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Our 200th heads-up newsletter!
This issue of the SMC Heads-Up newsletter is our 200th, marking over four years of weekly updates and half a million words of science-related info to keep you up to date with what's happening in the science world.
Feedback suggests the Heads-Up, which goes out to 1500 subscribers every Friday afternoon, is a valued resource for journalists, scientists, press officers and government officials alike.
But we are always keen to sharpen the focus and make the newsletter more relevant to your needs. Email us with suggestions for new features or improvements and feel free to invite your colleagues to subscibe to the SMC Heads-Up here.
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Scientists get science media savvy
Scientists and researchers around the country have deluged the SMC with emails about the upcoming Science Media SAVVY media training programme.
The first two-day workshop, which is aimed at scientists at any stage of their careers and features visits to newsrooms, a pitching session with journalists and exercises with a broadcast interview expert will be held next month in Christchurch.
That workshop attracted dozens of applications and is now fully subscribed, but many scientists in other regions have expressed interest in the workshops coming to their regions.
The SMC will be extending the workshops throughout the country in 2012-2013, including all major centres. Email us your details if you would like to be informed when Science Media SAVVY will be coming to your city.
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On the science radar...
The squid from hell, tricky carnivorous plants, and... the Nazi space Buddha.
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Novel 'SARS-like' virus investigated
Media around the world have been reporting on a newly identified "SARS-like" virus, but just how much is actually known about the virus and the risks it poses?
 On Monday the World Health Organisation issued a notification highlighting a novel virus belonging to the coronavirus family (which includes the SARS virus and the common cold).
The WHO report came after a man suffering acute repository syndrome and renal failure was flown from Qatar to the UK for treatment. The Health Protection Agency of the UK (HPA) conducted laboratory testing and has confirmed the presence of a novel coronavirus. The sequence of the virus was almost identical to a similar case in the Middle East identified earlier this year.
Health agencies have been working hard to uncover more about the virus. While the effects of the virus appear to be severe - of the two known infections, one has been fatal and the other requiring intensive care - it also seems that the virus is not highly contagious. There have been no new infections among people who came into contact with the Qatar patient.
A phylogenetic analysis of viral RNA released on Wednesday revealed that the new coronavirus, dubbed London1_ novel CoV 2012, shared the most similarity with a bat coronavirus.
In New Zealand, health authorities have been monitoring the situation. Dr Sue Huang, Director of the WHO national influenza centre told Fairfax Media, "Potentially this type of virus is not as infectious as influenza, but we still need to learn what is happening in Saudi Arabia and what is the mortality rate in the country. There are so many questions and issues we need to understand a little more".
Further expert commentary from the UK SMC is available here. Additional information from the HPA includes a press release, a Q&A and background for healthcare workers.
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Unitec takes on cybercrime
Life just got a little bit tougher for hackers and internet criminals thanks to the opening of a new cybersecurity research centre.
 The new facility, based Unitec's Mt Albert campus, was developed in collaboration with the Japanese National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) and officially opened on Thursday.
The joint venture aims to conduct research, monitor internet traffic and provide organisations around the country with state of the art cloud-computing age cybersecurity technologies.
Unitec's Head of Computing, Associate Professor Hossein Sarrafzadeh, said that by working with other organisations, the facility would fill a gap in both research and education.
"Addressing anticipated skill shortages, educational needs and the need for advanced technologies is a shared responsibility of tertiary institutions, industry and government," he said.
You can read more about the research centre on the New Zealand Herald website.
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Mental health media grants
Got an idea for a feature article or documentary that explores mental health issues? Then the Mental Health Foundation wants to hear from you.
Mental Health Foundation, in association with the Ministry of Health, is calling for applications for the 2012 NZ Mental Health Media Grants.
The aim of the Media Grants is to help reduce stigma and discrimination by informing the public about mental health issues and experiences through projects that have a journalistic or creative focus.
There are two grants ($10,000 and $6,000) available to journalists and journalism students - across all media - to support projects that increase understanding and decrease stigma and discrimination associated with mental distress.
Find out more here. Applications close on November 5th.
