Science Media Centre

At the recent Transit of Venus forum held in Gisborne the engaging and energetic discussions were overshadowed by one thing only – the absence of Professor Sir Paul Callaghan, who conceived the forum. Sir Paul passed away in March, leaving a huge gap in New Zealand science as someone who could comment with authority on [...]

Writing for the New York Times, Cornelia Dean looks at a new US initiative aiming to get scientists out of the lab and into politics. An excerpt (read in full here): Groups Call for Scientists to Engage the Body Politic When asked to name a scientist, Americans are stumped. In one recent survey, the top [...]

The release of the Reader’s Digest ‘most trusted’ survey has revealed that the top three most trusted New Zealanders are scientists. Sir Ray Avery, Sir Peter Gluckman and Sir Paul Callaghan topped the list of 100 well known Kiwis ranked by their trustworthiness. More about the annual survey and the full list of 100 Kiwis [...]

The UK Science Media Centre’s Director Fiona Fox has published a lengthy blog post summing up the international media’s response to the crisis in Japan. In the post, she lays out arguments against the suspicion some journalists and editors voiced — namely, that scientists with ties to the nuclear industry have a vested interest in [...]

New Zealand marine experts have joined an international group of scientists in calling for urgent action to protect the health of the Pacific Ocean, which covers almost a third of the world’s surface. The Pacific Ocean Scientific Statement carries the signatures of 350 researchers from 30 countries and outlines the major threats facing the Pacific, [...]