Science Challenges announced

The Government has announced the final 10 selected National Science Challenges and a $73.5 million boost over four years to fund them.

“The National Science Challenges will tackle some of the biggest science-based issues and opportunities facing New Zealand,” Minister of Science and Innovation Steven Joyce says.

“The Challenges are designed to take a more strategic approach to our science investment by targeting a series of goals which, if they are achieved, would have a major and enduring benefit for New Zealand. . . .

The 10 challenges are:

• Ageing well – harnessing science to sustain health and wellbeing into the later years of life
• A better start – improving the potential of young New Zealanders to have a healthy and successful life
• Healthier lives – research to reduce the burden of major New Zealand health problems
• High value nutrition – developing high value foods with validated health benefits
• New Zealand’s biological heritage – protecting and managing our biodiversity, improving our biosecurity, and enhancing our resilience to harmful organisms
• Our land and water – research to enhance primary sector production and productivity while maintaining and improving our land and water quality for future generations
• Life in a changing ocean – understanding how we can exploit our marine resources within environmental and biological constraints
• The deep south – understanding the role of the Antarctic and the Southern Ocean in determining our climate and our future environment
• Science for technological innovation – enhancing the capacity of New Zealand to use physical and engineering sciences for economic growth
• Resilience to nature’s challenges – research into enhancing our resilience to natural disasters

This covers a wide field of scientific endeavour.

I’m especially pleased the challenges focussing on high value nutrition, land and water, biological heritage and technological innovation included with the potential to improve productivity while enhancing the environment.

NZ grass going global

A grass developed by AgResearch is going global in efforts to reduce bird strikes at airports.

An ingenious Kiwi solution to the billion dollar bird strike problem is getting ready to go global after impressing airport experts from around the world.

Bird strikes at airports cost the aviation industry an estimated US$1.2 billion annually in both damage to airplanes and deterrence measures.

AgResearch scientists have developed a tool to help airport managers control the problem, a grass containing a special novel endophyte that naturally deters wildlife and insects.

The endophyte is a natural fungus that grows between plant cells in many ryegrasses and tall fescues. It makes the grasses unpalatable to both insects and animals without harming them, and therefore deters both insect eating and herbivorous birds such as ducks and geese. Initial reports have shown that it can reduce the number of birds in sewn areas by 70-80 percent.

The discovery was patented and commercialised by AgResearch company Grasslanz Technology and is being marketed by PGG Wrightson Turf. . .

Sam Livesey, Business Analyst at Grasslanz Technology in Lincoln says that the technology has huge potential, and this is a good opportunity to open a worldwide market.

“The endophyte technology we’ve pioneered here could have worldwide applications in aviation, sports fields, parks, golf courses and orchards in temperate environments,” he says.

Two endophytes branded as ‘Avanex Unique Endophyte Technology’ have been introduced into two turf grasses: Jackal, a tall fescue for the aviation industry and Colosseum, a perennial ryegrass used in sports and amenity turf areas. The Avanex products could also prove profitable for arable farmers in New Zealand who grow the premium grasses for seed.

Trials at New Zealand airports have shown a significant reduction in bird numbers on areas sown with the endophytic grass, reducing the risk of bird strike at take-off and landing.

Mark Shaw, who heads the promotion and sales of Avanex for PGG Wrighton Turf says that they’re bringing together airport and turf consultants from around the world to show them how effective use of this grass can provide solutions around habitat management on airports and reduce the use of insecticides in public spaces.

“This is the only deterrent grass in the world at the moment, and it is one of the few permanent deterrents that can be used at the airport. Basically, we’ve made a restaurant that the birds don’t want to eat at, so they’ll go somewhere better.

“We’re aiming to speed up the adoption of avian deterrent grass technology by providing accredited consultants in which airports can have confidence, and influential academics and regulators will be able to speak confidently on the product,” he says.

