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Issue 264                                                                                  31 Jan - 6 Feb 2014
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In This Issue
Bird protection
On the radar
Stem cells
Summer science
Policy News
New from the SMC
Sciblogs highlights
Research highlights
Sci-tech events

Quick Links

SMC Alerts 

Briefings

Calendar

 

Media Registration  


Desk Guide
Govt draws battle-lines for birds
New Zealand's forests are set to be the battleground for a war between pests and the Department of Conservation.

A larger than usual flowering and seeding of beech trees - known as a mast year - is expected to boost the number of rats and stoats in National Parks. The coming plague of predators has DOC preparing a counterassault in the form of increased pest control using agents such as 1080 poison.

Minister for the Environment Dr Nick Smith announced the new Battle for Our Birds programme this week, which will see DOC increasing pest control in 35 forests to protect 12 targeted native species.These increases will see up to 500,000 further hectares of DOC land treated.

According to estimates, the abundance of seeds expected from the mast year could swell the ranks of the rat army by 30 million and increase the number of stoats by tens of thousands.

The pest control aims to knock back the advance of the rats and stoats in a effort to protect native birds such as the threatened mohua (pictured) and kea, as well as native bats and snails.

Experts contacted by the SMC were supportive of the initiative.

Dr Andrea Byrom, Landcare Research, comments:

"There is no doubt that pest numbers - particularly rats and mice - will explode this year in response to the phenomenal mast year we are likely to experience throughout the South Island and parts of the North Island. 

"In places that are not protected from predators, many of our iconic native birds, lizards, frogs, weta and snails will continue to decline. With the pest control plan outlined for the 35 sites around the country, these species will have a chance."

Associate Professor Alex James, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Canterbury, comments:

"The science is very clear - the planned 1080 drops are the best way to manage the predator outbreak that will follow this year's mast event."

You can read further commentary and a round up of media coverage on the Science Media centre website.
A little stress the key to stem cells?
New research from Japan may have uncovered a shortcut to creating medically important stem cells.

A mouse embryo displaying STAP cells marked in green (Haruko Obokata)
The study, published this week in Nature, found exposing mature mouse cells to stresses such as acidic conditions causes them to revert to an embryonic state, becoming essentially stem cells (technically induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells).

The lead author, Dr Haruko Obokata, a stem-cell researcher at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan,  has dubbed the phenomenon stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency (STAP).

The researchers have already reprogrammed a dozen cell types, including those from the brain, skin, lung and liver, hinting that the method will work with most, if not all, cell types - albeit only in mice at this stage.

Our colleagues at the UK SMC contacted international experts for comment.

Prof Chris Mason, Chair of Regenerative Medicine Bioprocessing, University College London, comments:

"Obakata's approach in the mouse is the most simple, lowest cost and quickest method to generate pluripotent cells from mature cells. If it works in man, this could be the game changer that ultimately makes a wide range of cell therapies available using the patient's own cells as starting material - the age of personalised medicine would have finally arrived."

Prof Fiona Watt, Director of the Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Kings College London, comments:

"These papers report the remarkable finding that blood cells can be converted to pluripotent cells by transiently exposing them to low pH conditions... The studies have been carried out with mouse cells and it will be very interesting to know whether the observations hold true for human cells."

You can read more expert commentary on the Science Media Centre website.
Quoted: 3 News

 

"We need to look at things like where we build on the coast, how and where we travel, where transport networks are going to be, look at impacts on habitat, coastal inundation... it's the start of a conversation." 

 King Tides event coordinator Ben Sheeran on his group's awareness-raising initiative
Time to get Science Media SAVVY! 
Our Science Media SAVVY programme returns in 2014, offering scientists at any stage of their career the opportunity to participate in an intensive two-day media training workshop designed to boost their confidence working with the media.

 

 

SAVVY will come to Dunedin on 27 - 28 March and Wellington on 22 - 23 May. Dates for other centres will be announced soon for the second half of the year.

 

More than 60 scientists have attended the SAVVY workshop over the past 18 months, gaining on-camera interview training, meeting senior science reporters, up-skilling on social media and picking up tips from the Science Media Centre teams experience of working with journalists every day.

 

The course is limited to 12 people who will work with the SMC staff, an experienced media trainer and invited guest presenters. 

 

Apply for upcoming SAVVY courses here or register your interest for when the course comes to your city.

