Science Media Centre

Rocket Lab successfully launched its Electron rocket and deployed satellites into orbit this afternoon, a milestone for the company and New Zealand’s fledgling private space industry. The SMC rounded up reaction from space and rocket experts. Feel free to use the comments below in your reports, or contact the experts directly to follow up for […]

Niwa has released its annual climate summary for 2017, which it says was a year of weather extremes. While the year started off wet, with the Tasman Tempest and Ex-Tropical Cyclones Debbie and Cook contributing to record amounts of rain, a dry end to the year had parts of the country recording their driest Novembers […]

A fossil penguin discovered in New Zealand has been identified as a new species and it was so tall it was about the height of an adult man. Kumimanu biceae weighed in at around 100 kg and about 177 cm in height, which might have been the largest penguin to ever live. And dated to between 60-55 […]

New Zealand researchers have led a study that suggests a build-up of urea in the brain could be linked to the development of Huntington’s disease. The research, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used transgenic sheep to study the disease. The sheep are symptom-free but carry the mutant form of […]

The Havelock North drinking water inquiry has made a number of recommendations to ensure safe drinking water for New Zealanders. The Hawke’s Bay town was struck by a campylobacter outbreak in August 2016, caused by a contaminated drinking water supply, and more than 5000 people became ill. Among its recommendations, the Inquiry suggested universal treatment of […]

Sweeping new protections for Antarctica’s Ross Sea will come into effect on Friday 1 December.  After five years of debate, the marine protected area (MPA) was agreed in 2016 after a joint proposal by New Zealand and the United States was unanimously voted in by the 25 members of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. Over 1.5 […]

After months of unrest, Mt Agung on the Indonesian island of Bali is finally erupting. The island was elevated to the highest level of volcanic alert on Monday morning.   Mt Agung has been spewing gas and ash since last week, and over 100,000 residents living near the volcano have been ordered to evacuate from a […]

After 18 months of stalled votes, the EU has voted to renew the license for weedkiller glyphosate for another five years. The current license was due to expire on December 15th. Glyphosate — most commonly known by the Monsanto brand Roundup — is the most commonly used herbicide worldwide. European farmers have argued throughout the […]

The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM) sent out a nationwide test of their new Emergency Mobile Alert last night at staggered times between 6pm and 7pm. Accompanied by a unique warning sound, the mobile alert was sent to all mobile phones that were on, within target areas, and capable of receiving the alert. In […]

New Zealand researchers say older men need more than the recommended daily intake of protein in order to maintain muscle size and strength. A study led by Dr Cameron Mitchell at the University of Auckland’s Liggins Institute tracked 30 men aged over 70 for ten weeks. They were randomly assigned to two groups – the […]