The group has been taking part in seminars at the AgResearch Lincoln campus, and will be shown the grass in action at Christchurch, Wellington, Hamilton and Auckland Airports as well as sports grounds. . . .

Friends who grow sunflower and canary seed on a large scale accept that they will lose a percentage of their crop to birds each year.

Orchardists, berry fruit and grape growers also have bird problems which these grasses have the potential to counter.

But the biggest market is likely to be airports and if successful this will be another example where agricultural research produces results which have a wider application in other industries.

Readers breed readers

Who would have thought that:

. . . The analysis of New Zealand’s 15-year-olds in an OECD reading test says the difference between students with more than a year of early childhood education and those with none is equivalent to a year and a half of schooling.

The study says there is a similar difference between teenagers whose parents read to them in their first year of school and those whose parents did not.

It says students are also likely to be much better readers if their parents read books and talk to them regularly. . .

There is no doubt a lot more to the research than this report suggests but it does seem to be stating the obvious – readers breed readers.

 

 

 

Bloodmeal makes bioplastic

Low meat prices get most attention from those bemoaning the economics of sheep farming.

But poor prices for by-products are another contributing factor.

That might change if Aduro Biopolymers’ work on turning bloodmeal into plastic succeeds commercially.

The company has received investment from Wallace Corporation.

“Aduro Biopolymers has developed an innovative method for the production of bioplastics made from by-products of the red meat and poultry industries,” says Graham Shortland, CEO of Wallace Corporation. “We’re always looking for innovative ways to turn new and existing raw materials into higher value products in order to sustainably deliver superior returns to our meat processing partners.”

“We’ve been very impressed by the team at WaikatoLink and their track record in commercialisation as well as the quality of research from the University of Waikato. This investment is part of a broader strategy and the start of a partnership that will allow us to bring new research from the University into our business.” . . .

Aduro Polymers aim is to develop environmentally conscious materials for the manufacturing and construction sectors. The company’s first product is Novatein, a bioplastic that will be price competitive with petrochemical plastics. The global plastics market is worth over a trillion dollars and currently bioplastics represent 5-10% of that market, with a compounded annual growth rate of almost 20%.

Darren Harpur, Acting CEO of Aduro Biopolymers says, “The manufacturing process for Novatein is quite simple. This means the capital costs required to commence manufacture will be relatively low and should enable the cost effective production of Novatein. There is a growing demand for environmentally friendly plastics but they need to be at the right price point for consumers. We are confident we can achieve this price point with Novatein.”

The science behind Novatein originated and continues to be developed by the University of Waikato’s Dr Johan Verbeek and his team, where bloodmeal produced by the red meat industry is processed into granules which have been modified and optimised to suit a chosen product’s attributes. The granules can then be manufactured into injection moulded or extruded products using industry standard equipment. Novatein has been in development since 2007 and has received investment support from KiwiNet’s PreSeed Accelerator Fund from the Ministry of Science and Innovation.

Harpur says, “As consumers, we’re all aware of the effects of plastics on the environment. Novatein will help solve some of those problems by introducing a bioplastic made from naturally occurring materials that on their own quickly degrade in the environment. We think that this aspect combined with a simple manufacturing process will enable our technology to be adopted quite rapidly.” . . .

TV3 has more about the product here.

Brain faster when chewing

Japanese research shows that brain’s reaction times are up to 10% faster when people chew.

“Our results suggest that chewing induced an increase in the arousal level and alertness in addition to an effect on motor control and, as a consequence, these effects could lead to improvements in cognitive performance,” researchers at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences say.

This is bad news for people who are regarded as too slow to chew and walk at the same time.

Feds’ president’s farm in climate adaptation study

Federated Farmers’ president Bruce Wills’ farm is one being used for a case study on climate adaptation.

Irrespective of personal views around the causes for climate change, all farmers know our climate is ever-changing impacting farm businesses. This makes the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Impacts of Climate Change on Land based Sectors and Adaptation Options, an important contribution.

