About this podcast
Dr Claire Concannon follows scientists into the bush, over rivers, back to their labs and many places in-between to cover the most fascinating research being done in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 300 episodes
- The tricky work of disentangling whales · 39 min · Episode 441Freeing an entangled whale is complex, dangerous and immensely rewarding. Based in Kaikōura, marine ranger Zac Penman leads DOC’s South Island large whale disentanglement team…
- Saving tara-iti, shell by shell · 26 min · Episode 442In the dunes of Bream Bay, DOC workers and volunteers are shifting shells by hand to build safer nesting habitat for tara-iti. With only about 45 birds left, every nest matters…
- The PINK1 clue in Parkinson's disease · 26 min · Episode 438A genetic form of Parkinson’s disease is found at unusually high rates in some Pasifika communities. It affects people who are much younger than the typical Parkinson's patient…
- Are GLP1 drugs worth the hype? · 27 min · Episode 440GLP1 - RA weight loss drugs get the Our Changing World treatment! What are they? How do they work? And what does the science say about the benefits, and the risks? Plus, beyond…
- Black robin: From the brink to Bird of the Year · 27 min · Episode 439In September, the Chatham Island black robin was crowned Bird of the Year 2026. This small, round and feisty manu has a remarkable comeback story, from just five birds in 1979 to…
- The science quest for a green ammonia catalyst · 26 min · Episode 437Over a hundred years ago Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch discovered a way to produce ammonia that revolutionised farming. It changed the world. But today this way of making ammonia…
- Searching sand dunes for lizards · 26 min · Episode 433Over 80% of our coastal dune ecosystems have been lost. So, what about the native species living with them? Ayana Piper-Healion steps into Bream Bay’s sand dunes with a…
- Ireland's experience of H5/N1 bird flu: A conversation with Niall Hatch · 20 min · Episode 436Highly pathogenic H5/N1 bird flu strain has been detected in New Zealand, but it's still early days. There are lots of unknowns about when it will start spreading here, and how…
- H5/N1 bird flu is here, what does this mean for our wildlife? · 30 min · Episode 435After years of watching it move closer, the highly pathogenic H5/N1 strain of bird flu has arrived on our shores. It has left a trail of devastation, causing mass mortality…
- OCW Recommends: All in Her Head · 48 min · Episode 434Our Changing World listeners might like to check out All In Her Head, a podcast by investigative journalist Anusha Bradley exploring a complex medical syndrome, and the grey…
- Could we de-extinct the moa? · 27 min · Episode 431Our 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…
- Should we de-extinct the moa? · 31 min · Episode 432Our 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…
- Cold water swimming: panacea or peril? · 27 min · Episode 430Cold 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…
- A precious piece of sediment, and what it says about our future · 31 min · Episode 426After 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…
- Solar on the go and feeding the world in a catastrophe · 27 min · Episode 429There’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…
- High powered magnets, and making steel with hydrogen · 26 min · Episode 428At the Robinson Research Institute in Wellington, researchers are developing powerful superconducting magnets for space, fusion and MRI applications. Claire Concannon visits the…
- Electric motors for future flight · 26 min · Episode 427To 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…
- An Antarctic adventure, and a book return · 27 min · Episode 424Join 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…
- New tech aimed at improving heart health at home · 25 min · Episode 425Every 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…
- Building a nation-wide model of landslide risk · 27 min · Episode 423Out 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…
- Meet the Prime Minister's science prize winners · 27 min · Episode 422A team that developed a brain cooling treatment for oxygen-deprived babies, a young scientist who created a helpful backseat driver app, a Māori kaiako encouraging her students…
- Analysing ash, and Vanuatu's volcanoes · 27 min · Episode 421New Zealand is a land formed by volcanoes, including some still active. Claire Concannon meets a researcher analysing ash deposits to determine if a future eruption might have…
- The challenges of making our capital city predator free · 23 min · Episode 420Phase two of Predator Free Wellington’s groundbreaking project to rid our capital of rats is well underway. They’ve learned a lot from their work on the Miramar Peninsula, but…
- Building New Zealand's RNA capabilities · 26 min · Episode 417Scientists had long been exploring RNA technology as a way to make vaccines before it had it’s breakout appearance during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, interest in the…
- Working towards a pest free Purerua-Mataroa peninsula · 28 min · Episode 419One peninsula to the north of the Bay of Islands is home to an estimated three thousand Northland brown kiwi. The Pest Free Purerua-Mataroa project aims to reduce predators…
- Hydrogen detectives · 27 min · Episode 418Could the answer to the current fuel crisis be right under our noses? On Our Changing World this week, Sharon Brettkelly talks to some of the scientists analysing ultramafic…
