All articles

The Gene Technology Bill was meant to come back from the health select committee on 31 July. That got pushed to 22 August, and now again to 10 October. · Prime Minister Christopher Luxon insists the delay is not political, just about “getting it right.” But Winston Peters says the issue is “far too complicated for a ten second reply” and has confirmed NZ First is still working through its caveats. · The bill would create a new gene tech…

Federated Farmers and Beef + Lamb New Zealand say the Environment Select Committee has missed its chance to stop productive farmland being lost to carbon forestry. · A proposal to tighten exemptions allowing newly converted land to enter the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) after 4 December 2024 has not addressed the main problem, according to Richard Dawkins, chair of Federated Farmers’ meat and fibre section. · “The government had a chance to…

August 25, 1951 was a quiet summer night in Lubbock, Texas. That evening, a handful of scientists from Texas Technical College were hanging out in the backyard of geology professor Dr. W.I. Robinson, drinking tea and chatting about micrometeorites. It was quite the brain trust: chemical engineering professor Dr. A. G. Oberg, physics professor Dr. George and Dr. W. L. Ducker, head of the petroleum-engineering department. · Which made the story…

Racial division cause and effect · Insistence on a separate Maori government has built up over the decades since the formation of the Waitangi Tribunal in 1975. The Tribunal has over time constructed and publicised a complete rewriting of history – the “retrospective recrimination” and “counterfactual history” of the Tribunal, quoting the words of historian Bill Oliver. This fundamental reversal of the message and meaning of the Treaty has…

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has just urged that all children aged 6 - 23 months receive a Covid-19 vaccine, regardless of prior infection, and extended that recommendation to older children deemed high risk. · Their guidance directly conflicts with the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which recently withdrew broad recommendations to vaccinate healthy children and pregnant women in favour of “shared clinical…

This Greek-style Sunday roast is worth the prep and cooking time for its juicy Mediterranean flavours. · Don't chop the herbs too finely, otherwise it will lose its flavour. ·  It makes the perfect dish for a Sunday, as you can put everything in the oven and let it do the work for you, while you chill out as the house slowly fills with the most amazing aromas. · If you cant wait till Sunday, try it tonight! · Ingredients · - 2 tbsp olive…

When you bite into a piece of chocolate, you can taste its distinct fruity, nutty and earthy flavours. · Now, scientists have gained fresh insights into how the process of fermenting cocoa beans can affect that flavour profile. · In a study published today in Nature Microbiology1, researchers found that pH, temperature and microbial species in the fermentation process all influence how the resulting chocolate tastes. They also replicated the…

Caption - A schematic illustration of the oxygen-breathing in the new crystal, SrFe0.5Co0.5O2.5. The scientists have developed a special type of crystal with oxygen-breathing abilities, which could be used in clean energy technologies and next-generation electronics. Credit: Prof. Hyoungjeen Jeen from Pusan National University, Korea · Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) can help extend the range of electric cars using a range of fuels, and run…

If you’re not a fan of CrossFit classes and the aching knees wouldn’t cope with a run, your health is not doomed. In fact, there’s another way to add years to your life without ever wearing trainers or setting foot in a gym. Daily movement, from digging the garden to vacuuming the house, is akin to a “longevity jab”, says research published in BMJ. So by increasing physical activity, we can add up to 11 years to our lifespan. · It’s not the…

The purpose of human conversation is not limited to pragmatic ends, as if we only spoke in order to learn new recipes and get salient tips on what stocks to invest in. A good conversation is always a discovery of the person who reveals himself in speech. · So much fighting concerning AI is really no more than that preliminary chest-thumping, prior to blows, in which combatants square off and say “you wanna go?” and (a little confusedly) “you…