“All farmers know the climate changes and whether it is man-made, natural or a combination of the two, what really matters is building resilience into our farm businesses,” says Bruce Wills, Federated Farmers President, whose own farm is one of the MPI case studies.

“The climate changes and will continue to change because we live on a dynamic planet. If we had little or no climate change our environment would be closer to that of Mars and hostile to life as we know it.

“What the Ministry for Primary Industries has produced is thought provoking because the overriding assumption around climate change has been its negative effects. The climate is in fact neutral; it is what we make of it which counts.

This is a very important point.

Almost all the information on climate change is about the politics and possible mitigation. This study is looking at how farmer might adapt to it.

“If we are in a warming cycle with higher concentrations of CO2, then we can expect increasingly rapid pasture, crop and tree growth boosting productivity. On the downside, there will likely be increased frequencies of drought and floods with pests and disease.

“Ensuring we have the right on-farm infrastructure, systems and personnel to cope with climate variability is vital. Especially once you marry what we are doing inside the farm-gate with what is happening regionally and nationally.

“It is also vital we maintain stringent biosecurity to defeat pests and exotic diseases before the border.

“With the case study done about our farm, it boils down to the tactical use of plantings to stabilise hillsides, farm dams to store water and stock policies to better cope with the weather volatility we are experiencing.

“Environmental management is vital; it’s about being able to farm sustainably and profitably for generations to come.

“While outside of the report, the control of possums by way of 1080 has been massive to our farm’s economic and environmental sustainability. The explosion of bird life and biodiversity I have seen with the demise of possums has been extraordinary.

“The other case studies are there to show farmers by sector and type just what is possible. I think it will engender discussion within the primary communities on where we go and how we get there. That is a discussion Federated Farmers is keen to be a part of.

“New Zealand’s innovative and progressive farmers are very good at reading environmental signals. Farming will continue to adapt and evolve in response to these changes,” Mr Wills concluded.

  The paper Impacts of Climate Change on Land based Sectors and Adaptation Options is here.

Feds has links to the paper, a toolbox and case studies under Useful facts, figures and resources here.

What kills Kiwis?

Sic-blogger Siouxsie Wiles wants to know what Kiwis think kills us (ie the people not the birds).

Following the link will take you to the survey and she promises to reveal all at the end of the week.

Who’s most emotionally challenged?

A Gallup survey of 152 countries compared how people feel about their lives.

Singapore ranks as the world’s most emotionless society, behind Georgia, Lithuania, and Russia. Singaporeans are unlikely to report feelings of anger, physical pain, or other negative emotions. They’re not laughing a lot, either. “If you measure Singapore by the traditional indicators, they look like one of the best-run countries in the world,” says Jon Clifton, a Gallup partner in Washington. “But if you look at everything that makes life worth living, they’re not doing so well.”

Those polled were asked to evaluate their lives on a scale of zero to 10.

Questions asked included:

* Were you well rested yesterday?

* Were you treated with respect all day yesterday?

* Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday?

* Did you experience the following feelings yesterday – enjoyment, physical pain, worry, pain stress, anger?

­Danes are the most satisfied and people from Togo in West Africa are the least. No surprises, too, when Gallup asked people to say whether life would be better or worse five years from now. The award for most pessimistic goes to the inhabitants of Greece, ground zero of the euro debt crisis. Last year, the people most likely to report feeling stress, anger, sadness, worry, or pain were Iraqis. The most emotional nation? The Philippines.

Luck, skill, crisis and laughter

Discussion with Finlay MacDonald on Critical Mass today was sparked by:

In poker and elsewhere is it luck or skill that counts?

Apes suffer mid-life ciris too.

Laughter as a form of exercise.

 

Too early for an answer from Daisy

While the potential for milk which is less likely to produce allergies has gained interest from around the world, the Sustainability Council here thinks people have no appetite for genetic modification.

But it’s very early days for Daisy, the cow which produced the milk, and the research:

. . . AgResearch said the work was still “basic science” and looking at market opportunities was not a priority at this stage.

