Science Media Centre

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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’ [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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, [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Wrangling over water issues
Polluted rivers, dirty dairying, greening the MacKenzie Country, dams for hydro-power and water allocation — these are just some of the big water issues that have been in the headlines in recent months.
Although freshwater is relatively abundant in New Zealand, uneven distribution of water resources and increasingly intensive use have led to [...]