Science Media Centre NZ
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Independent, unbiased scientific information for the New Zealand media | sciencemediacentre.co.nz
Possible flaws found in early US COVID vaccine safety monitoring – Expert Reaction
Possible flaws found in early US COVID vaccine safety monitoring - Expert Reaction
US officials knew their monitoring method might be missing some harmful effects of COVID vaccines, claims an investigative journalism article in a medical journal. Rare heart inflammation side…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
September 17, 2026 at 4:00 AM
Possible flaws found in early US COVID vaccine safety monitoring – Expert Reaction
Fiji declares national HIV emergency – Expert Reaction
Fiji declares national HIV emergency - Expert Reaction
The Fijian government estimates that 1 in 60 adults in the country are now living with HIV, including 1 in 50 pregnant women. Due to the seriousness of the epidemic, the country has declared a…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
September 16, 2026 at 3:00 AM
Fiji declares national HIV emergency – Expert Reaction
Air pollution linked to suicide risk – Expert Reaction
Air pollution linked to suicide risk - Expert Reaction
***This expert reaction contains information some readers may find distressing as it refers to data about mental health, suicide and self-harm. If you or anyone you know needs help, support is…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
September 16, 2026 at 2:00 AM
Air pollution linked to suicide risk – Expert Reaction
Should we put the brakes on AI? – Expert Q&A
Should we put the brakes on AI? - Expert Q&A
AI company CEOs have called for international cooperation to slow AI development, set safety standards, and manage risks. This comes in the wake of recent AI hacking incidents, and alarm raised by a…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
September 14, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Should we put the brakes on AI? – Expert Q&A
Study links paracetamol in pregnancy to smaller ovaries and wombs in babies – Expert Reaction
Study links paracetamol in pregnancy to smaller ovaries and wombs in babies - Expert Reaction
A small study suggests taking paracetamol in the first 4 months of pregnancy could be linked to smaller ovaries and wombs in three-month-old babies. Baby girls exposed to paracetamol later in…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
September 9, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Study links paracetamol in pregnancy to smaller ovaries and wombs in babies – Expert Reaction
Why do smokers have a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease? – Expert Reaction
Why do smokers have a lower risk of Parkinson's disease? - Expert Reaction
Exposure to carbon monoxide could help explain the known link between cigarette smoking and lower risk of Parkinson's disease, shows a new study. The study of over 500,000 Chinese adults found that…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
September 8, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Why do smokers have a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease? – Expert Reaction
2026 Election Q&A – Science
2026 Election Q&A - Science
Ahead of the 2026 General Election, scheduled for Saturday 7 November, the Science Media Centre asked political parties about their science policies. Responses to all 12 questions on science policy…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
September 8, 2026 at 10:00 PM
2026 Election Q&A – Science
Global and local action needed to protect Pacific coral reefs – Expert Reaction
Global and local action needed to protect Pacific coral reefs - Expert Reaction
Pacific reefs lost nearly a fifth of their living coral in the last four decades, mostly from warmer oceans causing 'coral bleaching'. Overall, coral cover declined in the north of the region and…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
September 3, 2026 at 2:00 AM
Global and local action needed to protect Pacific coral reefs – Expert Reaction
Our ‘best remaining’ climate strategy – Expert Reaction
Our 'best remaining' climate strategy - Expert Reaction
We're set to overshoot the 1.5°C of global warming we agreed not to go over, and will need to cool it down ASAP, finds a UN report. Limiting Overshoot says we'll pass the Paris Agreement limit of…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
September 3, 2026 at 1:00 AM
Our ‘best remaining’ climate strategy – Expert Reaction
Nepal-Tibet flash flooding – Expert Reaction
Nepal-Tibet flash flooding - Expert Reaction
An 'ice avalanche' from a glacier is thought to have triggered flash flooding at the Nepal-Tibet border. Over 160 people are reported to have died, with hundreds missing, including New Zealanders.…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
August 27, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Nepal-Tibet flash flooding – Expert Reaction
How should NZ manage its plastic problem? – Expert Reaction
How should NZ manage its plastic problem? - Expert Reaction
A new NZ report says microplastics are found through every part of the environment, posing a risk to ecosystems and human health. The report from PHF recommends more detailed monitoring of micro- and…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
August 27, 2026 at 1:00 AM
How should NZ manage its plastic problem? – Expert Reaction
Using DNA clues to trace invasive hornets – Expert Reaction
Using DNA clues to trace invasive hornets - Expert Reaction
NZ will use environmental DNA in an insect biosecurity response for the first time, to check Auckland waterways for signs of yellow-legged hornets. The hornets haven't been detected since this April,…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
August 26, 2026 at 1:00 AM
Using DNA clues to trace invasive hornets – Expert Reaction
Bill to ban NZ kids from social media – Expert Reaction
Bill to ban NZ kids from social media - Expert Reaction
The government is introducing an Online Safety Bill to make social media companies verify user ages and assess their risks to child safety. Verification could work using face scans, ID, credit cards,…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
August 24, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Bill to ban NZ kids from social media – Expert Reaction
NZ falls short on protections against tobacco industry lobbying – Expert Reaction
NZ falls short on protections against tobacco industry lobbying - Expert Reaction
NZ has not fully implemented part of a WHO treaty designed to keep tobacco industry interests out of health policy, finds a new study. Researchers interviewed politicians, public health experts and…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
August 23, 2026 at 7:00 PM
NZ falls short on protections against tobacco industry lobbying – Expert Reaction
Flu causes surge in winter illness – Expert Reaction
Flu causes surge in winter illness - Expert Reaction
Severe respiratory illness rates are now the highest they've been in the last decade, mostly due to very high rates of flu. This comes as ambulance services struggle to meet demand, and Health NZ…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
August 20, 2026 at 4:00 AM
Flu causes surge in winter illness – Expert Reaction
Reposted by Science Media Centre NZ
I'll be giving a free public talk at Tūhura Otago Museum next week on Thurs 20th August as part of the PM Science Communication Prize. It would be great to see you there. Drinks and nibbles from 6.30pm. Spread the word tuhura.nz/whats-on/tal... @smcnz.bsky.social @universityofotago.bsky.social
Tales from an Ancient Lake to an Island of Laistrygonian Giants
Associate Professor and 2026 winner of the Prime Minister's Science Communication Prize, Nic Rawlence, is the Director of the Ancient Ecology Lab in the Department of Zoology at the University of Otag...