The council is complaining about public money spent on the project but Psycho Milt gets to the nub of their opposition:

The real problem, which for obvious reasons the Sustainability Council doesn’t state publicly, is that middle class hippies find genetic modification unnatural and just plain icky, and therefore consider Agresearch’s cloning programme a gross affront to Mother Nature.  Their objection is essentially a religious one, so they have to find rational-sounding objections if they want to avoid being subjected to ridicule.  Unfortunately, rational objections like “yet to deliver a single commercial product” are crap when it comes to pure science research. . .

If delivering a commercial product was a prerequisite for scientific research little if any would be done. There is almost always a long process between basic science and commercial application.

It would save a lot of time and money if Daisy could give all the answers about the benefits of her milk and the commercial opportunities for it but it is far too early in the process.

The cow and the project must be given a chance and the council should look to science rather than religion if it wants its objections to be taken seriously.

Introverts, smiles & over fat from under slept

Topics discussed with Jim Mora on Critical Mass today were:

An introvert’s manifesto

Muscles to smile and frown

And

If you’re over fat you could be under slept: – the impact of sleep deprivation on weight gain.

 

Four stress factors not just for farmers

An AgResearch study by Dr Neels Botha, has found that finances, workload, relationships and health are the four main stress factors for farmers.

I am sure there is a lot more to the study than the brief news item covers and I’m equally sure that it’s not only farmers who find these four factors cause stress.

Laugh then think

The Ignobles are awarded each year by the people at Improbable Research for achievements that first make people laugh then make people think.

Winners of the 2012 Ignobles are:

PSYCHOLOGY PRIZE: Anita Eerland and Rolf Zwaan [THE NETHERLANDS] and Tulio Guadalupe [PERU, RUSSIA, and THE NETHERLANDS] for their study “Leaning to the Left Makes the Eiffel Tower Seem Smaller” . . .

PEACE PRIZE: The SKN Company [RUSSIA], for converting old Russian ammunition into new diamonds. . .

ACOUSTICS PRIZE: Kazutaka Kurihara and Koji Tsukada [JAPAN] for creating the SpeechJammer — a machine that disrupts a person’s speech, by making them hear their own spoken words at a very slight delay. . . .

NEUROSCIENCE PRIZE: Craig Bennett, Abigail Baird, Michael Miller, and George Wolford [USA], for demonstrating that brain researchers, by using complicated instruments and simple statistics, can see meaningful brain activity anywhere — even in a dead salmon. . .

CHEMISTRY PRIZE: Johan Pettersson [SWEDEN and RWANDA]. for solving the puzzle of why, in certain houses in the town of Anderslöv, Sweden, people’s hair turned green. . .

LITERATURE PRIZE: The US Government General Accountability Office, for issuing a report about reports about reports that recommends the preparation of a report about the report about reports about reports. . .

PHYSICS PRIZE: Joseph Keller [USA], and Raymond Goldstein [USA and UK], Patrick Warren, and Robin Ball [UK], for calculating the balance of forces that shape and move the hair in a human ponytail. . .

FLUID DYNAMICS PRIZE: Rouslan Krechetnikov [USA, RUSSIA, CANADA] and Hans Mayer [USA] for studying the dynamics of liquid-sloshing, to learn what happens when a person walks while carrying a cup of coffee. . .

ANATOMY PRIZE: Frans de Waal [The Netherlands and USA] and Jennifer Pokorny [USA] for discovering that chimpanzees can identify other chimpanzees individually from seeing photographs of their rear ends. . .

MEDICINE PRIZE: Emmanuel Ben-Soussan and Michel Antonietti [FRANCE] for advising doctors who perform colonoscopies how to minimize the chance that their patients will explode. . .

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: We are now, in 2012, correcting an error we made in the year 1999, when we failed to include one winner’s name. We now correct that, awarding a share of the 1999 physics prize to Joseph Keller. Professor Keller is also a co-winner of the 2012 Ig Nobel physics prize, making him a two-time Ig Nobel winner. . .

