acquaintances) who engage in risky behaviours may have an influence on individual choices. In a laboratory task led by Livia Tomova and Luiz Pessoa, participants who knew of riskier behaviour taken by their peers, tended to make riskier choices themselves. However, observing safe … Read More
Public Health Expert • Mar 14, 2017 •
By Prof Alistair Woodward, Auckland University “It is too dangerous.” This is the reason given most commonly for not riding a bike on the road in New Zealand. In this blog, I summarise a paper we have just published quantifying the risk of cycling injury. We found it to be low compared to other activites that New Zealanders commonly engage … Read More
John Kerr • Nov 14, 2016 •
In the aftermath of this morning’s 7.5-magnitude earthquake there has been a solid effort by researchers and authorities to provide timely information to an understandably worried New Zealand public. The most up-to-date source of information on the situation is GeoNet, which is providing updates on aftershock sequences and likelihood estimates of future scenarios. In the most recent news update on the GeoNet … Read More
Lynley Hargreaves • Jul 07, 2016 •
Our ability to care for the environment depends, in part, on our ability to navigate risk. This issue looms large with climate change, says senior Landcare Research researcher Dr Alison Greenaway, who worked on the Royal Society of New Zealand report Climate Change Implications for New Zealand. We need climate-sensitive institutions, says Dr Greenaway, as … Read More
Robert Hickson • Jan 20, 2016 •
It’s Davos time again. As usual the World Economic Forum publish their Global Risks Report to coincide with that. Source: World Economic Forum http://reports.weforum.org/global-risks-2016/shareable-infographics/ Also as usual, it mostly seems to be the here and now issues that pop to the top. That’s not surprising, given that it is based on a perceptions survey. It … Read More
Eric Crampton • Jan 13, 2015 •
Will Wilkinson on the stuff that encouraged my emigration to New Zealand:Shutting down sledding hills is inspired by the same sort of simpering caution that keeps Americans shoeless in airport security lines and, closer to home, keeps parents from lett... Read More
Waiology • Sep 04, 2014 •
By Daniel Collins As a follow-up to Waiology’s article in June, here is a full map for the flooding of Christchurch on 5 March 2014. The map is derived from photos sent in by the public which were generally taken within a few hours of peak inundation. The blue colours represent the depth of water above the ground surface … Read More
Victoria Metcalf • Mar 20, 2014 •
What’s the future for Antarctic expeditions? Antarctica still holds magical allure as perhaps the most mysterious continent we possess on earth. Even for those that have experienced time ‘on the ice’ it may feel more akin to being on another planet than our own. Part of the attraction is the extreme tag, well earned in this case, with … Read More