Our Changing World

Our Changing World takes a deep dive into controversial plans by US company Colossal Biosciences, backed by filmmaker Peter Jackson, to de-extinct the Moa. In part two of a two-part series, Sharon Brettkelly looks at whether it SHOULD be done.
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LEARN MORE:
Check out this explainer from Katie Kenny for the proposed Gene Technology changes.
RNZ’s Monique Steel looks at who is backing the stalled Gene Technology Bill.
Listen as Kathryn Ryan talks to Kennedy Warne about how de-extincting the moa might fit with conservation efforts.
Ben Novak talks to RNZ’s Saturday Morning show about de-extincting the passenger pigeon.
GUESTS:
Professor Amanda Black, Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, Lincoln University and Director of Bioprotection Aotearoa.
Professor Phillip Wilcox, bioethicist and quantitative geneticist, University of Otago.
Andrew Pask, Chief Biology Officer, Colossal Biosciences
Associate Professor Nic Rawlence, Director of Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, University of Otago.
IN THIS EPISODE:
[00:00] Should we bring moa back?
[01:36] Colossal’s plan to bring back moa
[03:00] Who benefits from de-extinction
[07:33] Māori perspectives, consent and data sovereignty
[10:55] Could New Zealand stop the project?
[14:43] Considering all the aspects of de-extinction
[18:30] De-extinction vortex and the ethics of breeding and consultation…
Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Our Changing World takes a deep dive into controversial plans by US company Colossal Biosciences, backed by filmmaker Peter Jackson, to de-extinct the Moa. In part one of a two-part series, Sharon Brettkelly looks at whether it CAN be done.
Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.
LEARN MORE:
Colossal Biosciences claims they have de-extincted the dire wolf, from CNN.
More detail on Colossal Biosciences’ artificial egg.
Listen to Kathryn Ryan speaking with ‘Mr Moa’ - paleozoologist Trevor Worthy about his long career.
Auckland Museum research associate Daniel Thomas talks to Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira about the discovery of million year old moa footprints.
GUESTS:
Dr Andrew Pask, Chief Biology Officer, Colossal Biosciences
Associate Professor Nic Rawlence, Director of Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, University of Otago.
IN THIS EPISODE:
[00:00] Could we bring the moa back?
[02:30] Sequencing the moa genome
[06:00] DNA data
[08:00] The artificial egg breakthrough
[10:20] How a "moa" would actually be created
[12:30] Critics challenge the science
[17:20] The conservation implications
[22:00] Māori consultation questions
[23:51] Will we ever see moa roaming again?
[26:08] Coming up in Part 2
Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Cold plunges and cold water swimming are increasingly popular, with big benefit claims being made on social media. But is submerging yourself in frigid water actually good for you? Claire Concannon joins a team of researchers at the 2026 New Zealand and Oceania Ice Swimming Championships in Alexandra as they try to get some better data about both the risks and potential benefits.

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IN THIS EPISODE:
(00:00) Introduction – the rise of cold water swimming.
(01:06) The 2026 New Zealand and Oceania Ice Swimming Championships in Alexandra.
(02:00) Competitor Susan Sherwen on why she ice swims.
(05:10) How researchers track swimmers’ core temperature, stroke rate and perceptions of cold.
(07:30) Prof Jim Cotter on cold shock, hypothermia and afterdrop.
(12:00) The recovery room – Steven and Susan after their swim.
(17:30) Potential benefits and what the research says.
(20:30) Blood samples and looking for brain health proteins.
(23:40) Potential mental health benefits…
Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

After years of preparation and effort an international team have succeeded in recovering over 200 metres of sediment from below the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Claire Concannon visits the sediment core analysis team in Dunedin to find out how mud, rocks and microfossils can tell the story of ice growth and retreat across time. And as we look towards our warmer future, what will this mean for sea level rise?
Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.
In this episode:
(00:00) Introduction to Antarctica, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and the SWAIS2C drilling project.
(02:18) Recovering a sediment core from beneath 523 metres of ice at Crary Ice Rise.
(04:00) Professor Richard Levy on the early steps of processing the core
(07:50) Sedimentologist Georgia Grant explains how rocks reveal the advance and retreat of ancient ice sheets.
(14:33) Dating the core using paleomagnetism and microscopic fossils such as diatoms.
(22:45) Evidence for past periods of open water and warmer climates in West Antarctica.
(25:40) The co-chief scientists on what the findings mean…
Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

There’s a lot of chat about solar panels for our rooftops, but where else might it make sense to put them? Claire Concannon visits the University of Canterbury’s Electric Power Engineering Centre to learn about their involvement in a big European project exploring the use of solar panels on vehicles and in car parks. Plus, she speaks to one researcher who is focused on planning for global catastrophes.
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