SAVVY scientists at TVNZ

 

Some feedback from previous SAVVY participants:

 

"The only way to gain experience with media is the real thing, and the SAVVY course provides exactly that 'on� the� spot �under�pressure' opportunity through their exercises with real journalists.

 

"After SAVVY I felt much more comfortable and prepared talking to journalists in print or on radio and television"

 

James Russell, ecologist

 

"Attending the Science Media Centre's SAVVY course was easily one of the best time investments I made this year. My experience there inspired a complete overhaul of how our 60+ person research team communicates with the media and public.

 

"As an almost� immediate direct result of the course, our project has received fantastic publicity from major newspaper, magazine, and television news sources, and my fellow researchers and I

 

are now much better equipped to deal with this attention. I cannot recommend this course and its trainers enough!"

 

Elaine Smid, volcanic hazards researcher

Policy news and developments


Genetics boost:  Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce has announced a $15 million investment over five years into advances in genetics research in the sheep and beef sector.

Fish rules: The Ministry for Primary Industries has begun public consultation on new catch limits for rock lobster and scallop stocks, and changes to overfishing penalties for sea cucumber.

More surgery funding: The government is investing an extra $10 million to provide more New Zealanders with elective surgery over the next five months.
New from the SMC

  

Experts Respond:

Stem cells on acid: Researchers have developed a revolutionary new technique for creating stem cells by exposing mature cells to environmental stress.

Battle for Our Birds:
Experts comment on DOC's species protection programme and increased use of aerial 1080. 

DDT and Alzheimer's: An increased risk for Alzheimer's disease appears to be associated with elevated blood levels of a byproduct of the pesticide DDT.

Sweet stuff: New Zealand research on sugar and health features in the cover-story of this week's New Scientist.

Battle for Our Birds:
National media coverage of the latest plans from DOC to control predators on conservation land.

Vit D rethink: The New Zealand Herald looks into new research into the efficacy of vitamin D supplements.
Sciblogs highlights

 

Some of the highlights from this week's Sciblogs posts:

Was Newton an astrologer? Alison Campbell finds that the stars don't quite line up for historical revisionists.
BioBlog

Killing to save, saving to kill - hunting rhino - Although he admits it sounds oxymoronic, Wayne Linklater kicks off his discussion on 'conservation hunting'.
PolitEcol

Marine Bacteria - do you know you're soaking in them? Next time you head down to the beach guestblogger Els Maas hopes you spare a thought for the invisible workhorses of the ocean.
Guest Work

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Research highlights
Some of the research papers making headlines this week.

Boosting biodiversity in planted forests: Plantation forest stands of radiata pine and other exotic tree species account for 22% of New Zealand forests. A new study finds that Kiwis are willing to pay for programmes that enhance native wildlife in plantation forests, especially if the efforts increase threatened bird numbers and are focused on areas near population centres. 
Grasslands' climate change response diverges: International researchers, including a New Zealand ecologist, studying the feedback loops of fire, growth and rainfall in savannah grasslands across Africa, Australia and South America have found that, despite their similar looks, these ecosystems have very different origins and can be expected to respond differently to climate change.
Printing with water and reusable paper: By treating paper with water responsive dyes, Chinese researchers have been able to replace the ink in an ink-jet printer with water and print as normal. The text could be erased and rewritten without a loss in quality, allowing a single piece of paper to be reused numerous times. Given that many documents are printed for one-time reading, and printer inks are expensive, this method could offer a less wasteful alternative to traditional methods.
Nature Communications

ADHD drugs prevent carnage on road: Up to half of the transport accidents involving men with ADHD could be avoided if the men were taking medication for their condition, according to a new study. Compared across periods with and without medication, the risk of accidents was 58 per cent lower for men in the study when they were taking their meds. The researchers believe reduction of ADHD symptoms like impulsiveness and distractibility is likely responsible for the improved driving record.
Neanderthal traces in our genes: Separate teams of international researchers have mapped the remnants of Neanderthal DNA in modern human genomes, finding some genetic traits were handed down preferentially through the generations while others were eliminated. For example, genes affecting hair and skin in European and East Asian populations have higher amounts of Neanderthal DNA, while genes affecting male reproduction have almost none, according to a study in Nature. A similar study published in Science suggests around 20 per cent of the Neanderthal genome has survived in modern humans.
Science and Nature
Upcoming sci-tech events  
For these and more upcoming events, and more details about them, visit the SMC's Events Calendar
  • ANZIAM 2014 - Industrial and applied mathematics conference - 2-6 February, Rotorua.