A lack of consensus among international conservation regimes regarding albatross taxonomy makes management of these ocean roaming birds tricky. Imogen Foote's PhD research aims to generate whole genome data for some of our most threatened albatrosses in a first attempt to bring their taxonomy into the genomic era.
GPL, MIT, BSD, CC – no they’re not a secret vocabulary, these are in fact acronyms for open source licenses that allow code to be freely used, modified and shared.
The rapid development and extraordinary cost reductions of next-generation sequencing technologies has greatly increased data on the functioning of complex microbial communities.
There is no one size fits all when it comes to designing research that fulfils cultural obligations, but two research exemplars from opposite ends of the world that incorporate Indigenous perspectives are providing potential direction.
A few months ago, while home for the Christmas break, my mother – out of the blue – turned to me and asked, “what made you actually decide you wanted to go to university and study science?”
Invasive social wasps have long plagued New Zealand’s beech forests and suburbs. Now, a genetic technology holds the potential to stop such wasps in their tracks. But one major issue lurks: are scientists even allowed to explore this option?
Science is an excellent way of allowing us to question test and understand the world we live in. But that knowledge also provides us with something else; the ability to change things, to solve problems, and to make life on earth a bit better.
Community consultation is becoming an increasingly important aspect of research programmes in New Zealand, and with that comes the art of relationship building.
The increased availability of complex biological data sets means that analysis and computation are becoming critically important skills for New Zealand’s future scientists.
Just how do cyanobacteria live in their natural habitat, and how do they coexist with other bacteria and microbial life forms? And what difference will knowledge on this bacteria have on maintaining New Zealand’s water quality?