The one that stands out is advice to help doctors who perform colonoscopies minimise the chance their patients will explode. The consequences are best not imagined.

The awards ceremony was filmed, you’ll find it by clicking on the first link.

 

Less meat, better health, less carbon?

A British study suggests eating less meat could reduce disease and carbon emissions:

. . . Researchers from the University of Cambridge found that cutting back on red meat consumption could decrease the number of cases of chronic disease by 3 to 12 percent, and make the carbon footprint nearly 28 million tons smaller per year by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.

The BMJ Open study included data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey of British Adults in 2000-2001. Researchers looked at the amount of meat the people in the study consumed, as well as how many green gas emissions were emitted that are linked to 45 different kinds of food.

The BMJ Open study included data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey of British Adults in 2000-2001. Researchers looked at the amount of meat the people in the study consumed, as well as how many green gas emissions were emitted that are linked to 45 different kinds of food.

After adjusting for proportions, the researchers found that people who regularly ate red or processed meat in the study also just generally consumed more food than people who didn’t regularly eat red or processed meat. So, they calculated that if people who ate the most red and processed meat in the study were to adjust their eating habits so they ate like the people who consumed the least red and processed meat in the study, that would decrease health risks (such as risk of diabetes, colorectal cancer and heart disease) anywhere from 3 to 12 percent. . .

If I’m reading this correctly, it says people don’t have to just eat less meat, they have to eat less fullstop.

It’s not a matter of replacing red meat with other food but in reducing total food intake.

If eating less still provided a balanced diet there would almost certainly be health benefits. If reduced consumption led to reduced production there would probably be a reduction in carbon emissions too – although that would depend on what food was consumed, how it was produced, transported and stored.

But if the meat was replaced with other food it’s possible there would be no benefits to either people’s health or the environment.

Frankenfood or farmaceuticals?

Opponents to genetic modification talk about ‘frankenfood’.

Those with more open minds see the health and financial opportunities in farmaceuticals.

New Zealand scientists have genetically engineered cows to produce milk that can treat a number of human diseases.

Cloning techniques have been adopted in the genetic modification of animals, a field looking to alter cows’ milk to produce pharmaceuticals in an application known as “biopharming”.

Crown Research Institute AgResearch says it has been the pioneer in transferring from mice to cows the concept of changing the composition of milk. . . .

AgResearch has several “proof-of-concept” cows which could produce milk with human proteins that could treat human diseases. Recently, the research has extended to production of therapeutic antibodies in goatsmilk.

Touted by proponents as the next Green Revolution to help feed the world, and labelled “frankenfood” by critics, genetic modification has generated both interest and controversy. . .

Of course there are risks, as there are with the development of conventional pharmaceuticals, but there is also the potential for breakthroughs in health treatments, pest and disease resistance and improved nutrition.

Overseas GM has already been used to develop insect resistant and herbicide tolerant crops, tomatoes with more antioxidants, canola oil which yields low-cholesterol oil, rice which makes vitamin A, cassava which produces more protein and lower caffeine coffee.

In New Zealand research includes:

Improved grassPastoral Genomics, a New Zealand GM research consortium, is developing a genetically modified grass to have at least 25 per cent more leaf mass, more protein for livestock and improved drought resistance, alongside other aims. The scientists have begun trials overseas.

Wasp-killing bacteria The Ministry for the Environment says GM is being investigated as a potential tool for pest control, specifically “research to genetically modify bacteria from the gut of wasps to produce a toxin that could kill wasp species”.

As with any new developments, a cautious approach is sensible.

But we shouldn’t close our minds, laboratory doors and paddocks to GM and the health, nutritional and financial reward that could come from it.

Consumer wins 2nd Bent Spoon

Consumer magazine has the dubious honour of winning its second Bent Spoon award from the NZ Skeptics for continuing to promote homeopathic products as a viable alternative to evidence-based medical treatments.

