I hope you are keeping well. The clock change is always one of my favourite times of year, a sign of spring's arrival and that nice lead in to the gloriously long summer evenings!
The month of September started with the whole country in Level 4 lockdown - so I enlisted the help of my unusually essential worker housemate to tell the story of his daily lockdown routine in Caring for the forest.
Luckily, we also had some great pre-recorded interviews to work with. For example, Wading into mangrove research, involves a pre-lockdown field trip to Mangawhai's mangroves to understand what ecosystem services they might provide. And The kākā's return tells the story behind the release of three juvenile kākā.
We also got a new look this month! Thanks to Peregrin Hyde for allowing the use of his microscope picture of the mineral labradorite and to Vinay Ranchhod for the design.
At Level 2 we are happy to now be out and about collecting new stories in a safe physically distanced, masked way. If you are in Auckland, thank you for doing the heavy lockdown lifting to keep us all safe.
Physics on, under and from within the Antarctic ice – investigating sea ice and looking for neutrinos.
Claire Concannon finds out from Emeritus Professor Pat Langhorne why calculating sea ice thickness is tricky and hears what Dr. Inga Smith has planned for her upcoming expedition to the ice.
And Professor Jenni Adams tells Katy Gosset why Antarctica is the best place to hunt for neutrinos - particles from space that might carry information from the far flung places of the universe.
Just before lockdown Claire Concannon visited the Centre for Brain Research in the University of Auckland to speak to Dr. Victor Dieriks about his investigations into the protein clumps in brain cells that lead to Parkinson’s disease.
And Harisu Abdullahi Shehu, from Victoria University of Wellington, explains his PhD research into our perceptions of facial expressions and emotions in a world where face masks are prevalent, to Sonia Yee.
In the hills north of Dunedin the predator-free fenced area of Orokonui Ecosanctuary provides a safe space for many native New Zealand birds, tuatara and lizards.
In 2008 six South Island kākā were released into the Ecosanctuary, with the hopes of re-establishing a population of birds, long lost to their ancestral home.
While the population has grown since then, its not been all smooth sailing. Claire Concannon learns about the rollercoaster ride of the South Island kākā’s return to this area, and about the groups working together to help make it happen.
PhD student Jacques de Satge of Massey University brings Claire to a mangrove site in Mangawhai to share his research into how banded rail birds use these mangrove forests.
And Associate Professor Carolyn Lundquist of the University of Auckland and NIWA explains the history of mangrove expansion and removal.
What ecological benefits do mangroves provide? Should we be valuing them over the sand flats they replace? Or do we need to limit their expansion to keep our estuaries clear?
From the lab to lockdown - two different stories about caring for the forest.
First, Katy Gosset hears from researchers at the University of Canterbury who are hoping to tackle the invasive disease, myrtle rust, by better understanding the way it penetrates plants.
The fungus has been making its way across New Zealand since 2017, attacking precious native trees.
Then, a story about the care of one particular forest - the tropical forest in Otago Museum in Dunedin.
From inside Claire Concannon’s bubble, Dr. Tony Stumbo explains his lockdown work routine – feeding & caring for the plants & animals in the forest, plus looking after the hundreds of butterfly pupae that arrive each week.