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Science Media Centre NZ
Our aim is to promote accurate, evidence-based reporting on science and technology by helping the media work more closely with the scientific community.
The Science Media Centre is New Zealand's only trusted, independent source of information for the media on all issues related to science. Thousands of news stories providing context from and quoting New Zealand researchers have been published as a direct result of our work.
Science Media Centre NZ - Latest News [Page 4]
Talk Of ‘one-in-100-year’ Weather Can Be Disastrously Misleading – Expert Q&A
Monday, 12 February 2024, 2:58 pm | Science Media Centre
Record rainfall and flooding caused by Cyclone Gabrielle across Hawkes Bay has been frequently described as a ‘one-in-100 year’ event. With the cyclone’s anniversary this week, the SMC asked a social psychologist and emergency management expert how ... More >>
Faster Tropical Cyclones In A Warming World – Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 7 February 2024, 2:07 pm | Science Media Centre
In some parts of the world, a Category 5 hurricane signifies the most extreme wind speeds starting at 252 km/h. New research published in PNAS looks into why creating a new Category 6 could help capture just how much more intense the biggest tropical ... More >>
New Recycling Rules – Expert Reaction
Thursday, 1 February 2024, 3:42 pm | Science Media Centre
All of Aotearoa will follow the same guidelines for what to put in their kerbside recycling bins from today. The new national guidelines replace the previous system of patchwork rules across different regions. The SMC asked experts to comment . Dr ... More >>
‘Forever Chemical’ PFAS Banned From Cosmetics – Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 30 January 2024, 5:17 pm | Science Media Centre
The EPA is banning the use of per– and polyfluoroalkyl substances in cosmetic products from the end of 2026. These “forever chemicals” are difficult to break down and can build up in the body and the environment over time. The EPA says New ... More >>
Improving Large Earthquake Forecasting – Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 29 November 2023, 9:48 am | Science Media Centre
New overseas research reports how unique seismic signals were picked up eight months before this year’s massively destructive earthquake in Türkiye, and that these findings may improve our ability to forecast some future large earthquakes. On 6 ... More >>
Fonterra Sets On-farm Emissions Targets – Expert Reaction
Thursday, 9 November 2023, 5:43 pm | Science Media Centre
Dairy co-operative Fonterra has released its plan to reduce on-farm emissions, aiming to reduce its emissions intensity by 30% by 2030. The dairy giant is New Zealand’s largest greenhouse gas emitter , and around 86 percent of these emissions come from ... More >>
The Hunga-Tonga Eruption Rapidly Depleted The Ozone Layer – Expert Reaction
Friday, 20 October 2023, 10:57 am | Science Media Centre
The 2022 Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha’apai volcanic eruption shot out an unprecedented amount of water vapour into the sky, reaching heights of up to 55km and depleting 5% of the ozone layer in some regions in just one week. New research published in ... More >>
Deadly Bird Flu Outbreaks Are Starting In New Places – Expert Reaction
Thursday, 19 October 2023, 2:16 pm | Science Media Centre
Deadly bird flu virus outbreaks are now starting in places outside Asia, including in Europe and Africa, suggesting a shift in the global distribution of the viruses, according to new international research. The deadly H5N1 virus first ... More >>
Covid-19 Subvariant ‘Pirola’ Detected In NZ – Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 10 October 2023, 12:06 pm | Science Media Centre
ESR has detected the highly mutated COVID-19 variant BA.2.86 – known as ‘Pirola’ – in New Zealand wastewater samples taken earlier this month. The Omicron subvariant has been declared a ‘variant under monitoring’ by the World Health Organization, ... More >>
New Space Companies Face Their First Solar Maximum – Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 10 October 2023, 12:05 pm | Science Media Centre
With the next solar maximum on the horizon – where solar activity peaks – new space players are operating in an environment unlike what they have seen before, according to authors of a recently published editorial in the journal Space Weather. ... More >>
New Zealand Police Will Be Trialing Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) On Two High Profile Cold Cases.
Tuesday, 10 October 2023, 11:57 am | Science Media Centre
FIGG combines DNA testing with genealogical research to analyse genetic relationships between individuals who share very small amounts of inherited DNA with the crime scene DNA sample, using genealogy databases and publicly available records. In 2020, ... More >>
Windy, Hot And Dry Weather Will Be More Likely For Regions In Aotearoa This Summer.
Tuesday, 10 October 2023, 11:54 am | Science Media Centre
The climate pattern known as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, or ENSO for short, was officially declared locally by NIWA this month. With ENSO the country will see dramatic temperture swings and stronger than usual winds. Prevailing ... More >>
Cryptosporidium Outbreak In Queenstown – Expert Reaction
Wednesday, 20 September 2023, 12:24 pm | Science Media Centre
A boil water notice is in place for Queenstown and Frankton, as officials work to find the source of a cryptosporidium outbreak. The parasite can infect people through faeces, and can also be transmitted through water supplies. However no clear link ... More >>
Officials To Trial Removing Invasive Seaweed Caulerpa – Expert Reaction
Thursday, 14 September 2023, 11:01 am | Science Media Centre
MPI is trialing suction dredging methods to remove the invasive seaweed Caulerpa from the seafloor at Aotea Great Barrier Island. The operations are due to begin on 18 September and run for two weeks. After the removal some areas will also have ... More >>
The Compounding Threat Of Invasive Alien Species – Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 5 September 2023, 12:51 pm | Science Media Centre
Biological invasions cost the global community an estimated USD$423 billion in 2019, and those costs have quadrupled every decade since 1970. The Assessment Report on Invasive Alien Species and their Control is a new report released by the ... More >>
Most Bread And Flour Now Fortified With Folic Acid - Expert Reaction
Monday, 14 August 2023, 10:33 am | Science Media Centre
As of tomorrow, all non-organic bread-making wheat flour in New Zealand will be fortified with folic acid. The supplement has been proven to prevent neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, which affect on average 64 pregnancies a year in New ... More >>
Measures To Protect Native Biodiversity – Expert Reaction & SMC Briefing
Thursday, 3 August 2023, 1:47 pm | Science Media Centre
From tomorrow, populations of indigenous species and the size of their habitats in Aotearoa must not drop below current levels. The National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity aims to help councils, communities, landowners, and mana ... More >>
Scientists Race To Validate Controversial Superconductor Claim – Expert Reaction
Thursday, 3 August 2023, 12:50 pm | Science Media Centre
South Korean scientists claim to have created a room-temperature superconductor, which could could revolutionise nearly anything that uses electricity or magnets. But many experts are still skeptical. Superconductors currently require extremely ... More >>
WHO Says NZ's Tobacco Control Nearly Among The Best In The World - Expert Reaction
Tuesday, 1 August 2023, 10:42 am | Science Media Centre
New Zealand is one step away from joining a small club of countries that have implemented all of the World Health Organization's best-practice guidelines around tobacco control. The latest report from the WHO says New Zealand is carrying out most of the "MPOWER" ... More >>
The Impact Of Meta’s Algorithms During The 2020 US Election – Expert Reaction
Friday, 28 July 2023, 10:19 am | Science Media Centre
US researchers worked with Meta to analyse how the social media company’s algorithms influenced what people saw and believed during the 2020 US election period. The series of four papers, published in Science and Nature , found algorithms are “extremely ... More >>
