May 31, 2023 | Politics & Society
Photo by Piron Guillaume on Unsplash Words by Elizabeth Fenton, University of Otago and Robin Gauld, University of Otago Ethicists argue that healthcare is special. Unlike other consumer goods, its availability and accessibility should be based on need rather...
May 4, 2023 | Featured, Politics & Society
Photo by Andres Siimon on Unsplash Janet Hoek, University of Otago and Anna DeMello, University of Otago Tobacco companies claim to be transforming their business by “reducing the health impact” of their products. Yet they often oppose the very policies that could...
Feb 16, 2022 | Politics & Society, Science & Technology
By Robert Bartholomew Robert Bartholomew takes apart the theory US and Canadian diplomats were the target of a mysterious new weapon in Cuba and lays out a much more likely explanation. Havana Syndrome – the mysterious affliction affecting US diplomats and...
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,...
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...
Jun 23, 2021 | Science & Technology
By Victor Dieriks Dr Victor Dieriks draws attention to Covid’s potential risks of long-term, life-changing neuropsychiatric disorders should we not run a successful vaccination campaign. New evidence from the Covid-19 pandemic paints a grim picture of the...
Jun 16, 2021 | Politics & Society, Science & Technology
By Peter Davis Access to medicines is in many ways a litmus test of a decent society, particularly if a medication can make a difference between life and death. The short answer is that they are not! Unlike many other countries, hospital patients receive their...
May 20, 2021 | Science & Technology
By Paul Panckhurst New Zealand has one of the world’s worst rates of a fatal brain disease. Now, scientists hunting rogue genes hope to unravel the 150-year-old mystery of what triggers the disease and how to find a cure. Motor neuron disease is absurdly cruel and...
Apr 26, 2021 | Science & Technology
By Helen Petousis-Harris If the risk is as small, as it currently appears to be, then we need to ask ourselves if it is worth using these vaccines and if so, in whom. What has happened? Recently the vaccine safety watch dogs in Europe noted reports of unusual types of...