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Jan 31, 2025 | 
sciencemediacentre.co.nz | Tehnuka Ilanko
The government has announced a national target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 51-55% below 2005 levels by 2035. This new contribution would reduce NZ's emissions to around 40 million tonnes CO2-equivalent per year by 2035. Nations participating in the Paris Agreement (recently excepting th
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Dec 16, 2024 | 
sciencemediacentre.co.nz | Tehnuka Ilanko
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre forecast tsunami waves of 0.3 to 1 m for Vanuatu, and of less than 0.3 m for Fiji, Kermadec Islands, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Wallis and Futuna. NEMA says there is no tsunami threat for New Zealand. The SMC asked experts to comment. Associate Professor Kasper van Wijk, Department of Physics, University of Auckland, comments:“Vanuatu is situated, like New Zealand, on top of a subduction zone.
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Dec 1, 2024 | 
sciencemediacentre.co.nz | Tehnuka Ilanko
The Ministry for Primary Industries has confirmed the virus is not the H5N1 strain that has been causing deaths in poultry, wild birds, and mammals worldwide. This outbreak may have originated from a less deadly type of bird flu that is found in New Zealand waterfowls, and mutated into a ‘high pathogenic’ strain while spreading between chickens. The Science Media Centre asked experts to comment.
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Nov 10, 2024 | 
sciencemediacentre.co.nz | Tehnuka Ilanko
Key issues to be discussed in the annual two-week conference include climate financing, national climate plans, and adaptation. A large Pacific climate adaptation study is also being launched. The Science Media Centre asked experts what to expect from COP29.
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Oct 9, 2024 | 
sciencemediacentre.co.nz | Tehnuka Ilanko
The condition was called “punch drunk syndrome” nearly 100 years ago when scientists first noticed a link between repeated head knocks and cognitive, mood, & memory issues later in life. Past research has suggested that we can say with high confidence that CTE is caused by repeated head knocks from contact sports, but that has recently been questioned by other scientists.
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Sep 19, 2024 | 
sciencemediacentre.co.nz | Tehnuka Ilanko
A review of 20 years of microplastics research concludes that addressing the pollution problem, which could more than double by 2040, needs regulations that involve the public, social sciences, and natural sciences. The tiny pieces of plastic are nearly impossible to remove once dispersed, have been found in more than 1300 animal species, and have unknown long-term impacts on human health. The Science Media Centre asked local experts to comment.
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Sep 18, 2024 | 
sciencemediacentre.co.nz | Tehnuka Ilanko
The kids’ adaptive immune system, which ‘learns’ and deals with pathogens, had a weaker response during acute infection. Young children also had a distinctive response in the memory cells that ‘remember’ the virus after recovery. Older children had a response more similar to adults with mild COVID-19. The Science Media Centre asked local experts to comment.
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Sep 18, 2024 | 
sciencemediacentre.co.nz | Tehnuka Ilanko
The research, based on DNA samples from the participants, as well as 101 non-autistic family members, used screening procedures currently not widely available in Aotearoa. The rate of genetic diagnosis was similar to those reported by other larger studies overseas. The authors say that having a conclusive genetic diagnosis can help with personalised healthcare, access to support services, and screening for co-occurring health conditions.
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Sep 12, 2024 | 
sciencemediacentre.co.nz | Tehnuka Ilanko
The study, published in Science, involved 2190 Americans who held beliefs in conspiracy theories. Participants who had tailored conversations with a chatbot instructed to “very effectively persuade” them against their conspiracy belief had an average of 20% reduction in these beliefs, which lasted for at least two months. A sample of the AI’s arguments were later fact checked and found to be 99% true.
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Sep 12, 2024 | 
sciencemediacentre.co.nz | Tehnuka Ilanko
A team of international researchers reconstructed the genomic history of 15 ancient Rapanui, who lived on the island in the past 500 years, finding no evidence of a genetic ‘bottleneck’ that would link to a collapse in the 1600s. Their analysis suggests Rapa Nui was home to a small population that steadily increased until Peruvian slave raids in the 1860s forcibly removed a third of the population.
