Alison Ballance
Our Changing World for 26 November 2020
NIWA experts explain the science behind this year's large ozone hole and New Zealand's high UV levels. Audio
Pua o te Rēinga - return of the Flower of the Underworld
Iwi representatives & conservationists journey to Zealandia sanctuary to plant seeds of the mysterious parasitic flowering plant Dactylanthus or flower of the underworld. Audio
Our Changing World for 19 November 2020
Returning the mysterious parasitic flowering plant Dactylanthus or pua o te reinga to Zealandia sanctuary, in Wellington. Audio
Award for using DNA to better understand plants & animals
Geneticist Neil Gemmell has won the 2020 Hutton Medal for using DNA & new genomic technologies to better understant plants & animals. Audio
Wahakura - a woven cradle to save babies' lives
The 2020 Tahunui-A-Rangi Award goes to David Tipene Leach for the wahakura, a woven bassinet to address the problem of sudden unexpected death in infancy. Audio
'Academic superstar' wins top research award
NZ's top research award, the Rutherford Medal, has gone to Brian Boyd, whose work spans Shakespeare to Nabokov to Popper, & weaves arts and sciences together. Audio
Focus on political economy & Te Ao Māori a winning combination
Maria Bargh's work on political economies and the environment is focused on Māori communities and has won her the 2020 Te Puāwaitanga Award. Audio
Colourful plants help young researcher win award
Unravelling how genes control colour in petunias has won Nick Albert the 2020 Hamilton Award and could help breed more nutritious fruit. Audio
Our Changing World for 5 November 2020
The 2020 Research Honours go to a Nabokov expert, a Maori political economist & a colourful plant breeder, and students talk climate change. Audio
Researchers win big at awards
Researchers from the sciences and the humanities have had their achievements recognised with awards from the Royal Society Te Apārangi.
Putting deep sea corals to the test
Deep sea corals are being put to the test at NIWA to find out how they cope with sediment. Audio
Our Changing World for 29 October 2020
NIWA ecologists have been stress testing deep sea corals to find out they cope with sediment. Audio
Grass and the science of urban CO2
Jocelyn Turnbull from GNS Science is measuring how much CO2 we're producing in NZ towns - and she's doing it by cutting the grass. Audio
Our Changing World for 22 October 2020
GNS Science is measuring how much carbon dioxide we're producing in different towns as part of the Carbon Watch NZ project. Audio
Carbon Watch & 50 years of CO2 measurements in NZ
Dave Lowe on measuring CO2 in New Zealand for 50 years, and how Carbon Watch NZ is a bird's eye view on our carbon balance. Audio
Our Changing World for 15 October 2020
Fifty years ago Dave Lowe started measuring carbon dioxide in New Zealand's atmosphere. And Gordon Brailsford and Sara Mikaloff Fletcher talk about Carbon Watch NZ project. Audio
Our Changing World for 8 October 2020
A replay of a story from May 2018: a citizens' jury on euthanasia. Audio
Genetic recipe book for natural products from fungi
Emily Parker and her team at Victoria University of Wellington are identifying the genes that allow fungi to create natural medicinal compounds. Audio
Our Changing World for 17 September 2020
Unlocking the genetic secrets of natural compounds and the evolution of tieke calls. Audio
What bird is that?
An ecologist and a mathematician discover that teaching a computer to recognise bird calls from acoustic recorders is an interesting challenge. Audio