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Thirst for milk ruining water - report
The increasing profitability of dairy farming has led to a rush for 'white gold', with swathes of land converted to dairy farms in recent years. However there is hidden cost to the dairy boom, as highlighted in a new report.
 Increased dairying is negatively affecting the water quality of our lakes and rivers and we need to do something about it, says Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Jan Wright.
Yesterday the Commissioner released a new report titled Water quality in New Zealand: Land use and nutrient pollution, adding weight to the growing concern over freshwater quality in the face of changes to the farming landscape.
The document details how a shift from sheep and beef farming to dairying has led to increased leaching of nitrogen and phosphorus into streams and rivers, which in turn causes excessive growth of weeds and algae. Drawing on modelling of land use and nutrient run-off, the report also paints a grim picture of the future, predicting that leaching of nitrogen and phosphorus into waterways will continue to increase - even under "optimistic" assumptions.
"Unfortunately, if we continue to see large-scale conversion of land to more intensive uses, it is difficult to see how water quality will not continue to decline in the next few years." The report concludes.
"I applaud the effort that is being put into environmental mitigation on dairy farms,"Dr Wright said in a media release. "Unfortunately, it is particularly difficult to control nitrogen. Nitrogen - in the form of nitrate - is so soluble that I think of it as the 'elusive' pollutant.
"I am pleased that fresh water policy is very much on the Government's agenda with the recent release of a discussion paper on setting 'bottom lines' for water quality. I hope that this report will better inform both the general public and those who make decisions on their behalf."
Experts contacted by the Science Media Centre were generally welcoming of the report.
David Hamilton, President, New Zealand Freshwater Sciences Society, commented:
"It is clear from the report that 'business as usual' will not get us over the line and that a step change and solution-focused approach are required, mostly in environmental management in the agricultural industry, to meet the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management objectives."
Assoc Prof Russell Death, Institute of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, commented:
"Many of our waterways are already badly degraded, agriculture creates pollutants (nitrogen, phosphorous and sediment) and thus increasing agriculture even with the best mitigation practices (none of which are even close to perfect) will still result in more pollutants entering our waterways. More pollutants, lower water quality, it's not rocket science."
You can read further expert commentary and a round up of media coverage on the SMC website.
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Doctors warn of 'post-antibiotic era'
The widely reported case of an antibiotic resistant 'superbug' has highlighted antibiotics' waning ability to fight off diseases in the modern world.
 Tuesday's Dominion Post carried a front page story detailing the the death of Wellington teacher Brian Pool, believed to be one of the first New Zealand carriers of an aggressive 'pan-resistant' superbug impervious to a wide range of antibiotics.
The Klebsiella pneumoniae bacterium, reported as KPC-Oxa 48, was resistant to every type of antibiotic drug tested in hospital lab experiments. Mr Poole, who died of a stroke in July this year, was required to spend the last six months of his life in quarantine. Doctors assume that he picked up the infection while travelling in India or Vietnam.
Wellington Hospital clinical microbiologist Mark Jones didn't pull any punches in describing the infection. "Nothing would touch it. Absolutely nothing," he said. "It's the first one that we've ever seen that is resistant to every single antibiotic known."
Dr Jones also took part in an extended 'Live Chat' session on the Dominion Post website, answering dozens of insightful questions, which is available to read here.
The story comes in the middle of Antibiotic Awareness Week, a global campaign from Australian organisation NPS MedicineWise, which is "is urging all health professionals to pledge their commitment to preserve the miracle of antibiotics and re-shape consumer expectations of these lifesavings medicines."
Inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics and excessive use of the drugs in the agriculture sector are believed to be some of the main drivers of antibiotic resistance.
Numerous health officials including Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the WHO, have warned that we may be heading into a post-antibiotic era, where ineffective antibiotics mean minor infections can become life threatening, and the risk of complications will severely limit surgery and invasive medical procedures.
University of Auckland microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles has written more about the story on Sciblogs, adding some context and background to the Wellington case and antibiotic resistance in general
"There are a number of bacterial strains circulating around the world that are now completely untreatable. And at the moment it's not a particularly rosy outlook", she warns.
There is some hope, she notes, with new approaches to fighting superbugs, such as bacteria-fighting viruses, currently under investigation.
You can read further media coverage of the issue on the SMC website.
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What was big in science news this week...
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IceCube catches interstellar prey
Buried more than two kilometres deep in the ice under the South Pole, the IceCube neutrino detector seems like an unlikely place to find a window to the universe.
