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Ministry merger, dolphin dilemma, Pink Terraces find
SMC Heads-Up: Ministry merger, dolphin dilemma, Pink Terraces find
Issue 173 - March 16 - 22
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Super ministry
mirrors overseas
moves
Wellington is
abuzz with news of the 'super ministry', which was unveiled
yesterday and will have major implications for a large
number of public servants.
Some leaders in the science system have commented about the implications of the Ministry of Science and Innovation being bundled into the new Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Professor Shaun Hendy, who is President of the New Zealand Association of Scientists, said the merger could have major benefits on the economic development front, but may marginalise important environmental and health research that didn't have an immediate economic outcome.
In a press release he commented:
"We know that more scientific research is needed to grow industry, manufacturing and exports. But large components of the science system are concerned with the broader view, such as environmental and health science research, areas that do not often deliver an immediate payoff but which can be immensely valuable over longer time frames. Further change such as this is likely to add more uncertainty to funding structures and to science career paths, especially for younger scientists".
The Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor, Sir Peter Gluckman, also weighed in, saying:
"This reorganisation highlights the role that science and science-based innovation can play in a country's development, be it through direct impact on greater productivity from enhanced services, advanced manufacturing and the primary industries, or indirectly through greater environmental sustainability and social development.
"It will be important that the new Ministry continues to give focus to the broader ways in which science advances New Zealand and I have no doubt that will indeed be the case."
Overseas precedents
He points out also that the grouping of science, skills and economic development under one roof is not uncommon overseas.
Indeed, the UK's Department of Business, Innovation and Skills was formed in 2009 as the result of a merger, one of several the coalition government has undertaken there in a drive to reduce national debt. Australia's Department of Industry, Innovation, Research, Science and Tertiary Education came into being officially just a few months ago. If anything stands out as unique about the merger here is that it did not include tertiary education.
It is too early to tell if these major science-business mergers in the public sector have worked particularly well, but there's plenty of evidence to suggest that mergers in general are tricky to get right. The merger study Disappointing Marriage: A Study of the Gains from Merger is often cited, though looks at the the private sector. In anticipation of a large amount of public sector merger activity, Grant Thorton and the Guardian newspaper in 2010 commissioned a survey of 600 directors and senior managers to gauge attitudes in the public sector towards mergers. In the report's intro the authors note:
"While few
precedents exist and little practical guidance on successful
implementation is available, there is copious evidence that
reorganisation and restructuring often result in failure.
This is not a problem unique to the public sector. Indeed, a
review of the literature shows that between 50-80% of
private sector mergers disappoint, with many destroying
shareholder value.
On the science radar...
Super Mario maths, catholic crocodiles, sex-deprived alcoholic flies, urbane frogs and trans-fat fury.
Further protection for rarest
dolphins
A new Department of
Conservation report estimates there are only 55 Maui's
dolphins left in the world, sparking action to save the
species. The report, which was released on
Tuesday, estimates that there are somewhere between 48 to 69
Maui's dolphins left, with a middle estimate of 55.
Based on previous dolphin surveys, the researchers estimate that the population is declining at a rate of 3% per year.
In the light of the report, the government has announced plans to hasten a review of threats to dolphins and, as an interim measure, extend current fishing bans.
"Maui's are critically endangered so any decline is very concerning. It is important that we act now, which is why the Government has proposed the interim measures and has brought forward the review of the plan." said Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson.
The government will be consulting on the proposes measures with a decision expected late May.
Maui's dolphin expert Assoc. Prof Liz Slooten, University of Otago, told the SMC that one of the most important areas to protect was the gap between the North and South Islands.
"Any dolphins that venture into this area
have a very high probability of being caught in a gillnet or
trawl net," Dr Slooten said."This is a serious problem in
terms of causing fragmentation of the population"
"The
current government proposal also begs the question as to why
they are not putting in place better protection in the
harbours. A dead Maui's dolphin was found in the Manukau
Harbour late last year. And our research has also documented
their use of the Kaipara Harbour, well beyond the current
protected area."
Your read Dr Slooten's full comments and a round up of media coverage on the SMC website.
Survey expands
on Terraces find
"Drain the lake! Drain the lake!" That
was the cry from enthusiastic Stuff readers on hearing confirmation from scientists
today that a large section of the Pink Terraces survived the
Mt Tarawera eruption and sit intact on the floor of Lake
Rotomahana.
GNS Science's Cornel de Ronde and his team returned to Lake Rotomahana recently to conduct sonar and seismic surveys of the lake floor. The surveys - much higher resolution than those that revealed the presence of part of the terraces last year, show a 40 metre wide, three-storey high mass of solid material.
Scientists believe they are the Pink Terraces, though they are not visible as they are covered in two metres of sediment. The faith of the white terraces, positioned in another part of the lake, is still unknown.
GNS Science today released a video featuring Dr de Ronde explaining the latest finds. TVNZ's Sunday programme will also feature the research - 7.30pm, TV1, Sunday.
MRIs, Telsa and food
for the brain
The
University of Auckland's Centre for Brain Research
foreshadowed tomorrow's Brain Day with a lively and informative event looking at
the science of imaging of the
brain.
A Q&A session MCed by Media7's Russell Brown on Wednesday featured imaging scientists Associate Professor Brett Cowan and Dr Donna Rose Addis, with the resulting video available online. It is well worth a look.
