Science Media Centre

New Zealand science has made a key contribution to international research which has laid open the genetic history of sheep — one of the world’s most important livestock species — with the potential to garner economic benefits for sheepfarmers. The new study, published today in  PLoS Biology, maps out how humans bred  sheep for specialised [...]

Climate  scientists interested in how El Nino/La Nina weather patterns may interact with future global warming are expected to take a close interest in the latest research using tree rings to build a picture of Northland’s climate since Polynesians discovered New Zealand. In kauri trees, El Nino periods are linked to wide tree rings, and [...]

In a ‘provocative’ commentary article, several scientists have called for sugar to be regulated as a harmful substance like alcohol and tobacco, prompting debate over individual liberty and the western diet. In the article, published in the leading science journal Nature,  international scientists argue that added sweeteners pose dangers to health that justify controlling them [...]

As New Zealand policy-makers examine ways to help consumers make healthy food choices, a new Otago study has shown that keeping it simple works best.   Researchers at Otago University have shown that a front-of-pack ‘Traffic Light system’ (see image) using a red-yellow-green colour code  for high, medium and low salt content helps consumers make [...]

Prominent scientists — including a New Zealander who is one of the world’s leading virologists — have published commentaries on whether American biosecurity experts were correct to call for suppression of details of Dutch-based research that created a potentially lethal strain of birdflu (H5N1) potentially capable of killing 50 percent of the people it infects. [...]

Prominent scientists — including a New Zealander who is one of the world’s leading virologists — have published commentaries on whether American biosecurity experts were correct to call for suppression of details of Dutch-based research that created a potentially lethal strain of birdflu (H5N1) potentially capable of killing 50 percent of the people it infects. [...]

The odds of a major depressive episode are more than double for those working 11 or more hours a day compared to those working seven to eight hours a day, according to a new study. Researchers followed about 2000 middle aged British civil servants (as part of the ‘Whitehall II Study‘) and found a robust [...]

A new study has shown that men are more likely than women to develop a mild form of mental impairment known to be a risk factor for dementia. Researchers involved in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging reported today in the journal Neurology that more than 6 percent of Americans age 70 to 89 develop [...]

New research shows that perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), widely used in manufactured products such as non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, and fast-food packaging, are associated with lowered immune response to vaccinations in children. Danish and American researchers analysed data from 587 children tested for immune response to tetanus and diphtheria vaccinations at ages 5 and 7 years. [...]

The human first trial to use embryonic stem cells for the treatment of macular degeneration has published its results,representing a milestone in the use of the controversial therapy. An new trial published in the leading medical journal The Lancet, reports on the the use of human embryonic stem cells to treat macular degeneration in two [...]

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