Science Media Centre Update
July 11th, 2011
Friday, 1 July 2011, 7:34 pm Press Release: Science Media Centre
Issue 140 July 1 – 7
In this IssuePineapple Express
EQ insurance and risk
Conferences ahead
Upcoming briefing
New from the SMC
Research highlights
Policy updates
Sci-tech events
QuickLinks
SMC Alerts BriefingsCalendar
Media Registration More about UsContact Us
WCSJ 2011
The World Conference of Science Journalists wrappedup this week in Doha, Qatar.
The gathering offered a chance forestablished Science Media Centres (from Japan, Australia,Canada, the UK, Denmark and NZ) meet and discuss theexpanding network. Interest in the SMC model is now emergingin China, Norway, Italy, Germany and Nigeria
The SMCs alsopresented a panel on their role during the Fukushima nuclearcrisis, and debated the value of experts put forward — didnuclear scientists ‘play down’ the threat, and did theircontributions help or hinder journalists?
Peter Griffinhas been present at the proceedings and sent this post onpublic sector scientists being discouraged or even bannedfrom discussing science-related issues in themedia.
Phenazepam halts PineappleExpress
Yesterday the Ministry of Health announceda recall of a popular brand of ‘synthetic cannabis’ after itwas discovered that the smoking mixture contained aprescription sedative.
Testing by EnvironmentalScience and Research (ESR) detected the prescription drugphenazepam, in a sample of Kronic – PineappleExpress.
Phenazepam is a benzodiazpeine,belonging to the same class of anti-anxiety pharmaceuticalsas drugs like Valium and Xanax. Originally developed in theUSSR, phenazepam is not widely used clinically but has beenknown to be recreationally abused.
The brand foundto contain phenazepam, Kronic, is just one of manyvarities of herbal smoking blends treated with legal,psychoactive synthetic cannabinoids. these ‘legal highs’have been causing public debate over their effects, safetyand accessibility.
The revelation that thePineapple Express variety contained phenazepam hascomplicated the debate further. Speaking to the ScienceMedia Centre, Dr Keith Bedford, Forensic Manager at ESR,said:
“My suspicion is that phenazepam iscontributing to the effects of the product, includingreports of adverse effects.
“I think that has clouded thepublic debate on these synthetic cannabinoids, because in myopinion it is quite probable that at least part of theadverse effects have been due to this adulterated PineappleExpress product, which seems to be one of the more commonproducts in the market.”
The Ministry of Health iscurrently reviewing drug legislation and hope to soon bringin changes requiring manufactures to prove the safety ofuncontrolled psychoactive substances before sale.
Expert commentary collected by the Science MediaCentre is available here.
On the scienceradar Anti-nuclear jellyfish, singinggenitals, drawing circuits, head butts, dino cancer, andspiders in space.
Earthquakes,insurance and risk
A Science Media Centre briefingearlier this week explored the ramifications for rebuilding,retrofitting and insuring buildings and structures inearthquake-prone regions following the quakes inChristchurch.
Panelists explained the types ofdamage that had occurred, the implications of tighteningbuilding codes, and considered whether New Zealand willeventually find itself in a similar situation to California,where the majority of property owners do not have earthquakeinsurance because it is unavailable or prohibitivelyexpensive.
The briefing coincided with the launch ofan information paper, jointly produced by several scientificand engineering professional societies including the RoyalSociety of New Zealand (RSNZ), the Institution ofProfessional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ). it can beaccessed here.
Audio from the briefing is on ourwebsite.Ice, sea and brain conferences nextweek
It’s a busy week for scientific gatheringscoming up. Monday, the University of Waikato will host theannual Antarctic Conference, bringing togetherresearchers in diverse fields who work on the polarcontinent, as well as artists and media who have travelledthere.Stewart Island will be the remote location forthis year’s NZ Marine Sciences Society conferencewhich begins Tuesday. The theme is “Understanding, Managing,and Conserving our Marine Environment”‘The socialbrain’ will be the topic of discussion at the INS/ASSBIPacific Rim Conference in Auckland from Wednesday.Keynote speakers will address neuroimaging, memory, languageand normal human psychology as well as brain disorders.
For more details on these and other events, check outlistings below and the link to the SMC eventscalendar.
Upcoming briefing:
Ecosystem services – Can we set a dollarvalue on natural resources? Launch of the latest paper inthe RSNZ Emerging Issues series.
Wed 6 July,10:30 am — online
Contact the SMC for more infoor to receive a copy under embargo.