Since 2010 it has been searching for the faint signals of extra-solar neutrinos -- subatomic particles that fly through space, generated by an as yet unknown source.
The IceCube research team, which includes several New Zealanders, has now for the first time detected neutrinos from outside of our solar system.
Their research published in the journal Science today details the observation of 28 very high-energy particle events that constitute the first solid evidence for astrophysical neutrinos from cosmic sources.
 | | The IceCube Laboratory at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica. Credit: IceCube/NSF |
Billions of neutrinos pass through every square centimeter of the Earth every second, but the vast majority originate either in the sun or in the Earth's atmosphere.
Far rarer are neutrinos from the outer reaches of our galaxy or beyond, which have long been theorised to provide insights into the powerful cosmic objects where high-energy cosmic rays may originate: supernovas, black holes, pulsars, active galactic nuclei and other extreme extragalactic phenomena.
"This is the first indication of very high-energy neutrinos coming from outside our solar system," said University of Wisconsin-Madison Physics Professor Francis Halzen, principal investigator of IceCube. "It is gratifying to finally see what we have been looking for. This is the dawn of a new age of astronomy."
You can read more about the research in international media such as Wired.com, the LA Times and the Guardian.
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Policy news and developments
Marine charts ahoy! Land Information New Zealand has made online navigational charts available in a new and more widely accessible format.
Game council: The government has established the Game Animal Council, an independent statutory body to give greater representation to the interests of recreational hunters.
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Quoted: Otago Daily Times
''I wouldn't say we were looking at doomsday yet, but we really do need action right now to be prepared to address these bugs.''
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Sciblogs highlights
Some of the highlights from this week's Sciblogs posts:
Physical activity or nutrition interventions - Tony Blakely and Nick Wilson explore which can improve population health the most and save the most health dollars?
Public Health Expert
Science and policy merge in water plan - Paul Reynolds reports on the Government's new freshwater framework, noting all stake holders are "pretty much in strenuous non-disagreement."
Waiology
NZ's first 'superbug' victim? Get a dose of clarity as Siouxsie Wiles adds some context to the current buzz about antibiotic resistance.
Infectious Thoughts
Frederick Sanger 1918-2013 - Grant Jacobs pays tribute to the chemist who pioneered protein and DNA sequencing, ushering the world into the genomic era.
Code for Life
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Research highlights
Some of the major research papers that made headlines this week.
Please note: hyperlinks point, where possible, to the relevant abstract or paper.
What happens to tiny babies? People born weighing less than 1500gm (very low birth weight or VLBW) tend to be shorter, have fewer friends and achieve fewer educational qualifications than their peers by the time they reach their 20s, according to a Christchurch study that followed over 200 VLBW people born in 1986. However, VLBW babies score similarly at age 20 to their peers on a range of other measures of health and social functioning - despite previous research indicating they could be impaired by their small start in life. PediatricsBacteria resurrect dead DNA: An international team of researchers, including a New Zealander, have shown that bacteria can take up DNA from long-dead organisms from the environment and add it to their own genomes. Using DNA from 43,000-year-old mammoth bone as an example, researchers showed how bacteria were able to integrate the fragmented and damaged mammoth DNA into their own genetic material. The authors say the research has important implications for how we view microbial evolution, as well as current issues such as transmission of antibiotic resistance. PNASToo much of a good thing? A study of more that 1,200 French teens has those who engage in sports activities 14 hours per week -- double that recommended by international bodies -- have the highest scores of physical and mental wellbeing. However too much exercise (over 17 hours per week) can be as bad for your wellbeing as too little say the authors of the research. Archives of Diseases of ChildhoodMartian meteorite: A meteorite from Northwest Africa called NWA 7533 may be the first recognised example of ancient Martian crust, according to new research. The meteorite contains crustal minerals called zircons that are over 4.4 billion years old. The ages of these zircons are strikingly similar to the ages of the earliest terrestrial and lunar zircons, implying a similar timing for early crust formation on the Earth, the Moon and Mars. NatureMitigating marijuana's memory muddle: In addition to being used as a recreational drug, marijuana has been used for centuries to treat a variety of conditions, from chronic pain to epilepsy. However, its medical value is greatly limited by debilitating side effects. A study published in the journal Cell has revealed the molecular pathways responsible for marijuana-induced learning and memory problems. The findings suggest that preventing these side effects could be as easy as taking an over-the-counter painkiller.
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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.
- Nature, Nurture or Neither?
Allan Wilson Centre public lecture with Prof Steve Jones - 22 November, Christchurch; 23, Nelson; 26, Dunedin.
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