Lake Taupō, one of New Zealand’s most inland spots, experienced a rare tsunami in 2022 when an earthquake sent swells across the moana. Pumice washed a few metres inland—except at one beach, where a significant chunk of shoreline and car park vanished beneath the lake’s surface. Science communicator Ceana Priest examines the causes behind waves […]
Read MoreHosting a bio camp: Engaging students in hands-on biological science
What does it mean to be human? That was the question at the heart of Bio Camp 2022 when St Patrick’s College students headed to Wairarapa and stripped life back to its simplest form: making stone tools, fire-making, foraging and sitting around a campfire long after the sun had set. Science communicator Ceana Priest chats […]
Read MoreFauna mutations: exploring change in animal features
When a feisty weka strutted through a camp ground near the rugged Tasman Sea in early March, its snow-white plumage stood out from the usual brown-feathered crowd. Experts weighed in, ruling out albinism; it was more likely another hereditary colour mutation. But in a world where blending into the background is a survival skill, why […]
Read MoreFrom Snell’s Law to Science Rap: Teaching science through music
To celebrate New Zealand Music Month, we chat to two educators bringing tunes into the classroom. Musician and teacher Tom McFadden creates raps about the inner workings of science, while teacher Emily Hall uses science songs to inspire her students. It was the ’90s, and the hallways of C. K. McClatchy High School in Sacramento—where […]
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