Science Media Centre

A genetic analysis of several strains of the Psa bacterium, conducted by American and Italian scientists, suggests a Chinese origin for the bacterium that has caused millions of dollars of damage to the New Zealand kiwifruit industry. However, more data from affected New Zealand kiwifruit are needed to complete the picture.  The new research, published [...]

A project to map the Weddell Sea area of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet from the air has revealed that this largely unexplored region is potentially on the threshold of change. Radar mapping of the ice-covered landscape has uncovered a deep sub-glacial basin close to the edge of the ice sheet. The study, published in [...]

Independent scientists have commented on an open letter from UK researchers whose field trial of genetically modified  wheat has been threatened by an anti-GM activist group. Protesters from a group called Take the Flour Back have declared their intent to put an end to an trial experiment with GMO wheat in the UK. The trial [...]

The turbulence created by power-generating wind turbines may have an impact on local climate, suggests new research. A new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change has identified a link between wind farms and slightly increased temperatures. American researchers used data from the satellite system MODIS to examine land surface temperatures near large wind [...]

New research has found that eating antioxidant-rich berries could delay age-related cognitive decline by up to two and half years. Blueberries and strawberries, which are high in flavonoids, appear to reduce cognitive decline in older adults according to a new study published this week in Annals of Neurology. The study results suggest that cognitive aging [...]

International researchers have found that children who experience violence appear to be aging at a faster rate. DNA of 236 British 10 year-olds exposed to violence during their childhood shows “erosion” of the special sequences at the tips of their chromosomes, the telomeres. Such wear-and-tear is normally associated with ageing, and it limits the number [...]

Leading medical journal The Lancet has published a special series of articles focusing on adolescent health, including an international comparison of health and mortality data which highlights New Zealand’s poor ranking in youth suicide and death statistics. The 45th Session of the United Nations Commission on Population Development, which has an adolescent health theme takes [...]

Buried more than 2 kilometers deep in the ice under the South Pole, the IceCube neutrino detector seems like an unlikely place to find a window to the universe. But with the help of some Kiwi scientists, the IceCube and the tiny “ghostly” particles it detects are revealing the sources of high energy cosmic rays [...]

Longterm opium use – even in relatively low doses – is associated with almost double the risk of death from causes such as circulatory diseases, respiratory conditions and cancer, researchers say. Although the study of  50,045 people in Iran’s Golestan Province focused on opium for recreational purposes, the research also has significant implications for medicinal uses [...]

A report from independent experts into seismic risk associated with hydraulic fracturing commissioned by the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was released in London today. The report reviews data on small-scale earthquakes that occurred during fracking of the Preese Hall site near Blackpool in April and May 2011. It concludes that the [...]

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