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The Press: Tree stumps old Alpine Fault theories

Posted in In the News on September 3rd, 2010.

Paul Gorman writes in The Press about a west Coast tree stump which suggests that the Alpine Fault is moving faster than previously thought.
Calculations based on when the tree died show that, rather than the Alpine Fault’s slip rate being 10 mm a year, it may in fact be moving some 13.6 mm a year [...]

Continue reading “The Press: Tree stumps old Alpine Fault theories

NZ Herald: ‘Magic’ process turns kiwifruit into gold

Michael Dickison writes in the New Zealand Herald about work by NZ scientists which has has allowed kiwifruit to be turned into plastic, and sewage into electricity.
The work, carried out by CRI Scion, has meant the development of a chemical process which makes kiwifruit melt like plastic in normal factory equipment.  Another process allows the [...]

September 3rd, 2010 Read full Story

NZ Herald: Are you descended from Neanderthals?

An article in the NZ Herald looks at whether we may be descended, at least in part, from Neanderthals, and discusses research suggesting that some of us carry parts of the Neanderthal genome
The Neanderthal genome mitochondrial genome sequence, announced in 2008, suggested that this was not the case – the recent sequencing of the Neanderthal [...]

September 3rd, 2010 Read full Story

ODT: Government energy policy criticised

Stu Oldham writes in the Otago Daily Times about criticism of government’s Draft NZ Energy Strategy, including that it is unlikely that we will reach the target of 90% renewably generated electricity by 2025.
There are also concerns that the Strategy’s focus on using petroleum and mineral resources could damage New Zealand’s environment, and its ‘green’ [...]

September 2nd, 2010 Read full Story

The Press: Future here now for women with gynaecological cancers

Rebecca Todd writes in The Press about a surgeon in Christchurch who, for the first time, is using a robot to remove gynaecological tumours.
The robots allow for surgery to be more precise and ‘easy’, and eliminates the challenges which can come with shaky hands or fatigue.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
The instruments had a greater [...]

September 2nd, 2010 Read full Story

3 News: Garlic eaters can breathe a sigh of relief

Scientists have discovered the best way to counteract the odour that results from eating garlic: drinking milk.
Drinking milk while eating garlic works better than drinking it after the meal, and it’s mix of fat and water which helps to counteract the distinctive odour.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“Authors of the study, Sherly Barringer and Areerat [...]

September 2nd, 2010 Read full Story

3 News: Heavy drinkers live longer?

Dan Satherley reports for 3 News on recent research showing that heavy drinkers are less likely to die than teetotallers.
While the reasons for this are unclear, scientists posit that it could be that drinkers are more relaxed and social than their non-drinking counterparts.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“Former heavy drinkers were excluded from the study, [...]

September 2nd, 2010 Read full Story

ODT: Financial stress causing poor diets

Ellie Constantine writes in the Otago Daily Times about research which suggests that poor dietary choices have more to do with the affordability of healthy food than access or price.
The research, from New Zealand and Australia, shows that poor families spend a far larger proportion of their income on food (about 30%), and consequently are [...]

September 1st, 2010 Read full Story

The Press: The nanotech revolution in NZ

Glenda Lewis of The Press writes about an upcoming talk by visiting scientist and nanotech pioneer Dr Don Eigler, who will be giving a talk on the subject, including a possible demonstration of his powers with atoms, and what he sees coming in the future.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“The most exciting thing Eigler [...]

September 1st, 2010 Read full Story

Dom Post/Stuff: Research shows natural cancer therapies don’t cure, says expert

Kiran Chug of the Dominion Post writes that a medical expert is warning the public that complementary therapies not only don’t cure cancer, but some might even cause harm.
Professor Shaun Holt said in a public lecture yesterday that the efficacy of complementary therapies are not supported by scientific evidence.
An excerpt: (read [...]

September 1st, 2010 Read full Story


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