We are all unique. Even monozygotic twins, who are genetically identical, always have some variation in the way they look ...
In this activity, students use an interactive or paper-based graphic organiser to explore common alternative conceptions about genetics. This activity ...
Genetic modification is back on the political agenda in Aotearoa New Zealand. The issue may not be as hotly contentious as it once was, but big ...
Plastic and microplastic pollution of oceans is a wicked problem. Using bioinformatics and statistical analysis, scientist Victor Gambarini looked to correlate marine microbes that could degrade ...
RNA interference (RNAi) is a natural process that occurs in cells where small RNA molecules ‘silence’ or decrease the activity of specific genes by preventing them ...
In traditional Māori society, a range of methods for pest control were developed such as reciting karakia, the strategic use of fire and smoke, soil preparation ...
The fungus Austropuccinia psidii is responsible for causing the invasive plant disease commonly known as myrtle rust, which threatens a large range of plants within the ...
The varroa mite is a tiny but destructive pest responsible for the deaths of many honey bee colonies in Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world. ...
RNA interference is both a natural process and a novel biotechnology tool in which small RNA molecules ‘silence’ or decrease the activity of specific genes by ...
All living things shed genetic material like hair, scales, skin and faeces into their local environment. This is known as environmental DNA (eDNA). For example, an ...
Around 3,500 years ago the earliest ancestors of many Pacific people and Māori – the people provisionally named Lapita – appeared in Oceania. Records of the ...
In the continuous drive to improve farm animal genetics and meat quality, agricultural researchers and farmers have often adapted medical imaging and diagnostic tools used in ...
Extremophilic microorganisms are called extremophiles and live in environments considered hostile to most forms of life. Scientists have only discovered life in these extreme environments in ...
Green rolling hills studded with fluffy white sheep is an image New Zealand has traded on for decades, both to promote our wool and meat and ...
In any one species, there is a large amount of genetic variation. The survival of a species is often linked with the extent of genetic variation ...
Population biology is a field of study that explores populations and how they interact with their environment. Scientists observe all factors influencing a population within an ...
Scientifically, takahē have been something of a mystery. For several decades, it was assumed that takahē were extinct in both the North and South Islands – ...
In November 2010, the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. Actinidiae (Psa) was discovered in a Te Puke kiwifruit orchard. Psa had previously decimated kiwifruit crops in other ...
Humans have been manipulating living organisms for thousands of years. Examples of early biotechnologies include domesticating plants and animals and then selectively breeding them for specific ...
PCR is shorthand for a simple but very useful procedure in molecular biology called the polymerase chain reaction. It is a technique used to amplify a ...
Genomics has opened up our understanding of ancient hominins and human evolution. Genomics is an area within genetics that concerns the sequencing and analysis of an ...
As humans, we’re curious about ourselves. Where did we come from? How did we evolve? Tom Higham talks about what we know about the journey from ...
New technologies can extend our scientific understanding. They can also mean we have to throw out earlier ideas. Prior to the 1950s and the ‘radiocarbon revolution’, ...
Here are some interesting facts about forensics and DNA: New Zealand was the second country in the world to establish a databank of DNA profiles. Find ...
Wētā have been in New Zealand for around 190 million years. Do they live on school grounds? And if so, what do they eat at mealtime? ...
What makes you, you and me, me? Genes or environment? How we look and act is the result of the interaction of our genes with our ...
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