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BUDGET 2012: Science gets a top-up
Science was one of the few areas to get additional Budget expenditure this year, with the Advanced Technology Institute, the National Science Challenges and research efforts at universities receiving funding.
 Science and engineering courses at tertiary level also receive a boost with $59 million extra budgeted for these areas over the next four years. How the numbers break down (over four years): ATI - $90 million operating funding, $76.1 million capital funding. National Science Challenges - $60 million Performance-based Research Fund - additional $100 million Tertiary education - $42 million for engineering, $17 million for science The Government's "total cross-portfolio funding" for science, innovation, and research rises from $1.16 billion in 2011/12 to $1.24 billion in 2012/13. Science sector's reaction The SMC rounded up comment from scientists and leading figures in the science sector. The full comments are available here.
Some excerpts: Neville Jordan - "Overall, a score of 8/10 from me & a well-finessed budget considering severe international constraints'."
Professor Shaun Hendy - "The total increase in science spending in Vote S&I is only about 3% after inflation. This still falls far short of level of investment in science and technology made by other small countries like Singapore or Denmark.
Dr William Rolleston - "It is particularly pleasing to see funds directed to our core capabilities and that is the production and support of sciences with an increase in the PBRF funding and a $59 million boost for science and engineering courses. |
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On the science radar...
Nasty people & nasty dogs, stiff roads save gas, yeti genetics, deep-sea stowaways and breaking out of the prisoners dilemma.
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SMC briefing: Update on folic acid
Adding folic acid to foods is back on the table -- here's a chance to get your head around it.
In 2009, the New Zealand government deferred a decision on whether to require fortification of bread with folic acid -- to help raise levels of the nutrient folate in women of child-bearing age -- citing a need for further research into what had become an increasingly divisive issue.
Now, a public consultation has been launched to consider that research and decide whether and in what way folic acid should be added to foods. Submissions close 16 July.
The Science Media Centre will host a media briefing next Tues (29 May) at 10.30am to answer your questions about folic acid and provide an update on recent research.
In this SMC briefing, we will update journalists on the latest international findings on cancer risk, outcomes from fortification programmes overseas, and attempts to measure the success of voluntary fortification in New Zealand so far.
We will also look at the incidence of neural tube defects {NTDs) in New Zealand, and discuss challenges in gathering this data, as well as long-term implications for families and the health system.
Registered journalists will be emailed log-in details. Contact the SMC for further details. |
Peter Gluckman on science diplomacy
The Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor, Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, says effective science diplomacy is crucial to New Zealand given our reliance on exports and the constant threat of biosecurity breaches.
Sir Peter has just co-authored a paper in Science & Diplomacy with colleagues Dr Stephen Goldson and Dr Alan Beedle that looks at science diplomacy from the point of view of a small country.
He suggests science was a crucial diplomatic tool used to maintain relations with the US in the wake of the break in the ANZUS security pact, following New Zealand's imposition of a nuclear power ban that precluded nuclear-powered war ships from visiting.
"Joint U.S.-New Zealand activities in support of Antarctic scientific operations continued on an amicable basis while differences elsewhere were being worked through," he writes.
He points to New Zealand's leadership in the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases which has encouraged "highly innovative transnational partnerships".
And he concludes that small countries can play a disproportionately large role in science diplomacy.
"The interplay between science and diplomacy has a different focus from that of larger nations, and in some ways it is even more important in projecting a small nation's profile.
"With limited domestic resources, science frequently has an international dimension. Exploring opportunities to work jointly with other nations is a necessary part of building capabilities and relationships."
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Kiwi judges "Top 10 new species"
A New Zealand scientist has helped select the "Top 10 new species" of the year, with winners announced by Arizona State University this week.
 These include the "walking cactus", a monkey that sneezes when it rains, a blue tarantula, the "wandering leg sausage" millipede, and other bizarre, fascinating creatures and plants. The panel received 200 nominations - everything from the rare to the unusual and bizarre - and through three rounds of selections whittled the list down to the top 10.
About 1.8 million species have been described in the last 300 years by taxonomists but this is believed to be just a small percentage of what is actually living on earth.
Dr Zhi-Qiang Zhang, a mite expert at Landcare Research, was on the deciding panel of judges and commented to the SMC:
"Part of the reason for doing this is to promote and celebrate the diversity of life and to illustrate that there are still lots more species to discover throughout the world. And, it's a valuable way of highlighting the important work of taxonomists who each year discover about 20,000 new species around the world."
Four of the 'Top 10' were first described in two journals (Zootaxa and Phytotaxa) that Dr Zhang founded in New Zealand.
They are the Bonaire banded box jellyfish (Tamoya ohboya), Wandering Leg Sausage (a giant millipede, Crurifarcimen vagans), Sazima's Tarantula (Pterinopelma sazimai) and Nepalese Autumn Poppy (Meconopsis autumnalis).
