Aug 24, 2021 | Science & Technology
By Hamish McCallum The COVID-19 pandemic is a dramatic demonstration of evolution in action. Evolutionary theory explains much of what has already happened, predicts what will happen in the future and suggests which management strategies are likely to be the most...
Jan 14, 2021 | Science & Technology
By Lucy van Dorp New variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, is thought to be driving increased transmission of the disease around the world. A new variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, is thought to be driving increased transmission...
Aug 12, 2020 | Politics & Society, Science & Technology
By Michael Plank, Alex James & Shaun Hendy New Zealand is on alert as COVID-19 returns. This is what we need to stamp it out again. Auckland, and possibly other parts of New Zealand, almost certainly have more cases of COVID-19 in the community than the four new...
Jun 25, 2020 | Science & Technology
By David Murdoch COVID-19 is being referred to as a “once in a century event” – but the next pandemic is likely to hit sooner than you think. In the next few decades, we will likely see other pandemics. We can predict that with reasonable confidence because of the...
Jun 22, 2020 | Politics & Society
By Steve Hoadley Will the current COVID-19 outbreak stimulate further international cooperation as did the infections of the 20th Century, or will it undermine cooperation, weaken regimes and alter geopolitics as did the epidemics of the prior two millennia? We humans...
Jun 9, 2020 | Science & Technology
By Michael Plank, Alex James, Audrey Lustig, Nicholas Steyn, Rachelle Binny & Shaun Hendy New Zealand hits a 95% chance of eliminating coronavirus. However, researchers predict new cases will emerge. There is now a 95% chance COVID-19 has been eliminated in New...
Jun 9, 2020 | Politics & Society
By Susanna Trnka On March 18, 2020, the Czech Republic became the first country in Europe to legislate mandatory coverage of the mouth and nose in all public areas in an attempt to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. On March 18, 2020, the Czech Republic became the first...
Jun 2, 2020 | Politics & Society
By Geoff Kemp “I saw my father alive, dead, and buried, the threefold process that’s at once so ordinary and so extraordinary, and tragically has become more ordinary in the UK in these extraordinary times.” I made three journeys to Britain and back as...
May 25, 2020 | Science & Technology
By Philip Hill One of the interesting features of the COVID-19 pandemic is the different incidence rates of the disease and the different mortality percentages, across countries. There are several possible reasons for this. Firstly, the capacity and policies around...
Apr 14, 2020 | Politics & Society, Referee
By Andrew Lim In response to the global spread of Covid-19, many faith communities including churches, mosques, synagogues, temples and gurdwaras have suspended their meetings and services in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The 2019-20 Covid-19...