Genetics
Damian Bailey: brains, mountaineering, diving, concussion
Kim Hill talks to Professor Damian Bailey, a world leading expert on concussion and the ageing brain, and Director of the Research Institute of Science and Health for the University of South Wales. He… Audio
A fat gene?
Giles Yeo is is a neuroscientist and geneticist from Cambridge University who studies the the brain and how it controls weight. In a new BBC documentary called 'Why Are We Getting So Fat?', he travels… Audio
Genome sequencing - a how-to-guide
If you want to sequence a genome then a company like New Zealand Genomics Ltd has the equipment and expertise to produce and manage the large amounts of data. Audio, Gallery
Conservation Genomics
Firing a crossbow at a sea lion may conflict with ideas about animal conservation but the genetic information gathered allows scientists to study how best to save the species and whether or not it… Audio
Genetics and Disease
Humans think they’re sophisticated but have fewer genes than a banana. With two percent of our genome encoding proteins, scientists are turning to junk DNA to determine the chance of heart disease and… Audio
Richie Poulton: 40 years of Dunedin health and development
Kim Hill talks to the Director of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, which has followed the lives of more than 1000 people born in that city in 1972 and 1973. A four-part… Audio
Genetics and Health
Genomics has gone from searching for something unknown to targeted gene research on the cause of diseases of like obesity, but with the technology comes the potential for abuse and possibility of a… Audio
Handheld DNA analyser
A handheld DNA analyser powered by the sun could revolutionise the diagnosis of diseases like cancer and TB in the developing world. We speak to Jonathan O'Halloran of QuantuMDx who's working on the… Audio
Family and Genealogy
Marrying your first cousin, rat voyagers, genetic whakapapa and the failure of scientists to respectfully engage with indigenous populations are laid out for comment in this panel discussion on DNA… Audio
NZ skin cancer: what role does where you live play?
The first comprehensive genetic analysis of melanoma in New Zealand has shown that that where you live could be critical to your chances of getting skin cancer, and how it can be treated. Aniruddha… Audio
Shedding light on Māori health
Victoria University molecular geneticist Geoff Chambers is challenging the one-size-fits-all approach to healthcare, arguing that genes linked to the immune system of Māori and Pasifika people differ… Audio
The New Age of Genomics
Genetic information could eventually be used to choose a child's sex, influence insurance approval, or as evidence for criminal intent, but whether it should be is still up for debate. Audio
Gene-edited foods
The US Department of Agriculture has just opened the way for the first food to be produced using the gene editing technology CRISPR-Cas9. Meanwhile, gene editing is leaving the lab with a growing band… Audio
IQ tests: what can they tell us?
Stuart Ritchie is a postdoctoral fellow in cognitive ageing at the University of Edinburgh who calls IQ tests "...some of the most reliable and valid instruments in all of psychological science". He's… Audio
The science of us
Our genes are increasingly viewed as dynamic; shifting and interacting in a myriad of strange and sometimes random ways. They can contribute not just to our physical traits but also our risk of… Audio
Gene libraries
Joanne Kamens is the Executive Director of Addgene, a not-for-profit library of genetic material that can be used by scientists around the world to manipulate genes. Addgene's aim is to facilitate… Audio
How genes define us
Stephen Montgomery studies genetics and runs the Montgomery Lab at Stanford University. He's particularly interested in how and why genes, of which we have over 20,000 in our human genome, turn on and… Audio
Dunnocks - and what bird sperm can tell us
Bird sperm from native species such as robins, as well as introduced dunnocks from Dunedin, may shed light on problems with male fertility and infertile eggs. Video, Audio, Gallery
Making sense of the code of life
BBC broadcaster Adam Rutherford discusses how genomics is changing how we think about medicine, agriculture, conservation and even our relationship to our nearest evolutionary cousins, the… Audio