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Displaying items 1 - 30 of 72 in total
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New Zealand’s Antipodes Islands – remote, wild, and special
An ambitious project to rid the remote Antipodes Island of introduced mice proved successful in 2018. Claire Concannon visits the spectacular subantarctic island to meet the locals – from penguins to… Audio
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Bats vs cats
New Zealand's native long-tailed bat, pekapeka-tou-roa, is going strong in Franklin, south of Auckland. But these tiny mammals are threatened by introduced predators, especially cats. Producer Liz… Video, Audio
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Summer science: Rabbits and other pests
We continue our summer science series with an episode from RNZ's The Aotearoa History Show. In the first episode of season two, the show burrows into the story of rabbits and other pests introduced to… Audio
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Summer science: Two stories about genetics
Two stories about genetics produced by students at the University of Otago's Department of Science Communication. Amanda Konyn investigates whether gene editing has a role in future pest control… Audio
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Bringing back nature to Nelson
Alison Ballance visits the Brook Waimārama sanctuary, and discovers that the old saying "many hands make light work" is particularly true when it comes to community conservation. A relatively new… Audio
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Summer Science: Voices - To spray or not to spray
Summer science continues with a play of a science related episode from RNZ's Voices podcast. In 'To spray or not to spray' we meet Tim Vandervoet as he investigates ways to reduce insecticide use in… Audio
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Sniffing out cancer
Claire visits the team at K9 Medical Detection Charitable Trust to learn how their dogs are being trained to detect bowel and prostate cancer. Audio
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2: Defiance / Remove and Protect
New Zealander’s have drawn a line in the sand, announcing they will rid the nation of rats, stoats and possums by 2050, but what will it take to get there? Video, Audio
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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
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Enemy #1 - brown marmorated stink bug
Italy is suffering from a brown marmorated stink bug invasion. Damian Christie heads there to find out what New Zealand learn from their experiences. Video, Audio
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Our Changing World for 24 October 2019
Italy is experiencing an invasion of brown marmorated stink bugs that is crippling the fruit industry. What can New Zealand learn from their experience? Audio
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A bridge between science & mātauranga Māori
Dr Ocean Mercier's work bridging the worlds of science and traditional Māori knowledge has been recognised with the 2019 Callaghan Medal for science communication. Audio
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Detector Gadget the conservation dog
Detector 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'
The 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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Predator Free NZ - dream or reality?
A panel of five experts debate what it will take to turn the idea of a predator-free New Zealand by 2050 from a dream into a reality. Audio
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Our Changing World for 20 June 2019
A panel discussion on 'Predator Free New Zealand - dream or reality' with five experts in pest biology and large scale eradication porjects. Audio
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Fluorine - the non-stick element
Fluorine is a highly toxic green gas that is the main ingredient in non-stick teflon coatings. In ep 27 of Elemental, Prof Allan Blackman from AUT, says that fluorine has very different properties… Audio
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Giant willow aphids - a sticky invasive nuisance
Scion entomologists are trialling a parasitic wasp that they hope will control a growing nuisance: the giant willow aphid. Audio
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Winner and losers - native birds in a pest-free sanctuary
Twenty-five years of bird counts have revealed an unexpected consequence to the creation of the predator-free Zealandia Sanctuary. Audio
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Urban bats: Long-tailed bats thriving in Hamilton
Long-tailed bats are thriving in gullies and bush along the Waikato River, where it flows through central Hamilton. Video, Audio
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Can an introduced parasitic wasp control a nuisance beetle?
After years of trials, Scion entomologists believe New Zealand could safely introduce a parasitic wasp to control the eucalyptus tortoise beetle. Audio
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Our Changing World for 9 August 2018
Finding out if an introduced parasitic wasp could be a biocontrol agent for a pest of eucalpytus trees, and how fossil pollen can tell us about lost worlds. Audio
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Wasp genomes revealed
Wasps are a big problem in New Zealand, and scientists hope that knowing the genomes of common and German wasps will help them find novel ways of controlling the pests. Audio
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Meet Lusius malfoyi, a parasitoid wasp
Tom Saunders has named a native parasitoid wasp after a Harry Potter character, in a bid to improve the reputation of these 'good' wasps. Audio
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Dogs that sniff out pest fish
Waikato University researchers are training pet dogs to sniff out pest fish such as koi carp. Video, Audio
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Our Changing World for 1 March 2018
Waikato University researchers are training pet dogs to sniff out pest fish that are a problem in Waikato lakes and rivers. Audio
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Chemical camouflage - putting predators off the scent
Could chemical camouflage save rare birds by putting predators off the scent? Ecologists are testing the idea in the Mackenzie Basin. Video, Audio
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We need to talk about gene drives and gene editing
Genetic tools will help New Zealand meets its aim of being Predator Free by 2050 - but we need to understand what they are and have a public conversation about their use. Audio
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Predator-free in the city
Wellington's Polhill Restoration Project volunteers are looking after rare birds such as nesting kaka and tieke that are spilling into the 'halo' around Zealandia Sanctuary. Video, Audio, Gallery
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1080 and science denial: an Our Changing World summit
A new book, Protecting Paradise, investigates the science of 1080, its use in protecting native wildlife in New Zealand, and the wider issue of science denial and science reporting in the media. Audio