Quoted:Otago Daily Times “I am exasperated… shocked that they willy-nilly put in other chemicals toincrease psychotropic effects on the user … and they haveno idea of the dose.”
On phenazepam inPineapple Express, Dr Leo Schep, Toxicologist,National Poisons Centre
New fromthe SMC
In the News:Post-quake building - Following therelease of a new information paper on earthquakeengineering, the media have examined new challengesin building safe structures. Quake queriesanswered -In another ‘Ask the Experts’ section in thePress, geologists from GNS answer earthquakequestions posed by readers of thenewspaper.The Rain and the plane - TheDominion Post‘s Kiran Chug covers new research,published in the journal Science, linking weatherpattens with airplane activity at majorairportsNZ’s diabetes epidemic - New researchhas revealed New Zealand has one of the highest rates ofdiabetes among developed countries, drawing mediaattention to the causes and prevention of the disease.
Experts Respond:Phenazepam found synthetic cannabis blend- Experts respond to the revelation that apopular legal smoking blend, Kronic Pineapple Expresscontained the prescription drug, phenazepam.
Reflections onScience: Research, notrhetoric- Ian William Chubb, the chief scientist ofAustralia, shares his thoughts on climate change inthe public arena, evidence-based policy and science’s rolein society in a recent blog post for New Scientist.
From the UK SMC:Expert reaction: common drugs and risk inelderly – New research into the long-term side effectsof common drugs revealed a raised risk of cognitiveimpairment and increased mortality in older people. The UKSMC has collected expert comment.
Sciblogshighlights
Some of the highlights from thisweek’s posts include:
Risky business: insuringagainst climate change – Bryan Walker looks at thefinancial implications of the rising global temperatures.Hot Topic
Don Brash: climateclueless™ to the core – few punches are pulled byGareth Renowden as he takes ACT leader Brash to task overhis climate views. Hot Topic
Child abusecases – the role of the expert – in the midst of debateover the death of the Kahui twins and the Anna Sandifordhilights some important points about expert witnesses incourt. Forensic Scientist
Isoscapes – a toolfor forensics – Michael Edmonds shows how isotopes canbe the smoking gun used to trace the origins of organicmatter (including drugs and dead bodies).MolecularMatters
Weekend Nanotech – The Inconvenient Ash- Ash + jet engine = BAD. Elf Eldridge does the maths (andthe science) on why planes can’t fly through the volcanicplume. Just so Science
Researchhighlights
Please note: hyperlinks point,where possible, to the relevant abstract or paper.
Aircraft influence weather: As airplanes flythrough the clouds, they often punch holes through the onesthat contain supercooled water, or water that has remainedin liquid form below its freezing point. Now, researcherssay that this phenomenon can lead to increased snowfallaround the world’s airports – including in Antarctica. Newresearch shows that numerous private and commercial flightshave been drilling holes and canals through clouds allalong, influencing the snow and rainfall below them withouteven knowing it. Images available. Science
Antarctica’s last stand: in thewarmest period in Earth’s past 55 million years, Antarcticawas ice-free and forested. The continent’s vast ice sheet,began forming about 38 million years ago. Analysis of pollenand sediment from deep drill core samples has revealed thatthe last remnant of Antarctic vegetation existed in a tundralandscape about 12 million years ago on the continent’snorthern peninsula, the last part of the Antarctica tosuccumb to the ice. Proceedings of the NationalAcademy of Sciences
Water energy needsexamined: A new study argues that greater focus on theenergy requirements of the water sector will be a crucialpart of the policy response to the huge challenges it facesin the coming decades. The authors of the study reviewenergy usage in the water industry and link their findingsto global warming considerations. Transpar¬ency in theindustry’s energy use is likely to be important for it tomeet carbon-reduction commitments while responding to otherfactors such as stricter quality standards and increasingdemand.Nature Climate Change
Sugarbattery shows sweet success: A glucose biofuel cellwhich offers the best performance yet has been reported in anew study. The cell, created by wiring glucose oxidase andlaccase enzymes in a carbon nanotube disc, may provide a wayof efficiently producing energy from clean sources. not onlyis the energy source for such cells easily provided, theenergy -producing reactions can occur at near-roomtemperature and neutral pH.Nature
New alloy handles the heat: Researchershave developed a superelastic alloy that can revert back toits original shape after being deformed under a wide rangeof temperatures. Whereas most superelastic alloys have astrong temperature dependence to this restorative effect,this new alloy can recover from deformation at temperaturesanywhere from -196 to 240 degrees Celsius with littlevariability over this wide temperaturerange.Science
