Smoke explosions. Fire tornadoes. Burning couches. It all happens in the fire lab: a purpose-built facility where researchers can safely set stuff on fire and study how it burns, for science. New Zealand experiences 4,500 wildfires every year, with the risk ramping up due to climate change. We visit the fire lab to watch a large gorse bush go up in flames and learn how this helps us prepare for future wildfires. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.In this episode:01:54–09:39 – Watching a gorse bush burn in the fire lab10:45–12:43 – Burning couches, smoke explosions and fire tornadoes12:44–19:08 – Mini burn experiments and how research is preparing for wildfires of the future19:08–23:32 – Kate's experience as a wildland firefighter in Canada…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
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25:53
Dissecting the world's rarest whale
How do you go about dissecting the world’s rarest whale? In December 2024, images from a concrete room in Mosgiel, just south of Dunedin, spread around the world as a team of people spent a week doing a scientific dissection on a spade-toothed whale that had washed up five months before. Claire Concannon joins them to find out what’s involved, what they have learned, and how the arrangements between local iwi and visiting scientists enabled knowledge sharing. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
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26:09
The missing black petrels of Great Barrier Island
For nearly 30 years, researchers have been banding black petrel fledglings before they make their maiden migration to Ecuador. Only a handful of birds have ever come back.
RNZ’s In Depth reporter Kate Newton travels to Aotea-Great Barrier Island to meet the birds, and the dedicated team trying to figure out the mystery of where they go. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
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28:01
The 2024 Prime Minister’s Science Prize winners
Each year, five Prime Minister’s Science Prizes are awarded in the most prestigious New Zealand science awards. We explore the AgResearch science that got the top recognition this year and catch up with two of the other winners. Science Communication prizewinner Professor Jemma Geoghegan talks about the hundreds of interviews she’s done about viruses, and Future Scientist prizewinner Rena Misra explains her project exploring how a plant-fungus combination could have the potential to help clean up stormwater. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.Guests:Professor Jemma Geoghegan, University of OtagoRena Misra, Epsom Girls’ Grammar School in AucklandDr Linda Johnson, Endophyte Discovery Team, AgResearchIn this episode:00:06–02:05: The main science prize was awarded to a group who have discovered a way to protect pasture ryegrass from pests.02:06–02:57: The winners of the Science Teacher Prize and the MacDiarmid Emerging Scientist Prize.02:58–19:33: Interview with Science Communication prizewinner Professor Jemma Geoghegan of the University of Otago about viruses and pandemics.19:34–26:10: Interview with Future Scientist prizewinner Rena Misra of Epsom Girls' Grammar School in Auckland about a fungus-plant symbiosis that might help clean up stormwater…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
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26:46
Fiordland's underwater world
With its steep sides, forested slopes and heavy rainfall, Fiordland has interesting ecosystems both above and below the water. Below the surface of the inner fiords, a variety of sponges, corals, and other filter-feeding animals cling to the cliff-like reefs. Claire Concannon heads to Doubtful Sound with a research team who are habitat-mapping the fiords to better understand what’s there, and how things are changing over time. They are also investigating the resilience of its iconic black corals to local landslides and marine heatwaves. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.Guests:Professor James Bell, Victoria University of WellingtonMiriam Pierotti, Victoria University of WellingtonAmber Kirk, Victoria University of Wellington Learn more:Read the article that accompanies this episode: Studying Fiordland's iconic black coralsOur Changing World visited Professor James Bell at the Coastal Ecology Lab in 2023 to learn more about sponges.The 2022 marine heatwave mentioned here led to one of the largest ever recorded sponge mass bleaching events.In Antarctica giant glass sponges also live in quite shallow waters, under the sea ice.Eva Ramey and Dr Alice Rogers are also involved in a project to study the movement of sharks in Fiordland.Professor James Bell has investigated ‘middle’ light zone habitats around Aoteaora. Learn more and check out some videos in his recent article on The Conversation.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Dr Claire Concannon follows scientists into the bush, over rivers, back to their labs and many places in-between to cover the most fascinating research being done in Aotearoa New Zealand.
New Zealand