Science Media Centre

Stuff and the NZ Herald have both been running a series of environment stories this week, with Stuff focusing on ‘forgotten species’ and the Herald quizzing scientists on the environment. Stuff science and environment report Ged Cann’s ‘Forgotten Species’ series has challenged the idea that we’re doing well on conservation, instead highlighting five species that […]

New Zealand’s wastewater and stormwater infrastructure have asset values well over $20 billion, but much of it was not designed to withstand the challenges climate change will bring, from sea level rise to the predicted changes in rainfall frequency and intensity. A new report from the Deep South National Science Challenge and Motu Economic and […]

Whether or not marine reserves help the unprotected sea creatures beyond their borders has been hotly contested, but new research from the University of Auckland suggests that protected marine areas can serve as local fish nurseries. The study, published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, examined the genetics of adult snapper near Goat […]

Captive orca have terrible teeth, mostly caused by chewing concrete and steel tank surfaces, according to research that photographed the mouths of 29 orca kept in captivity by one company in the USA and Spain. The research team, including New Zealanders, found all 29 whales had some form of damage to their teeth and more […]

How to track the quantity of junk food and alcohol advertising kids are exposed to? Stick a camera on them. That’s what Kiwi researchers have done in a series of new research papers showing the extent of advertising children are exposed to on a daily basis. The Kids’Cam project put cameras on 168 Wellington children, […]

Outstanding New Zealander researchers have been awarded prestigious medals at the Royal Society Te Apārangi Research Honours Dinner, held in Auckland last night. Twenty-one researchers received awards at the event, which also marked 150 years since the establishment of the society. The society’s new President-elect, Professor Wendy Larner, was also announced last night. Professor Larner […]

Scientists monitoring New Zealand’s waters for ten years have tracked changes in ocean acidification that pose a threat to marine life in a warming climate. A stocktake of ocean acidification – caused by rising CO2 levels – was published in the New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research. Niwa marine biogeochemist Professor Cliff Law […]

Kea are known for their cleverness and curiosity, but a new study has shown that exploring new objects helps the alpine parrots figure out which to use as tools when faced with a problem. Published in the Royal Society Open Science, the study tested kea and New Caledonian crows by presenting them with a number […]

It might still be possible to meet the 1.5°C temperature target set by the Paris Agreement, scientists say, but we probably need to strengthen the current pledges for emissions reductions. An international team of researchers, including Victoria Univerity of Wellington’s Professor Dave Frame, assessed remaining carbon emission budgets compatible with limiting warming to 1.5°C above […]

Police have confirmed the dangerous chemical AMB-FUBINACA is present in synthetic drugs linked to 20 deaths in the past few months. In a statement on Thursday, police and the Chief Coroner said the majority of ESR testing had found the chemical AMB-FUBINACA, which has been linked to users being in a ‘zombie-like’ state in the […]

Last November’s magnitude 7.8 Kaikōura earthquake triggered a series of major slow-slip events (silent earthquakes) beneath the east coast of the North Island, new research from GNS Science confirms. Published today in Nature Geoscience, the study used GeoNet’s network of GPS instruments to follow the slow-slip series, which in some areas are still continuing to […]