Feb 9, 2021 | Science & Technology
By Manuel Vallee Research shows that disease is invariably related to pollution in subtle but intimate ways as Manuel Vallee explains. How reliable is the disease information provided by mass media? What gaps exist in their coverage? In particular, how well do they...
Dec 16, 2020 | Science & Technology
By Fiona Crichton What has become starkly apparent in the age of the SARS CoV-2 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is that the effective communication of science-based health messages is no easy task (1). We see this exemplified in a resistance in certain quarters to...
Nov 12, 2020 | Arts & Culture, Politics & Society
By Peter Ellerton Why do humans instinctively reject evidence contrary to their beliefs? Do we understand why and how people change their mind about climate change? Is there anything we can do to engage people? These are three very significant questions. They could be...
Jul 16, 2020 | Science & Technology
By Komathi Kolandai-Matchett Effective communication, capable of garnering public support for marine conservation, appears more urgent now than ever before. Marine ecosystems are besieged by multiple human-caused threats – temperature and acidity increases, toxins,...
Feb 3, 2020 | Science & Technology
In December an unexpected volcanic eruption on White Island in New Zealand killed twenty-one people, while in the Philippines, the eruption of Taal Volcano caused thousands of people to flee the area. With Climate Change, will volcanic eruptions become more frequent...
Aug 15, 2019 | Referee, Science & Technology
After a prominent New Zealand radio host claimed that the science of man-made climate change was not yet settled – and used dodgy sources to do so – Joel Rindelaub, research fellow at the University of Auckland issued a rebuttal titled ‘Why Sources Matter in a Climate...
Aug 7, 2019 | Science & Technology
By Jeremy Delahanty Imagine you have been asked to define pain by your doctor. They might have asked for a rating on a scale from zero, no pain, to ten, unbearable pain. Or you chose from a selection of faces ranging from happy to tearful. Maybe you answer with your...
May 28, 2019 | Science & Technology
By Sarah Laframboise In the ruling against Caster Semenya, bogus science is being used to stifle the vulnerable according to Sarah Laframboise. Caster Semenya crouched over the starting line, waiting for the start in the final 800 meter race at the 2016 Olympic Games....
Apr 15, 2019 | Science & Technology
By Chris Benton With much excitement from the press, an international team of astronomers recently announced they had directly imaged the silhouette or shadow of a black hole for the first time (Figure 1). This ground-breaking observation highlights many achievements...
Mar 12, 2019 | Science & Technology
By Katie L. Flanagan For years a myth has been propagated that the MMR vaccine causes autism. However new research has confirmed the link does not exist. Last week, a Danish study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine gave considerable weight to the existing...