Science Media Centre

Scientists have confirmed in a new research paper on last year’s disastrous February 22  Christchurch aftershock that computer modelling showed a week beforehand that there was a 25 percent  chance of “a magnitude 6 or greater earthquake occurring in the general aftershock zone of the Darfield earthquake in the next year”.      The paper [...]

Warming of the oceans may not be as  terrible an experience for fish in some waters which are already warm — such as the Coral Sea –  according to a leading Australian ecologist,   of the University of Queensland, who says that, personally, he is not worried about an increase of couple of degrees in temperature. [...]

Some of the 250 international scientists gathered in Auckland for a world conference on conservation biology, have just spent three days  at sessions of a marine conservation think tank, where the questions they tackled included proposals for protecting biodiversity in the so-called “last ocean”,  New Zealand’s  Ross Sea. “There’s a marine protected area (MPA) proposed [...]

An international group of scientists met in Auckland this weekend for the inaugural  Marine Conservation Think Tank to develop a priority list of actions for marine conservation efforts in the region and internationally. As climate change diplomats meet in Durban, South Africa at COP17 to try and negotiate an emissions reduction plan and a new [...]

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) officials say the five-yearly Total Diet Study – analysis based on research done in 2009 — showed estimated dietary exposures to all the 241 agricultural compound residues for which it tested were below the relevant acceptable daily intake (ADI) levels. “The New Zealand diet poses no food safety concerns [...]

The Rena grounding was the focus of a night of informal talks from experts at a cafe in Tauranga this month, bringing the science of the recovery effort to the people. Three experts spoke earlier this month at a Cafe Scientifique gathering in Tauranga, the epicenter of the Rena recovery. Cafe Scientifique is an international [...]

 Australian scientists have  released a new report on climate change in the Pacific detailing rising sea levels, increasing temperatures andincreases in ocean acidity with  drastic implications for coral-based eco-systems from hitting home in less than 40 years. “The Pacific is getting hotter, sea-levels are rising, rainfall is changing, and equatorial winds have weakened,” said researcher, [...]

The Science Media Centre put questions on key science-related issues to the political parties ahead of the General Election scheduled to be held on November 26.  Please click on the links below to find the answers from responding political parties (or download as a PDF): Science priorities  |  Crown Research Institutes  |  Science and education  [...]

World experts on greenhouse gases are meeting in Wellington to refine measurement methods for greenhouse gases as part of efforts  to pin down increased understanding of what is happening in our atmosphere. The 16th global conference on carbon dioxide, other greenhouse gases, and related measurement techniques (GGMT)  continues until October 28, under the banners of [...]

Rugby is central to New Zealand’s sense of national self worth— but this can be a problem given New Zealand’s recent track record of not winning world cup contests, says Associate Professor of Psychology,   Marc Wilson, of Victoria University in Wellington. “We love our rugby,” he said in a public lecture at Wellington on September [...]

The Science Media Centre’s latest Heads-Up newsletter is out – bringing you the latest science and tech news and a peek at what’s coming up in the week ahead. Click on the image below to read the Heads-Up.