SCIENCE

Science related stories and commentary

SCIENCE by Peter GriffinApril 19, 2012

NZAS conference – what the politicians said

There has been some good discussion following this week’s Association of Scientists conference in Wellington and also some media interest in what the two politicians who addressed the conference said. Find below audio recordings of the presentations from the politicians. Other podcasts will be added soon… Minister of Primary Industries, David Carter [audio: http://ia601205.us.archive.org/10/items/HonDavidCarterAddressingTheNzasConference/DavidCarterNzas.mp3%5D Labour […]

SCIENCE by Peter GriffinApril 17, 2012

Do emerging researchers have a future in NZ?

There’s a lot of angst in the scientific community about the apparent whittling away of opportunities for emerging scientists in New Zealand as a result of the dismantling of the FRST postdoctoral fellowship scheme. This manifested itself late last year in a letter being circulated that was signed by 560 scientists which complained that the […]

SCIENCE by Peter GriffinApril 15, 2012

Did dodgy rivets sink Titanic?

In Belfast and Southhampton there have been celebrations this weekend to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. The last few weeks have also seen the Titanic story revisited from every angle. Last week, film maker James Cameron appeared in a National Geography documentary in which he and a team of naval […]

SCIENCE by Peter GriffinApril 12, 2012

Thankfully no tsunami – this time

People living along the coast of Indonesia and indeed around the fringes of the Indian Ocean will have had a spine-tingling moment last night as they felt the vibrations from the magnitude 8.6 earthquake that struck off the west coast of Northern Sumatra. Many will have had flashbacks to 2004, and the Boxing Day tsunami, […]

SCIENCE by Peter GriffinApril 4, 2012

Greenpeace slapped for ad overstating Rena birdlife deaths

Nearly six months after the Rena ran aground off the coast of Tauranga spreading oil and debris along east coast beaches, the damage from the marine disaster continues to spread. Bad weather today caused more containers to fall from the ship. Sentencing of the Rena captain and crew members, who pled guilty to mishandling the […]

SCIENCE by Peter GriffinMarch 24, 2012

RIP Sir Paul Callaghan: scientist, businessman, visionary for a better NZ

Professor Sir Paul Terence Callaghan, 64, one of New Zealand’s most honoured scientists, died in Wellington today having fought a stoic fight against the bowel cancer which he was diagnosed with in 2008 Sir Paul, a former New Zealander of the Year (see right), and a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, winner of […]

SCIENCE by Peter GriffinMarch 20, 2012

Fracking wells and air emissions

Hot on the heels of the weekend’s deluge of fracking stories comes research from the US that suggests chemicals released into the air in the process of hydraulic fracturing could prove a health risk to those living nearby. A three-year study by the Colorado School of Public Health looked at the airborne chemicals released near […]

SCIENCE by Peter GriffinMarch 19, 2012

Fracking – we need an independent investigation

The media has been having a field day on fracking lately. Former TVNZ political editor Guyon Espiner, in his first piece for 60 Minutes, Meet the Frackers, did a fairly thorough treatment of the issue on TV3 last night, with 60 Minutes devoting half of their programme to it. Chris Laidlaw on his Sunday programme […]

SCIENCE by Peter GriffinMarch 16, 2012

How to avoid a disappointing marriage

Wellington is abuzz with news of the super ministry, which was unveiled yesterday and will have major implications for a large number of public servants. Some leaders in the science system have commented about the implications of the Ministry of Science and Innovation being bundled into the new Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Fellow […]

SCIENCE by Peter GriffinMarch 11, 2012

Is the SKA slipping through our fingers?

It was a bit much to expect the preliminary decision on who will host the next global “big science” project would remain under wraps. And so the papers in Australia yesterday carried the news that the South African bid for the Square Kilometre Array, a $2.7 billion radio telescope project, is favoured over the Australia-New […]