Alison Ballance
Using light and electricity to study individual brain cells
Optogenetics uses light to target individual cells, and Peter Freestone is using it to better understand Parkinson's disease and the role of endocannabinoids in how brain cells communicate.
AudioCarpN Neutral - doing good things with bad koi carp
Introduced koi carp are a nuisance in lakes and rivers in the Waikato, and the CarpN Neutral project catches them and turns their bodies into fertiliser for use in native revegetation programmes. Audio, Gallery
CarpN Neutral - doing good things with bad koi carp
Introduced koi carp are a nuisance in lakes and rivers in the Waikato, and the CarpN Neutral project catches them and turns their bodies into fertiliser for use in native revegetation programmes.
AudioSouthern right whales back from brink of extinction
Whaling in the 1800s nearly caused the extinction of southern right whales around New Zealand, and the population is slowly recovering from a low of just 110-or-so animals in the 1920s.
Southern right whales back from brink of extinction
Whaling in the 1800s nearly caused the extinction of southern right whales around New Zealand, and the population is slowly recovering from a low of just 110-or-so animals in the 1920s.
AudioThe 'smarts' behind a smart motorway
Bluetooth signals from passing cars and a world-first predictive traffic model that generates travel times and optimum driving speeds are just some of the technology behind the new Wellington smart… Audio
The 'smarts' behind a smart motorway
Bluetooth signals from passing cars and a world-first predictive traffic model that generates travel times and optimum driving speeds are just some of the technology behind the new Wellington smart…
AudioTruffle-like fungi: what their genes can tell us
Truffle-like fungi are related to mushrooms but look like truffles, and geneticists around the world are studying their genomes to understand how they have all co-evolved. Audio
Truffle-like fungi: what their genes can tell us
Truffle-like fungi are related to mushrooms but look like truffles, and geneticists around the world are studying their genomes to understand how they have all co-evolved.
AudioA new future for marine protected areas in New Zealand
Environment Minister Nick Smith is championing new legislation for marine protected areas, and Raewyn Peart from the Environmental Defence Society has some thoughts on its strengths and weaknesses. Audio
A new future for marine protected areas in New Zealand
Environment Minister Nick Smith is championing new legislation for marine protected areas, and Raewyn Peart from the Environmental Defence Society has some thoughts on its strengths and weaknesses.
AudioDeterring sharks with electricity
Sunkita Howard is developing an electrical deterrent to discourage spiny dogfish from getting caught on fishing hooks used in the ling longline fishery. Audio, Gallery
Hangi stones and magnetism
Hangi or oven stones are a record of the earth's magnetic field at the time they were heated and cooled, and they show a remarkable history of New Zealand's magnetic field for the past 600 years. Audio, Gallery
Hangi stones and magnetism
Hangi or oven stones are a record of the earth's magnetic field at the time they were heated and cooled, and they show a remarkable history of New Zealand's magnetic field for the past 600 years.
AudioAn albatross chick's flowerpot is its castle
The Chatham Island Taiko Trust has made flowerpot nests for 50 Chatham Island albatross chicks that are part of a pioneering translocation from The Pyramid to the main Chatham Island. Audio, Gallery
An albatross chick's flowerpot is its castle
The Chatham Island Taiko Trust has made flowerpot nests for 50 Chatham Island albatross chicks that are part of a pioneering translocation from The Pyramid to the main Chatham Island.
AudioTaiko take off
With just 120-or-so known adult birds, 21 new chicks are a very welcome addition to the Chatham Island taiko population. Audio
Taiko take off
With just 120-or-so known adult birds, 21 new chicks are a very welcome addition to the Chatham Island taiko population.
AudioBooming kakapo numbers
The endangered kakapo is in the middle of a bumper breeding year that looks set to be the best ever, and conservationists are looking foward to the resulting population boom. Audio, Gallery
Booming kakapo numbers
The endangered kakapo is in the middle of a bumper breeding year that looks set to be the best ever, and conservationists are looking foward to the resulting population boom.
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