Science Media Centre

ONLINE BRIEFING: Tuesday 9 March 2010, 10.30 am NZT

Climate scientists have been warning since the 2007 publication of the landmark IPCC 4th Assessment Report that the world’s nations need to cut carbon emissions to avoid the devastating impacts of climate change.
But the Copenhagen climate conference failed to produce a legally binding agreement to lower emissions [...]

ONLINE BRIEFING: Monday 8 March 2010, 11 am NZT

Seaweek kicks off this week with the theme ‘Fish for the future’. But faced with threats of overfishing and global fish stock collapses, will our marine resources survive for future generations?
New Zealand manages fishing rights to the world’s fourth largest Exclusive Economic Zone, and fishing is [...]

ONLINE BRIEFING: Tues 2 March 2010, 10:30 a.m.
Drought-resistance, reduced greenhouse gas emissions intensity, superior nutrition for livestock — these are some of the benefits promised by researchers developing genetically modified pasture crops.
But will these be enough to convince farmers — and the wider public — to accept GM pastures?
No GM pasture crop has yet been [...]

What sorts of foods should you — personally — eat to be healthiest?
Nutrigenomics studies the interaction between our genes and the foods we eat. Specifically, it looks at how people with different genetic makeups are affected by different foods, with the aim of matching people to the foods that suit them best.
This emerging field brings [...]

It is 20 years since DNA evidence was first presented in a New Zealand court, a development that resulted in the conviction of Michael James Pengelly for the murder of an elderly Auckland woman.
Long-used in helping solve serious crimes, DNA samples in the mid nineties were increasingly used as evidence in criminal cases when the [...]

Here you will find resources, information and multimedia available to aid the media in the coverage of the COP15 climate change negotiations in Copenhagen.
COP15 coverage in the New Zealand Media
COP15 analysis on Sciblogs.co.nz
AusSMC photos available to the media
AusSMC video available to the media

The SMC will be issuing daily updates on developments in Copenhagen to journalists [...]

Dietary supplements are an increasingly common part of our lives, but should they be?
A sophisticated, multibillion dollar industry exists in supplying dietary supplements. It is not unusual for people to take vitamin and mineral supplements every day, while some rely on caffeine drinks for a daily energy boost and nutrition bars that promise more muscle [...]

While natural carbon sinks have historically been able to absorb over half of global carbon dioxide emissions, this may no longer be the case if these emissions continue to increase as they have, say scientists from leading climate research group the Global Carbon Project (GCP).
In addition, carbon dioxide emissions are still rising, to [...]

Next month, the world will gather in Copenhagen for the UN Climate Change Conference (7 – 18 December) to negotiate a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol.
In cooperation with the New Zealand Climate Change Centre and the Ministry for the Environment, the Science Media Centre held a briefing to clarify the science behind the COP15 talks [...]

SMC ONLINE BRIEFING: 10 am Wednesday 11 November
Next month, the world will gather in Copenhagen for the UN Climate Change Conference (7 – 18 December) to negotiate a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol.
In cooperation with the New Zealand Climate Change Centre and the Ministry for the Environment, the Science Media Centre will host a [...]

The science behind the catch
As we head into Sea Week and New Zealanders digest the message of the hard-hitting documentary The End of the Line which suggests we may be heading towards a “world without fish”, the SMC is gathering fisheries experts to look at New Zealand’s fisheries and their sustainability.
Every year, the country faces [...]