- How can Aotearoa eliminate cervical cancer? · 25 min · Episode 416The World Health Organisation has set an ambitious goal to eliminate cervical cancer. New Zealand health experts are optimistic we can do it, but suggest there are challenges to…
- Looking to a wild future for kākāpō · 28 min · Episode 415Today kākāpō breed on three remote islands, each bird wears a transmitter and they are carefully monitored and minded. But the ultimate goal of the kākāpō recovery programme is…
- A time of change for kākāpō · 27 min · Episode 414So far, 2026 has been the biggest kākāpō breeding season of all time, with more chicks hatched than ever before. The current challenge is to keep them all healthy as they grow…
- A taste for science · 28 min · Episode 413The food you see on the supermarket shelves doesn't end up there by accident. It's often been rigorously tested for likeability. This week on Our Changing World, Liz Garton finds…
- Keeping the South Island Psa-V free · 27 min · Episode 412In 2010 the Psa-V bacterial disease was found in a Bay of Plenty kiwifruit orchard. This was the beginning of a terrible ordeal for many kiwifruit growers. It devastated crops…
- The unexpected potential of ketamine · 27 min · Episode 411Ketamine was first developed as an anaesthetic, and today is taken by some as a party drug. But since 2000, research has emerged showing it is also helpful as a medication for…
- Building an army to stop a stink bug invasion · 26 min · Episode 408In the Auckland suburb of Mt Albert there's a particular brand of doomsday prepping going on. Our Changing World visits the Bioeconomy Science Institute to meet some scientists…
- Monitoring plastic pollution in Northland, and the elusive bittern · 27 min · Episode 410Our Changing Word heads to Whangārei to speak to a Northland Regional Council scientist whose been using stormwater drains to estimate the scale of our plastic pollution problem…
- The tree keepers · 26 min · Episode 409In Dunedin the local tree crop association has been looking after a heritage apple orchard, but some mixed up labels meant they weren’t quite sure what varieties they had. A…
- How to grow a kiwi · 31 min · Episode 407Take a (very) large egg, some insects (plus specially developed food), and a safe place to put on weight for a while. This is how you grow a kiwi, and improve wild survival rates…
- Iwi-led conservation in the Kaimai Mamuku ranges · 26 min · Episode 406In the Kaimai Mamuku ranges iwi-led conservation projects are tackling pests, removing weeds and planting natives to restore their whenua. Ngāti Hinerangi’s Wairere Mahi project…
- The thorny issue of the long-spined urchin · 27 min · Episode 405A native species is taking over a jewel-in-the crown marine reserve. But what can be done? Centrostephanus, the long-spined urchin, is munching its way through the…
- The Democratisation of Space? · 25 min · Episode 404New Zealand is third in the world for the number of orbital rocket launches from our shores, sitting just behind the US and China. Phil Vine discovers some of the challenges…
- Science for future fashion · 26 min · Episode 403We know there are issues with sustainability within the fashion industry - can science help create a better future? Claire Concannon visits the Bioeconomy Science Institute in…
- Going for eradication - Predator free South Westland · 26 min · Episode 402Since 2018 there's been a massive effort underway to clear over 110,000 hectares of South Westland of possums, rats and stoats. As the pest numbers have dropped the native flora…
- Insect vibes · 26 min · Episode 401Some insects communicate using a secret language that we can’t sense – a language of vibrations. Now researchers at the Bioeconomy Science Institute are starting to decode what…
- Sight in the womb · 27 min · Episode 400When do humans begin to interact with the world, and develop our sense of self? When we are born? Or might it start even earlier than that? Our visual systems are a key way that…
- Summer science: Methane-busting seaweed · 14 min · Episode 388A Southland company is growing red seaweed as a supplement that’s been shown to significantly reduce methane emissions in beef and dairy cattle. In our last summer science series…
- Summer science: Why we spend · 17 min · Episode 387Why do we spend more than we need to? Is it mood, FOMO, the desire to impress? Or maybe some tricky behavioural triggers we're not even aware of? Our summer science series…
- Summer science: The science of ageing · 1 h 6 min · Episode 386We’d all like to know how to live long healthy lives, and Kim Hill is no different. In this episode of Kim Hill Wants To Know, she talks to geneticist Dame Linda Partridge about…
- Summer science: Keeping it crisp · 12 min · Episode 385We all love a good crunchy apple – but how do they stay like that for months after being picked? The Our Changing World summer science series continues with an episode of Here…
- Summer science: Dollars for nature · 13 min · Episode 384This week on the summer science series we play an episode of Country Life called Dollars for Nature. Can biodiversity credits fix New Zealand's conservation woes? In June, the…
- Tackling feral cats · 25 min · Episode 399Nobody knows how many feral cats roam New Zealand, but estimates are in the millions and they’re a major threat to our native species. They've infiltrated almost every landscape…
- The kākāpō files returns and the year in science · 34 min · Episode 398On three small predator-free islands off the coasts of Fiordland and Southland, preparations are underway for what many hope will be the biggest breeding season ever for the…