tuhura.nz
August 12, 2026 at 1:31 AM
I'll be giving a free public talk at Tūhura Otago Museum next week on Thurs 20th August as part of the PM Science Communication Prize. It would be great to see you there. Drinks and nibbles from 6.30pm. Spread the word tuhura.nz/whats-on/tal... @smcnz.bsky.social @universityofotago.bsky.social
Mt Maunganui landslide review finds system failure – Expert Reaction
Mt Maunganui landslide review finds system failure - Expert Reaction
Tauranga City Council has released its external review into the Mount Maunganui landslide, finding that the hazard was known but never addressed. It says the failure was not the fault of one person,…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
August 19, 2026 at 5:00 AM
Mt Maunganui landslide review finds system failure – Expert Reaction
Climate liability bill passes final reading – Expert Reaction
Climate liability bill passes final reading - Expert Reaction
A bill preventing courts from finding certain types of liability for greenhouse gas emissions has passed its final reading. The government says this is in response to the Smith vs Fonterra and…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
August 19, 2026 at 2:00 AM
Climate liability bill passes final reading – Expert Reaction
The impact of medical misinformation in NZ – Expert Reaction
The impact of medical misinformation in NZ - Expert Reaction
Medical misinformation may delay treatment for children, a case report warns. The NZ study describes the case of a 9-year-old girl who developed serious complications when her parents didn't follow…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
August 13, 2026 at 11:00 PM
The impact of medical misinformation in NZ – Expert Reaction
Science & Social Sciences curriculum updated – Expert Reaction
Science & Social Sciences curriculum updated - Expert Reaction
The government has released the new Science and Social Sciences curriculums for Years 0-10. The Science Media Centre asked experts to comment. Feel free to use these comments in your reporting or…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
August 12, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Science & Social Sciences curriculum updated – Expert Reaction
NZ going too slow on climate adaptation – Expert Reaction
NZ going too slow on climate adaptation - Expert Reaction
NZ is not adapting fast enough to growing climate risks, leaving communites exposed to damage and costs, says a new report from the Climate Change Commission. The report recommends six areas for…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
August 11, 2026 at 5:00 AM
NZ going too slow on climate adaptation – Expert Reaction
Vaping in pregnancy linked to infant deaths – Expert Reaction
Vaping in pregnancy linked to infant deaths - Expert Reaction
The proportion of unexplained infant deaths while bed-sharing is increasing, and a study suggests vaping has a role to play. Researchers looked at 66 detailed records of sudden infant deaths in NZ,…
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
August 10, 2026 at 10:00 PM
Vaping in pregnancy linked to infant deaths – Expert Reaction
AI creates microbe that could one day take down superbugs – Expert Reaction
AI creates microbe that could one day take down superbugs - Expert Reaction - Science Media Centre
Researchers have used AI to create a new phage (a virus that exclusively kills bacteria) that can kill resistant strains of E. coli bacteria. The […]
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
August 7, 2026 at 12:00 AM
AI creates microbe that could one day take down superbugs – Expert Reaction
Why does NZ allow weight-loss drug billboards? – Expert Reaction
Why does NZ allow weight-loss drug billboards? - Expert Reaction - Science Media Centre
The fine print on Wegovy billboards will have to be bigger after a recent complaint, but the ad wouldn’t exist at all if not […]
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
August 6, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Why does NZ allow weight-loss drug billboards? – Expert Reaction
Is solar the silver bullet for NZ energy? – Expert Q&A
Is solar the silver bullet for NZ energy? - Expert Q&A - Science Media Centre
This week’s cold snap has brought a power warning across the country, with Transpower expecting record electricity demand. It comes as […]
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
August 6, 2026 at 5:00 AM
Is solar the silver bullet for NZ energy? – Expert Q&A