His favourite from the list is the Bonaire banded box jellyfish
(pictured).
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Quoted: Stuff.co.nz
"New Zealand's unique location in the South Pacific means we will be able to see the spacecraft before the SpaceX team, and therefore be able to give them exact coordinates for its landing."
Professor Sergei Gulyaev, AUT University
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Podcast: Does this science compute?
This week on the Sciblogs Podcast we get digital.
 We talk to the head of the National eScience Infrastructure about the opportunities for New Zealand researchers to tap into our supercomputing power.
We hear from the team running the Southern Cross Cable which carries most of our international internet traffic.
And we hear from researchers looking at how our descriptions of kinship vary depending on what language we speak.
In the journal wrap we round up some of the best new research from around the world.
Subscribe to the Sciblogs Podcast in iTunes and on stitcher.com or stream it directly from Sciblogs. We'd also love your feedback on the show. Email us!
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New from the SMC
Experts respond: Science and the Budget 2012: Get the full round up from the science sector here.
Budget stubbing out smoking: Read expert reaction to the new tobacco tax plan announced as part of the budget.
In the News: Slow quakes in the Southern Alps: Researchers monitoring seismic activity under the Southern Alps have reported 'slow' and 'creeping' earthquakes occurring deep under the mountain range. Top Species :A New Zealand scientist has helped select the " Top 10 new species" of the year, with the winners announced this week. Opposing 'opposites attract': A NZ researcher has highlighted some counter-intuitive physics with statically charged balls. Kiwis track spaceraft: Kiwi space scientists are playing a key role in the fist commercial space mission.
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Sciblogs highlights
Some of the highlights from this week's posts:
Have you checked your tyres recently? Once more Marcus Wilson casts his physics eye over the seemingly mundane, this time revealing a few insights about the humble tyre.
Physics Stop
Does the Swiss government really support homeopathy? Alison Campbell gives a recent news story some close, critical inspection.
BioBlog
How much water does it take to produce one litre of milk? Some staggering numbers are unveiled in Daniel Collins review of our liquid assets
Waiology
To PSA or not to PSA - Diagnostic accuracy is at the heart of the debate over testing for prostate cancer, explains John Pickering as he muses on the PSA conundrum.
Kidney Punch
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Research highlights
Please note: hyperlinks point, where possible, to the relevant abstract or paper.
Added benefits from folate: As New Zealanders get to grips with whether or not to fortify foods to reduce neural tube defects in newborns, American researchers have shown such fortification may also reduce the incidence of the most common type of kidney cancer and a type of brain tumors in children. US foods have been fortified since 1998, and folic acid seems to have reduced the incidence of Wilms' tumor, a type of kidney cancer, and primitive neuroectodermal tumors, say researchers.
Pediatrics
Culling chest-pain patients: Patients complaining of chest pains make up about 10 percent of emergency room presentations and a quarter of the hospital admissions from the ER. But Christchurch researchers say 85 percent of those arriving at the ER can be quickly sent home again. Measuring blood levels of a heart muscle protein, troponin I, can be used with ECG measurements and the a risk score for patients such as those with unstable angina, to weed out a large group of patients actually at low risk of cardiac events and are suitable for safe early discharge.
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
Streetlights change ecosystems: Recent estimates suggest that artificial lighting is increasing at a rate of 6% per year globally, yet we have little understanding of the impact this is having on the environment. New research presents the first evidence that artificial lighting can change the composition of communities. Ground beetles, harvestmen, woodlice, amphipods and ants were all found to be more abundant, raising concerns that artificial lighting can alter the structure and functioning of ecosystems of invertebrate communities located in close proximity to street lighting.
Biology Letters
Parasite hides TB: A common diagnostic test for bovine tuberculosis (BTB) may not work properly if animals are also infected with a widespread livestock parasite, according to new research. The finding suggests that not all cattle infected with BTB might be identified as such. Researchers demonstrated that infection of cattle with the common livestock parasite liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica) interferes with the diagnosis of BTB with a commonly used immunological test, masking up to a quarter of infections.
Nature Communications
Bee product sting: Bee pollen taken by many people as a health supplement can cause severe anaphylactic reactions, but most consumers are unaware of the risks. Canadian doctors say anaphylactic reactions after ingesting bee pollen have been reported in people with no history of allergies or only seasonal allergies. NZ requires pollen products to be labelled: "This product may cause severe allergic reactions".
Canadian Medical Association Journal
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Policy updates
Some of the policy highlights from this week:
Budget budget budget 2012: The government has announced a number of financial changes including in health, tertiary education and science innovation and research. See all budget releases here.
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Upcoming sci-tech events
For these and more upcoming events, and more details about them, visit the SMC's Events Calendar. |
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