Marsden Update 39

Marsden Update 39

This issue features New Zealand research on the age of the Chatham Islands, obesity, the repression of emotions and more.

In Marsden Update 39:

How old are the Chatham Islands? Dr Hamish Campbell of GNS Science previews research from the multidisciplinary ChEARS project. ChEARS brings together a wealth of biological and geological data, and has led the team to the conclusion that the Islands are not more than two to three million years old.

Express yourself Stifling your emotions can be harmful to your health but do people who repress their emotions differ from those who suppress theirs? Dr Rona Moss-Morris, formerly of The University of Auckland, has conducted a study to find out how repressors and suppressors react when they are asked to disclose upsetting events.

A weighty issue The hormone leptin tightly regulates our levels of body fat, ensuring that the body balances food intake and energy use. In obese individuals this system breaks down, and leptin resistance kicks in. Associate Professor Dave Grattan and his team have been addressing the mechanisms involved in leptin resistance using pregnancy, where a natural state of resistance develops, as a model.

Cruelty-free consumption a New Zealand perspective A new report by Dr Annie Potts details the views and experiences of ethical consumers in New Zealand, and seeks to redress some of the deficits in knowledge about the non-mainstream consumer.

The language of mathematics For over two thousand years, mathematics has been regarded as the purest form of abstract thought. But is mathematics really free from cultural and linguistic differences? A team from The University of Auckland linked with topologists working in eight different languages to understand how clearly-defined concepts might be nuanced by language. Contact Associate Professor Bill Barton, b.barton@auckland.ac.nz or (09) 373 7599 ext. 88779

Detecting gravitational waves from space The cosmos is full of massive objects undergoing furious motion. In 1916, Einstein predicted that these accelerated masses produce a type of weak gravitational wave. Now, around the world, gravitational wave detectors are just starting to come online. A group of statisticians from the University of Auckland are developing methods to convert data from these detectors to information about pulsars and supernovae.

Controlling the kids with chemicals Queen bees exude an aromatic chemical that changes the chemistry of young worker bee brains. Professor Alison Mercer's research team at the University of Otago has shown how exposure to this pheromone blocks the way that young bees learn aggressive responses to negative experiences, making life in the hive more secure.

A new weapon in norovirus research Norovirus outbreaks cause more than 50,000 cases of diarrhoea and vomiting each year in New Zealand. Human noroviruses are hard to study - they cannot be grown in the laboratory. In a new advance, Associate Professor Vernon Ward has discovered a way of manipulating the mouse norovirus genome, making it far easier to work with.

The carbon cost of herbivory Herbivores have a substantial impact on the plants they feed upon regulating forest diversity and ecosystem productivity. How do Southern Beech trees deal with the onslaught of the honeydew scale insect? A team at Canterbury University has monitored photosynthesis and honeydew production over a two year period to find out more.

Silkworm sequencing success A keen sense of smell plays a vital role in the life history of most insects. Finding a mate, or the right place to lay eggs can depend upon it. Dr Richard Newcomb from HortResearch has reported the sequence of 41 odourant receptor genes from the silkworm a finding that will help provide a route for researchers developing insect control technologies against similar economically-devastating insects.
Time in antiquity Marking time has fascinated humans throughout history. Funded by Marsden, Professor Robert Hannah is writing a book about time-reckoning in ancient Greece and Rome, linking his findings to the sociological aspects of ancient time, and examining the scientific principles of time-keeping used by these civilisations.

Last Word Dr Steve Thompson makes his case for funding basic research.

Marsden Update 39 is now online at www.marsden.rsnz.org.

ENDS

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