Nov 11, 2021 | Science & Technology
By Lydia DePillis & Eric Umansky Months-long silences. Mysterious rejections. Here’s what’s behind the shortages of a critical tool for ending the pandemic. A few weeks ago, a ProPublica reporter decided to test his kids for COVID-19. They had the sniffles,...
Oct 28, 2021 | Science & Technology
By Harriet Edmund An international collaboration has developed a new drug candidate that stops the malaria parasite from breaking down waste, resulting in fatal ‘molecular constipation’ and hope for new treatments. Diseases caused by infectious organisms pose an...
Oct 28, 2021 | Science & Technology
By Laura Revell Microplastics are in the air we breathe and in Earth’s atmosphere, and they affect the climate. Microplastics are found in the most remote places on land and in the ocean as well as in our food. Now several studies around the world have confirmed they...
Oct 12, 2021 | Politics & Society
By Mike Lee Mike Lee argues that the rights of other people to remain free from harm overrides freedom of choice. Over the last 18 months, most businesses have had a passive role in New Zealand’s Covid-19 recovery plan. The Government has been calling all the shots...
Oct 12, 2021 | Politics & Society
In 1990, the US Congress passed a landmark piece of legislation called the American’s with Disabilities Act. This recognised persons with disabilities as what is legally referred to as a protected class deserving of equal treatment under the law without...
Oct 11, 2021 | Politics & Society
By Michael Plank The COVID-zero strategy may be past its use-by date, but New Zealand still has a vaccination advantage. The announcement today that New Zealand will introduce a vaccination certificate by November is welcome news. Whether by “carrot” or “stick”,...
Oct 7, 2021 | Arts & Culture, Science & Technology
By Paul Panckhurst There’s evidence that looking at paintings can reduce stress and anxiety. A researcher wants to know if this phenomenon can help surgery patients heal. Pablo Picasso once said, “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”...
Sep 30, 2021 | Science & Technology
It has now become apparent that the impacts of Covid-19 will be felt for many years. Emerging research highlights the serious health effects of ‘long covid’ as well as the impact of lockdowns on mental health, well-being, and education. The growing acceptance of...
Sep 28, 2021 | Science & Technology
In this talk, Associate Professor Suresh Muthukumaraswamy describes the recent renaissance of psychedelic drug research and the pathway for psychedelics to be introduced as important new medicines. This talk was part of the 2021 home edition of the Raising the Bar...
Sep 6, 2021 | Science & Technology
By Helen Petousis-Harris Health risks from contracting Covid-19 far outweigh the rare vaccine side effect linked to the woman who died in New Zealand last week. Helen Petousis-Harris explains. After hundreds of millions of Covid-19 vaccination doses given worldwide,...