In its September 11 2011 review of anti-snoring products, Consumer consulted a medical herbalist who was quoted as saying that “all homeopathic remedies may work wonders for one person and do nothing for another” and that “homeopathy is best prescribed on an individual basis, after extensive consultation”.

Homeopathy is known to exploit the well-recognised placebo effect where the body heals itself in many cases. Any “wonders” worked can be attributed to that effect, as homeopathic solutions are made up solely of water – a fact not known by 94% of New Zealanders purchasing such products.

“Yet again Consumer has failed to point out that there are no active ingredients in a standard homeopathic product,” says Skeptics media spokesperson Vicki Hyde. “Surely this should raise consumer protection alarm bells, akin to someone buying a microwave and receiving a cardboard box which they´re told will heat food via the cosmic power of the universe if you think hard enough…”

Consumer did note that another expert had pointed out that “the efficacy of homeopathic remedies had not been demonstrated convincingly in evidence-based medicine.” This caveat was not adequate as far as the NZ Skeptics were concerned, particularly as the homeopathic products had a prominent place at the head of the list.

“We´ve seen the homeopathic industry use selective quotes as part of their marketing and advertising strategy to get unwitting customers to pay $10 for a teaspoon of water. No doubt Consumer´s inclusion of homeopathic products will be used to boost business, despite the admission by the NZ Homeopathic Council that homeopathic products have no active ingredients. Disturbingly, Consumer´s expert doesn´t seem to be aware of this admission, stating that `extra´ active ingredients could help.”

A number of people had raised concerns about Consumer´s willingness to feature such dubious products, with one nominator saying that the article had “destroyed Consumer NZ’s reputation as a organisation New Zealanders can trust”. . .

Skeptics also awarded a couple of  bouquets:

* Margo White, for her health columns in the New Zealand Listener

“It´s great to see informed writing on health issues, based on research and evidence, rather than the large amount of low-grade items we usually get based on press releases and thinly disguised advertorial material,” says Hyde. . .

* Whanganui District Health Board member Clive Solomon, for supporting evidence-based medicine as the core focus for hospital care . . .

Skeptics’ website is here.

 

XX brighter than XY

IQs are improving and women’s IQs have overtaken men’s:

Emeritus Professor James Flynn, of Otago University, whose  research on intelligence has gained international recognition, says women had  lagged by as many as five points behind men in IQ testing.

But the gap has been narrowing in recent years and now  women’s scores are higher in some countries, including New Zealand, he is quoted  as saying on various British media websites.

“In the last 100 years the IQ scores of both men and women  have risen but women’s have risen faster,” he said.

“This is a consequence of modernity. The complexity of the  modern world is making our brains adapt and raising our IQ.”

One explanation is that women’s lives have become more demanding as they  multitask between raising a family and working outside the home. . .

We work more therefore we think better?

Positive:Negative

Barking Up the Wrong Tree reckons good romantic and working relationships require 5 positive interactions to every negative one.

He’s come across with a refinement on that in Ed Diener’s book  Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth:

chart that breaks down the optimal ratios for other relationships:

Money doesn’t buy happiness but . . .

A study found students who were happier made more money  later:

Analysis using data from the 1976 “College and  Beyond” survey of 13,676 freshmen shows that individuals with a higher  cheerfulness rating at college entry have a higher current income and a  higher job satisfaction rating and are less likely ever to have been  unemployed than individuals with a lower cheerfulness rating.

Money doesn’t buy happiness but this finding suggests happiness help you make more money.

Could it be because optimistic people are better at selling?

So what helps make you happier?

People who did five acts of kindness in a day were happier than a control group and the effect lasted for subsequent days.

I don’t think blogging counts as an act of kindness but I am about to do some cooking for a grieving family.

If it sounds too good to be true . . .

. . . it probably is:

Chocolate ‘may help keep people slim’

If only.