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Quoted: Stuff.co.nz
"We just have to have all the gears ready to deal with it. "We need to get ourselves prepared in terms of laboratory diagnostic, in terms of all the infection control, and hospital protection. "And to prepare a good monitoring system, luckily we have a system set up at the moment"
Dr Sue Huang, ESR, on the novel coronavirus identified this week
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Sciblogs highlights
Some of the highlights from this week's posts:
Should I cram all night before that exam? - SciBlogs' sleep tsarina Karyn O'Keeffe scrutinises the impact of a bit of shut-eye on scholastic scores.
Sleep On It
Expensive cat physics - Marcus Wilson's impressive ability to draw physics into everyday situations is highlighted in this post about his cat's urinary problems.
Physics Stop
Traumatic insemination? Ooh that sounds painful! - "A bug's gotta do what a bug's gotta do", says Alison Campbell - but that doesn't stop them from being weird.
Bio Blog
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Research highlights
Please note: hyperlinks point, where possible, to the relevant abstract or paper.
Sumatra quake triggered week of global shakes: A series of three papers in this weeks issue of Nature analyse the sequence of intense earthquakes that occurred off the coast Sumatra on April 11 of this year. Researchers show that number of earthquakes around the globe temporarily increased in the wake of the Sumatran quake and speculate that a new plate boundary may be forming between the Indian and Australian oceanic plates.
Nature
Viruses join war on acne: Doctors soon may have a new weapon against zits: a harmless virus living on our skin that naturally seeks out and kills the bacteria that cause pimples. US researchers analysed viruses which kill Propionibacterium acnes, the bacterial culprit behind acne, and discovered that the viruses possess multiple features - such as small size, limited diversity and the broad ability to kill their hosts - that make them ideal candidates for the development of a new anti-acne therapy.
mBio
Degradable electronics: Scientists have developed a new class of electronics capable of degrading into their environment. Unlike today's electronic devices, which are designed to last forever, the transient circuits disappear after a programmed amount of time. Researchers crafted the circuits from cocoon silk, silicon and magnesium electrodes and successfully tested the device as a biomedical implant in mice. The technology could be useful in biomedical implants as well as creating environmentally friendly general electronics.
Regenerative skin: Tissue loss is no skin off the back of the African spiny mouse, it seems. Researchers studying the African spiny mouse demonstrate how the structural weakness of the mouse's skin contributes to the skin tearing and loss. However, lesions are rapidly regenerated, including the production of hair follicles and cartilage in damaged ears, without scarring. The authors suggest that these mice produce a similar pro-regenerative environment to that seen in salamanders.
Nature
Guy or girl?: Are you more likely to mistake a lady for a bloke if you are in a women's shoe store? Quite possibly, according to a new study. The authors found that when people view objects highly associated with one gender, like high heels for women or electric shavers for men,for a short period of time and are then asked to identify the gender of an androgynous face, they are more likely to identify it as being of the gender opposite to that associated with the stimuli.
PLoS ONE
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Policy updates
Some of the policy highlights from this week:
Sharks protected: Oceanic whitetip sharks are to get the same status as the great white shark and basking shark - fully protected under the Wildlife Act 1953 from early 2013 in New Zealand fisheries waters. Maui Submission: The Ministry for Primary Industries and Department of Conservation are seeking public comment on a review of the Maui's Dolphin Threat Management Plan. Syn GG submissions: The Ministry for the Environment is seeking feedback on the proposed synthetic greenhouse gas (SGG) regulatory amendments. Applications close 15 October. Border security streamlined: Customs and MPI plan to improve border protection through the development of a Joint Border Management System, providing better information to manage border risks, and a single on-line window for traders to comply with border requirements. Animal Welfare: The National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee has released its 2011 Annual Report, detailing statistics on animal use in research and teaching. |
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Upcoming sci-tech events
- Cochrane Colloquium -International meeting of the Cochrane collaboration (systematic reviews and meta-analysis) - 30 September - 3 October, Auckland.
For these and more upcoming events, and more details about them, visit the SMC's Events Calendar. |
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