Quoted: New Zealand Association
of Scientists
"Such a merger shows a desire for science in New Zealand to focus on the short-term bottom line"
"But, it makes no sense in terms of environmental science for environmental sustainability or in terms of health science to improve the well-being of New Zealanders"
-- NZAS President Prof Shaun Hendy on the new Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
New from the
SMC
Experts Respond: Quake
questions:
'DIME' not so legal: The active ingredient in a supposedly legal party drug sold in New Zealand has been revealed to be a obscure - and illegal - hallucinogen. Read commentary from NZ experts and the Danish researchers who first synthesised the chemical.
More Maui protection: In the wake of a DOC report estimating that there are only 55 Maui's dolphins left, scientists call for better measures to ensure the survival of the species.
Labour pain
relief: An authoritative systematic review has
analysed the evidence for a a range of labour pain relief
approaches. Experts respond to the findings.
Mega ministry merger:
Reflections on
Science:
Sciblogs
highlights
Some of the highlights
from this week's posts:
The (supposed) myth of the 8-hour sleep
- Somnologist Karyn O'Keeffe takes a look a the idea of
biphasic sleep - splitting your sleep into two
chunks.
Sleep on it
A solution to the world's energy
problems? - Can device truly put out more energy than it
takes in? Marcus Wilson investigates.
Physics
Stop
Pure, white and deadly? - Nutritionist
Amanda Johnson adds a spoonful of reason to the current
debate over the health consequences of sugar.
Food
Stuff
Give us something simple, Steven - Ahead
of John Key's Mega Ministry announcement, Peter Kerr has
some advice for the assumed new minister, Steven
Joyce.
sticK
Research
highlights
Please note: hyperlinks
point, where possible, to the relevant abstract or
paper. Genetic clues may show cancer risk:
Proceeding of the National Academy of
Sciences
Deep water: Nearly four
million Americans are at risk of severe flooding even if sea
levels rise only 1m in the coming century. Researchers also
point to a substantially higher frequency of storm-driven
high water levels by the middle of the century; water levels
that have previously been encountered only
once-a-century.
Environmental Research
Letters
Salt resistant wheat:
Tolerance to soil salinity has been bred into a variety of
wheat, which will be particularly useful in developing
countries where wheat is commonly grown in arid or semi-arid
areas with high-saline soil. This breeding line of wheat is
not a transgenic, as it was created by conventional
crossing, and highlights the potential of using
biotechnology to harness genetic diversity found in
undomesticated plants to improve modern crops without
necessarily creating transgenic organisms.
Nature Biotechnology
Heroin beats methadone for rehab: Medically prescribed heroin is more cost-effective than methadone for treating long-term street heroin users, according to a new Canadian study. Researchers attributed most of the economic benefits to the fact that recipients of medically prescribed heroin stayed in treatment longer and spent less time in relapse than those receiving methadone. Both results are associated with reduced criminal activity and lower health care costs. Canadian Medical Association Journal
Breaking the cycle: Children with disruptive
behavioural problems and their parents can benefit from
peer-led parenting classes, say UK researchers who created
an "Empowering Parents, Empowering Communities" (EPEC)
programme. Families proved more likely to seek out and
continue treatment if it was delivered by fellow parents in
local community settings, rather than professionals working
in clinics.
BMJ
Going to seed?:
Fatty diets may be associated with reduced semen quality
according to researchers who linked diets high in omega-3
polyunsaturated fats (the type of fat often found in fish
and plant oils) with better-formed sperm in the men. Men
could reduce the amount of saturated fat they ate and
increase their omega-3 intake to improve not only their
general health, but their reproductive health.
Human Reproduction
Sounds like
a winner: US research suggests that voters favour
political candidates with lower-pitched voices. The new
study found that, when asked to pick a hypothetical
political candidate on the basis of their voice, voters
consistently choose the option with the deeper voice -
whether male or female. The authors also suggest that voice
pitch may be factor in the disproportionately low levels of
elected female leaders.
Proceedings of the Royal Society
B
Tasty looking: Just looking at
images of food can change our taste experience. A new study
found that participants reported tastes to be more pleasant
when preceded by images of high-calorie foods, such as pizza
or pastry, as compared to low-calorie foods like watermelon
or green beans. The researchers also conducted neuroimaging
studies that identified previously unknown brain mechanisms
of visual-gustatory sensory interactions involved with food
enjoyment.
PLoS ONE
Policy updates
Some of the policy highlights from this week:
'Super ministry' : The government has announced the new Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, which will help the Government's business growth agenda by implementing integrated policies to build a more competitive and internationally-focused economy.
Positive parenting: Trials are underway for a programme training child health and development professionals to support parents who want to improve their parenting skills. MoH is spending nearly $4 million over three years to trial this programme, which is described as one of the world's most effective parenting programmes.
Upcoming sci-tech events
• Pacific Health Fono 2012 - March 18,
Auckland.
• Ethylene 2012 - The IX International
Conference on the Plant Hormone Ethylene - March 19 -23,
Rotorua.
• Forestwood 2012 - Forestry and timber
conference - March 21, Wellington.
• Ever green but seeing red? Deciphering the
palette of New Zealand's flora - 2012 Leonard Cockayne
Memorial Lecture by Professor Kevin Gould, Victoria
University - March 20, Palmerston North; 21, Wellington;
22, Hawke's Bay; 27, Rotorua; 28, Christchurch.
For these and more upcoming events, and more
details about them, visit the SMC's Events Calendar.
ENDS
Science Media Centre NZ
Our aim is to promote accurate, evidence-based reporting on science and technology by helping the media work more closely with the scientific community.
The Science Media Centre is New Zealand's only trusted, independent source of information for the media on all issues related to science. Thousands of news stories providing context from and quoting New Zealand researchers have been published as a direct result of our work.
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