Tag: Science + Environment
Collisions between planes and birds follow seasonal patterns and overlap with breeding and migration – new research
Collisions between birds and planes peak at the end of the breeding season when fledglings join flocks. For these young birds, avoiding foreign objects in the flight path may be a learned behaviour.
Clues left by the Alpine Fault’s last big quake reveal its direction – this will help NZ prepare for the inevitable next rupture
New research shows the last big earthquake on the Alpine Fault ran from south to north. With a 75% chance of another rupture in the next 50 years, this improves how we can forecast its impact.
NZ’s government plans to lift a ban on gene tech outside the lab – here’s what people think
Discussions about the rules governing genetic technology in New Zealand remain complex. But they need not be marked by conflict, as long as people’s views and values are genuinely considered.
NZ’s Space Agency is both regulator and developer of the aerospace industry – that’s a point of tension
The New Zealand Space Agency’s dual role as regulator and sector developer introduces a conflict of interest and skews the aerospace industry towards economic growth, at the cost of sustainability.
Satellites are making the night sky brighter – as a launch site, NZ has a duty to combat light pollution
With every satellite placed into orbit, its reflective surface increases the ambient glow of the night sky, which is now 10% brighter than if it were illuminated only by natural sources.
New evidence from West Papua offers fresh clues about how and when humans first moved into the Pacific
New research provides direct evidence that seafarers travelled along the equator to reach islands off the coast of West Papua more than 50 millennia ago.
AI companions can relieve loneliness – but here are 4 red flags to watch for in your chatbot ‘friend’
AI chatbots offer unconditional support, but this could lead users to develop an inflated self image – and impede their chances of positive social interactions with real people.
A clock in the rocks: what cosmic rays tell us about Earth’s changing surface and climate
When landslides or glaciers bring rocks to the surface, cosmic rays bombard them, smashing common atoms into rarer forms and acting as a chronometer of the changing Earth.
Bioprospecting the unknown: how bacterial enzymes encoded by unknown genes might help clean up pollution
Bacterial DNA extracted from soil includes many genes whose function remains unknown. The novel enzymes these genes code for could be useful in efforts to clean up persistent pollutants.
