This week on the Wednesday Wire, we start with Dear Science with Allan Blackman who joins us live in the studio for our first show of the year. Today Christina Huang asks Allan about the link between cataracts and dementia, the nutritional value of huhu bugs, and a clue on mars that could hint at past life on the planet.

Jemima Huston interviews ACT Party Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden about her party’s goals for 2022, the inevitable Omicron outbreak in New Zealand and the Tonga volcanic eruption and tsunami disaster. 

Christina talks to Dr Xaviour Walker from the University of Otago about the disaster in Tonga and the subsequent health impacts that will affect the Tongan people. 

Christina wraps up the show with a conversation with Associate Professor Leah Watkins about a recent study of marketing, where researchers found kids are exposed to one brand almost every minute.