How do heatwaves affect biodiversity?
By Cate Macinnis-Ng New Zealand summers are getting hotter – and humans aren’t the only ones feeling the effects. It’s not a mirage, our summers are getting hotter on average and we are experiencing more extremely hot days. News from NIWA that 2021 was New...
What caused the Tongan volcano eruption and what will happen next?
By Shane Cronin Why the volcanic eruption in Tonga was so violent, and what to expect next. The Kingdom of Tonga doesn’t often attract global attention, but a violent eruption of an underwater volcano on January 15 has spread shock waves, quite literally, around half...
How should media continue to report on climate change?
By Aine Kelly-Costello Off the back of the momentum generated by COP26, it’s incumbent on all of Aotearoa’s newsrooms to ensure climate remains on the news agenda. During last month’s COP26 summit, climate change was a ubiquitous story. News hooks abounded, from...
How can scientists update coronavirus vaccines for Omicron?
By Deborah Fuller If the omicron variant of the coronavirus is different enough from the original variant, it’s possible that existing vaccines won’t be as effective as they have been. If so, it’s likely that companies will need to update their vaccines to better...
Why are invasive species threatening Antarctica’s ecosystems?
By Dana M. Bergstrom & Shavawn Donoghue Invasive species are threatening Antarctica’s fragile ecosystems as human activity grows and the world warms. We tend to think Antarctica is isolated and far away – biologically speaking, this is true. But the continent is...
Are New Zealand’s universities doing enough to define the limits of academic freedom?
By Matheson Russell Institutional autonomy and the right to critically question are essential if universities are to be reliable sources of knowledge and expertise for society at large. The news last week that University of Auckland public health researcher Simon...
Is New Zealand’s legal aid crisis eroding the right to justice?
By Kris Gledhill New Zealand’s legal aid crisis is eroding the right to justice – that’s unacceptable in a fair society. Most lawyers are happy to accept we’ll never be as popular as doctors. We are probably on a level with dentists: nobody really wants to see them –...
How many decades old is “revenge porn” and how have laws historically addressed it?
By Jessica Lake In the 19th century, a man was busted for pasting photos of women’s heads on naked bodies … sound familiar? A new app can turn anyone into a porn star against their will. All you need is a photo and deep fake artificial intelligence technology will...
Omicron: What do we know about the new Covid variant?
By Wolfgang Presier, Cathrine Scheepers, Jinal Bhiman, Marietjie Venter & Tulio de Oliveira Since early in the COVID pandemic, the Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa has been monitoring changes in SARS-CoV-2. This was a valuable tool to understand...Subscribe by Email
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