Wallaby bacteria goeasy on the methane: despite eating the same sort ofgrassy diet that cows do, Australia’s grazing marsupialsdon’t produce nearly as much methane gas. Scientists havenow identified a gut microbe that helps explain thisdifference in the Tammar wallaby. By devising a culture thatmimicked the conditions of this wallaby gut, the researcherseventually grew a bacterium with a genome nearly matchingthe dominant organisms originally seen in the foregut. Theresearchers propose that the bacteria may hold clues forefforts to modify fermentation in livestock so as to produceless methane. Science
Crows hold agrudge: Crows don’t just remember a transgression,they’ll also tell their friends. Research into crow sociallearning has found that not only will crows ‘scold’ (cry outat) a person they saw trapping a bird, they will influencethe behaviour of other crows who never wittnessed thetrapping.The researchers, who used a mask when trappingbirds, found that some crows scolded them when wearing themask, despite never seeing them trap any birds.Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Neural light switch maps mouse behaviour: Researchers have used a new method called ‘optogenetics’ tocontrol reward-related neural activity in mice. Bygenetically altering mice to have light-sensitive neurons,scientists were able to manipulate the activity of specificareas of the brain using light via fiber-optic cables. Thismethodology allowed them to identify a new pathway involvedin reward seeking behavior and shed light on theneurobiology ofaddiction.NatureGenes influenceface gazing: New research has found variations in thecannabinoid receptor (CNR1) gene alter the amount of timepeople spend looking at happy faces. Researchers analyzedthe DNA from 28 adult volunteers and tested (using a “gazetracker”) how long the volunteers looked at faces in videoclips showing different emotions. The team found variationsin CNR1 correlated with a longer gaze at happy faces but notwith faces showing disgust. The findings may provide insightinto emotion processing and conditions such asautism.Molecular Autism
X-rays revealprehistoric plumage: A new study has used X-raysynchrotron techniques, which penetrate an object with anintense X-ray beam to probe its molecular makeup, to map outthe distribution of copper and other metals in a variety offossils. The researchers compared tissues from a range offossil and modern animals and found that the method couldresolve, to a certain extent, the coloration of fossilizedbird plumage – never seen by human eyes.Science
Blueprint for ovarian cancer revealed: Alarge-scale genomic analysis of the most common form ofovarian cancer has revealed the number and type of mutationsin cancer cells is surprisingly simple and distinct fromother ovarian cancer subtypes. The landmark study identifies aberrant genes and networks that have thepotential to be targeted with therapies selected to beeffective against these specificaberrations.Nature
Obesity greatestthreat for non-smoker women: While established researchhas shown clearly that smoking is linked to premature deathand health inequalities, it is not known which causes ofdeath are related to the social position of women who havenever smoked. The results of a new study show that women inlower occupational groups were more likely to die ofdiseases of the heart and circulation, but not cancer.British Medical Journal
Policyupdates
Some of the highlights of this week’spolicy news:
Appointments made to CRI boards-The Ministry of Science has announced newappointments and reappointments to the boards of Crownresearch institutes.
‘Synthetic Cannabis’ brandrecalled – Assoc Health Minister Peter Dunne hasannounced that Kronic Pineapple Expresscontains the controlled prescription drug phenazepam. Anofficial recall has been issued.Canterbury get DHB funding boost – TheGovernment has pledged a special payment of up to $16million to Canterbury District Health Board for earthquakerelated costs in the 2010/11 financial year.
NZjoins GHG research body… – New Zealand has officiallyjoined Global Research Alliance on AgriculturalGreenhouse Gases, a a partnership for research on themitigation of agricultural greenhouse gases.
…also funds research – The New Zealandgovernment has also established a contestableinternational fund worth NZ$25 million to support researchon mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from pastoralfarming.
Upcoming sci-techevents
Conference of the AustralasianHuman Development Association – 4 – 6 July, Dunedin.
Value and Relevance of AntarcticScience – Annual Antarctic Conference, 4- 6 July,Hamilton.
Novel approaches to addressing genetic andenvironmental factors associated with diabetes andobesity – Sandpit workshop (FRENZ) – 5-8 July,Rotarua.
Understanding, managing and conserving ourmarine environment – NZ Marine Science Conference2011, 5-8 July, Stewart Island.
InternationalNeuropsychology Conference – Mid-year meeting – 6-9July, Auckland
For these and more upcoming events, andmore details about them, visit the SMC’s Events Calendar.
Related Reading:
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