Our Changing World takes a deep dive into controversial plans by US company Colossal Biosciences, backed by filmmaker Peter Jackson, to de-extinct the Moa. In part two of a two-part series, Sharon Brettkelly looks at whether it SHOULD be done.

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LEARN MORE:

• Check out this explainer from Katie Kenny for the proposed Gene Technology changes.
• RNZ’s Monique Steel looks at who is backing the stalled Gene Technology Bill.
• Listen as Kathryn Ryan talks to Kennedy Warne about how de-extincting the moa might fit with conservation efforts.
• Ben Novak talks to RNZ’s Saturday Morning show about de-extincting the passenger pigeon.

GUESTS:

• Professor Amanda Black, Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, Lincoln University and Director of Bioprotection Aotearoa.
• Professor Phillip Wilcox, bioethicist and quantitative geneticist, University of Otago.
• Andrew Pask, Chief Biology Officer, Colossal Biosciences
• Associate Professor Nic Rawlence, Director of Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, University of Otago.

IN THIS EPISODE:

(00:00) Should we bring moa back?

(01:36) Colossal’s plan to bring back moa

(03:00) Who benefits from de-extinction

(07:33) Māori perspectives, consent and data sovereignty

(10:55) Could New Zealand stop the project?

(14:43) Considering all the aspects of de-extinction

(18:30) De-extinction vortex and the ethics of breeding and consultation…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Our Changing World takes a deep dive into controversial plans by US company Colossal Biosciences, backed by filmmaker Peter Jackson, to de-extinct the Moa. In part one of a two-part series, Sharon Brettkelly looks at whether it CAN be done.

Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.

LEARN MORE:

• Colossal Biosciences claims they have de-extincted the dire wolf, from CNN.
• More detail on Colossal Biosciences’ artificial egg.
• Listen to Kathryn Ryan speaking with ‘Mr Moa’ - paleozoologist Trevor Worthy about his long career.
• Auckland Museum research associate Daniel Thomas talks to Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira about the discovery of million year old moa footprints.

GUESTS:

• Dr Andrew Pask, Chief Biology Officer, Colossal Biosciences
• Associate Professor Nic Rawlence, Director of Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, University of Otago.

IN THIS EPISODE:

(00:00) Could we bring the moa back?

(02:30) Sequencing the moa genome

(06:00) DNA data

(08:00) The artificial egg breakthrough

(10:20) How a "moa" would actually be created

(12:30) Critics challenge the science

(17:20) The conservation implications

(22:00) Māori consultation questions

(23:51) Will we ever see moa roaming again?

(26:08) Coming up in Part 2

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Cold plunges and cold water swimming are increasingly popular, with big benefit claims being made on social media. But is submerging yourself in frigid water actually good for you? Claire Concannon joins a team of researchers at the 2026 New Zealand and Oceania Ice Swimming Championships in Alexandra as they try to get some better data about both the risks and potential benefits.

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IN THIS EPISODE:

(00:00) Introduction – the rise of cold water swimming.

(01:06) The 2026 New Zealand and Oceania Ice Swimming Championships in Alexandra.

(02:00) Competitor Susan Sherwen on why she ice swims.

(05:10) How researchers track swimmers’ core temperature, stroke rate and perceptions of cold.

(07:30) Prof Jim Cotter on cold shock, hypothermia and afterdrop.

(12:00) The recovery room – Steven and Susan after their swim.

(17:30) Potential benefits and what the research says.

(20:30) Blood samples and looking for brain health proteins.

(23:40) Potential mental health benefits…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

After years of preparation and effort an international team have succeeded in recovering over 200 metres of sediment from below the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Claire Concannon visits the sediment core analysis team in Dunedin to find out how mud, rocks and microfossils can tell the story of ice growth and retreat across time. And as we look towards our warmer future, what will this mean for sea level rise?

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In this episode:

(00:00) Introduction to Antarctica, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and the SWAIS2C drilling project.

(02:18) Recovering a sediment core from beneath 523 metres of ice at Crary Ice Rise.

(04:00) Professor Richard Levy on the early steps of processing the core

(07:50) Sedimentologist Georgia Grant explains how rocks reveal the advance and retreat of ancient ice sheets.

(14:33) Dating the core using paleomagnetism and microscopic fossils such as diatoms.

(22:45) Evidence for past periods of open water and warmer climates in West Antarctica.

(25:40) The co-chief scientists on what the findings mean…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

There’s a lot of chat about solar panels for our rooftops, but where else might it make sense to put them? Claire Concannon visits the University of Canterbury’s Electric Power Engineering Centre to learn about their involvement in a big European project exploring the use of solar panels on vehicles and in car parks. Plus, she speaks to one researcher who is focused on planning for global catastrophes.

Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

At the Robinson Research Institute in Wellington, researchers are developing powerful superconducting magnets for space, fusion and MRI applications. Claire Concannon visits the labs to learn about a small magnet’s trip to the International Space Station, and how much bigger magnets are powering nuclear fusion research. She also meets the team working on a hydrogen-based way to make iron from New Zealand iron sand, removing carbon dioxide emissions from the first step of steelmaking.

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Learn more:

• Listen back to Our Changing World’s 2023 episode on plasma rockets in space, featuring the Paihau – Robinson Research Institute team’s work on superconducting magnets for plasma thrusters.
• Read Our Changing World’s story on OpenStar Technologies and its New Zealand approach to nuclear fusion.
• Learn more about CullBeck’s demonstration site plans for the hydrogen-based ironmaking technology.
• The New Zealand Institute for Advanced Technology now has a website.

Guests:

• Professor Nick Long, Director of the Robinson Research Institute, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
• Dr Nick Strickland, Principal Scientist, Robinson Research Institute, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
• Professor Chris Bumby, Robinson Research Institute, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
• Ben Rumsey, Senior Research Engineer / Specialist, Robinson Research Institute, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

In this episode:

(00:00) Professor Nick Long on watching the Hēki magnet arrive at the International Space Station

(04:20) Dr Nick Strickland on making superconducting magnets robust and useful

(08:38) Fusion magnets and future research questions for Open Star Technologies…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

To get electric passenger planes in the skies requires powerful electric motors, but they must also be small and light. Some kiwi scientists think they could have a solution. Claire Concannon heads to a warehouse in Petone to learn about the promise of high temperature superconducting magnets to make electric motors for airplanes.

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In this episode:

00:00 - Where are our electric planes?

01:00 - The challenge of aviation electrification.

02:48 - The history of the Robinson Research Institute and useful properties of superconductors.

07:00 - The establishment of the New Zealand Institute of Advanced Technology

08:30 - The advantage of superconducting motors for aviation.

11:15 - Airbus’ plans for a future electric plane

12:05 - Warehouse tour and levitation bearings for future motors

14:04 - Basic motor design and characterising AC losses in superconductors.

21:26 - Testing a superconducting generator with Air New Zealand…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Join a group of young explorers as they journey to Antarctica to return a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo to Discovery Hut. Along the way they visit other historic huts to learn about triumphs and tragedies of the 'Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration'. This is an edit of the Antarctic Heritage Trust's '77 Degrees South' podcast.

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Learn more:

• The full Antarctic Heritage Trust 77 Degrees South podcast can be found on their website.
• The AHT also previously made a podcast about restoring Scott's Terra Nova Hut, and an edit of that was also aired on Our Changing World.

Guests:

Producer: Maia Ingoe

Narrator: Jake Bailey

Sound design and music: Calum Turner

Inspiring explorers: Kitiona Pelasio, Louise Piggin, Lucy Hayes-Stevenson, Ngaiwai Clendon, Daniel Bornstein

Guest contributor: Al Fastier

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Every 90 minutes a New Zealander dies from heart disease. Liz Garton meets the team at the Institute of Biomedical Technologies is developing new products to help monitor heart health in the home to try to change those terrible statistics.

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Learn more:

• The Detail recently looked into the deadly heart disease that creeps up on you.
• In March, Guyon Espiner spoke with Dr Philip Shirely about how an annual flu vaccine can reduce the risk of heart issues.
• Kate Green’s investigation into health insurance in May, showed heart disease is one of the biggest drivers of claims.
• Dr Claire Concannon visited the CoRE Pūtahi Manawa to find out what they’re doing to address heart health inequities, in 2022.

Guests:

Professor Andrew Lowe, Dr Tet Chuan Lee, Matin Khalili, Institute of Biomedical Technologies, Auckland University of Technology.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Out of all of New Zealand’s natural hazards, landslides have resulted in the greatest loss of life since written records began. Pulling in data from decades of landslide research, a team at Earth Sciences New Zealand are now developing national models of landslide risk for both slow- and fast-moving landslides, to help New Zealand plan for, and respond to, major landslide events.

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Learn more:

• Other researchers at Earth Sciences New Zealand are also investigating underwater landslides, which have the potential to cause tsunami hazards.
• In January In-Depth reporter Kirsty Johnston investigated the gap between what New Zealand spends on disaster recovery and climate preparation.
• Jesse Mulligan revisited the Abbotsford disaster in 2019 with Sarah Johnston from Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.
• Landslides are one of the threats that are monitored 24/7 by the National Geohazard Monitoring Centre.

Guests:

Dr Chris Massey, Dr Saskia deVilder, Dr Sam McColl, Earth Sciences New Zealand.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details