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Click here to visit eocaconservation.org and vote for Bringing Back the Birds Ngel Nyaki Forest Reserve, an important bird area, sits on the Nigerian/Cameroon border among the rolling hills and grassland of the Mambilla Plateau. It is one of only a few remaining stands of montane forest, and harbours rich and unique biodiversity including species new to science and endangered...

Disasters, both natural (e.g., earthquakes, floods) and human-made (e.g., terrorism, civil strife), affect communities worldwide, often causing immense disruption and suffering, and lasting psychological injuries. Living and working in Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand has meant we have had our fair share of traumas, but then also the opportunity to study the effect of nutrients on our resilience. For example, on February...

It had been a crazy Covid year and we were all pretty washed out; we needed to reignite our passion for Ako (teaching and learning). As a cluster, we represent multiple colleges and community/school partners. We are a relatively new as a group of researchers from all over UC and Waitaha, with a shared goal of researching innovative place-based...

Volcanoes are one of the most fascinating features on the surface of the Earth. We have come a long way from the time when Jules Verne fantasized about travelling through volcano tubes in his book “Journey to the Centre of The Earth”. However, the plumbing system of volcanoes still remain a mystery. Human civilization has neither the knowledge nor...

The human gut is home to trillions of microorganisms, and research is finding that this microbiome has important impacts on our health and wellbeing. However, what do you do when you feel that your gut microbiome needs a boost? It is possible to change your microbiome, for both better and worse? University of Canterbury MSc Psychology student Jessica Heaton outlines interesting ways to improve our gut microbiome's bacterial diversity, and how this can impact our physical and mental health.

Are NZ fish oil supplements safe, true to label and can they provide a health benefit? I recently co-authored an article in the New Zealand Medical Journal looking at whether omega-3 fatty acids contained in 10 fish oil supplements sold in NZ are true to label, accurate with health claims and safe to consume. Overall, although likely to be safe...

For the past several years, through the NUTRIMUM study, Te Puna Toiora | UC’s Mental Health and Nutrition Research group has been investigating the effect that micronutrient supplementation, and maternal depression and anxiety can have on infant development. One of the aspects of interest in this research has been the collection of microbiome samples from mothers and infants, in...

It is often said that pursuing a PhD is a matter of choice, and I couldn’t agree more. It has almost been a year since I started my second doctoral degree at the University of Canterbury. Whenever I have been asked how far along I am in my PhD journey and responded with 1st year of my second PhD,...

One of my favourite groups of New Zealand plants are our native conifers. Most people don’t realise that we have 21 described species and two undescribed species. These are spread across ten genera in three of the six global conifer families. And on a land area basis we have far more native species than the UK or mainland Australia,...

Art and science are more intricately linked than we usually imagine. Both are driven by the innate human need to make sense of things. As artists and scientists, we want to understand the vast, complex world around us better. We're also curious about the mysteries of our internal world. Art and science both involve stepping boldly into the unknown. The...