Summer Science
Collection items
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100-year moth project – in the footsteps of George Vernon Hudson
23 Apr 2020Modern-day citizen scientists are following in the footsteps of a well-known Wellington naturalist, collecting moths to document a century of change. Audio
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Psychopathic traits - "everybody has them"
Sonia Sly is in search of psychopaths. Are they born or are they made? What are the traits that a psychopath exhibits? And is everyone a psychopath to some extent? Audio
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Rising water, rising problems
University of Otago student Jenny Stein is finding out how rising sea levels are a growing problem for many coastal settlements, including the densely populated suburb of South Dunedin. Audio
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‘Melting ice & rising seas’ team wins PM Science Prize
2 Jul 2020A team finding links between melting ice sheets in Antarctica and rising sea levels in NZ has won the 2019 Prime Minister's Science Prize. Audio
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Horsing around: ketamine and me
When University of Otago student Asia King got the call to take part in a study using ketamine to treat depression, she said yes - and made a podcast about the experience. Audio
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Aussie bushfire smoke goes stratospheric
30 Apr 2020More than four months after it formed, a large blob of sooty dust from Australia's massive bushfires is still circling the southern hemisphere. Audio
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The science of wildfires
30 Jan 2020Bush fires are growing in severity and frequency. William Ray finds out about the latest research into how fires burn and how people react when flames threaten. Audio
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The yeasty quest for better beer
Yeast is one of the key ingredients in beer and wine - and local yeasts could add a distinct Kiwi flavour. Audio
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Talking about abortion law reform
University of Otago student Ruby Parker says it's important to talk about abortion. She is in conversation with researcher Emma Harcourt. Audio
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Probing the hidden continent of Zealandia
7 May 2020Ocean floor rock cores drilled into the sunken continent of Zealandia are revolutionising our understanding of Earth's history and how continents form. Audio
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Rock wren - NZ's mountain 'big foot'
23 Jan 2020The tiny rock wren lives year-round in the alpine zone of the South Island mountains and research shows that predator control is important for the species' survival. Audio
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The power of P - a podcast about probability
17 Jan 2020What if there was a magic number that proved you right? There's no such thing, but we do have the p-value which is the probability that your scientific hypothesis is right. Audio
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Mystery of the longfin eel's breeding ground
NIWA freshwater ecologists hope sophisticated satellite tags will solve the msytery of where New Zealand's longfin eels go to breed in the Pacific. Audio
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Archey's frogs thriving in the King Country
7 Feb 2019The King Country population of the highly threatened Archey's frog is thriving, thanks to years of rat control. Audio
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Detector Gadget the conservation dog
8 Aug 2019Detector Gadget is a dog with a job. She is a conservation dog trained by her handler Sandy King to sniff out rodents on predator-free islands. Audio
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Restoring Fiordland's 'island lifeboats'
25 Jul 2019The Department of Conservation and volunteer groups, including the Coal Island Trust, are hard at work removing pests such as stoats and deer from Fiordland's many islands. Audio
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The streams beneath the streets
30 May 2019New research shows Wellington's underground streams are important homes and highways for freshwater fish. Audio
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Controver-seas: reservations about marine reserves
8 Jan 2020Science communication student Amy Archer, from the University of Otago, investigates recommendations from the South-East Marine Protection Forum for marine reserves on the Otago coast. Audio
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Flying kākāpō sperm
21 Feb 2019In a world-first for kākāpō conservation, a drone (nicknamed the 'spermcopter') has flown kākāpō sperm across Whenua Hou / Codfish Island - the Kākāpō Files was there for episode 10. Audio
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Fush 'n' chups and the Kiwi accent
The distinctive New Zealand accent and why young women lead the way in the evolution of a uniquely Kiwi way of talking. Audio
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The Southland accent - a rolling change
23 May 2019The Southland accent has a distinctive burr, and new research is revealing how those 'rolled Rs' have changed over time. Audio
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Salps - a surprising jelly-like relative
20 Dec 2018The 'jelly soup' that many New Zealanders experienced at the beach last summer was caused by blooms of salps. Audio
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Using sound to brew better beer
What happens if you play a Viennese waltz or death metal to beer as it brews? Experimenting with musical ways of making better beer. Audio
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Kea get a helping hand
9 May 2019The Kea Conservation Trust & the Arthur's Pass Wildlife Trust have combined forces to band kea as part of a citizen science project & are working to make the village a safer place for the curious… Audio
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A citizens' jury on euthanasia
Fifteen Dunedin citizens took part in a University of Otago citizens' jury to discuss legalising euthanasia and assisted dying. Audio
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Our relationship with urban green spaces
16 Jan 2019Otago University science communication student Karthic Sivanandham investigates urban nature and how we relate to it. Audio
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Dogs that sniff out pest fish
1 Mar 2018Waikato University researchers are training pet dogs to sniff out pest fish such as koi carp. Video, Audio
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Turnaround in takahē's fortunes
15 Mar 2018An expedition into Fiordland reveals that takahē numbers are on the rise, and there will soon be a new takahē population in Northwest Nelson. Audio
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Woof Woof the talking tui
9 Jan 2019Woof Woof the talking tui inspired University of Otago student Joel Zwartz to find out how birds and people talk. Audio
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'My favourite insect is a cicada'
3 May 2018Olly Hills, aged 11, is a big fan of insects, and author of the field guide 'Cicadas of New Zealand.' Audio
