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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...

The GEOL242 lab goes online with a kaleidoscopic new interactive learning experience.

Pregnancy is a time where many physiological and psychosocial changes occur. It can bring feelings of excitement but also apprehensiveness and stress and is a period of increased vulnerability for the onset or relapse of mental illness. The most common mental health problems during pregnancy are anxiety and depression which are amongst the leading causes of maternal morbidity and...

We were flown down to the ice in a USAF ski modified Hercules aircraft (LC130), or ski-herc for short. The flight time was about 9 hours, and an hour and a half before landing we began passing over the Transantarctic Mountains!   After landing, we were driven to Scott Base and given an orientation tour, dinner, and a warm bed. The...

The notion that good nutrition is good for the brain is not a new idea. What is relatively new is that, until recently, there were very few well conducted studies examining whether a broad spectrum approach using doses of nutrients higher than what you could get out of a daily diet, could treat a mental disorder. At our lab at...

Invertebrate life in New Zealand’s rivers and streams We all know about the kiwi and the kākāpō, but what iconic species are lurking beneath the surface of our rivers and streams? Freshwater invertebrates (animals without a backbone) are amazingly diverse: from taonga species such as kākahi (freshwater mussels) and kōura (crayfish), to insects, worms and snails. Just as forests are home to different animals than...

Not just a knock on the head A Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is caused by a trauma to the head that can cause damage to the brain. Data shows that the majority of TBIs are received from car accidents and falls. This makes children highly vulnerable. TBIs can be hard to diagnose. It is not uncommon for people to brush...

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...

The transition from school to university can be hard: there are so many options to choose from, and decisions to be made on what to be. That's why we started the UC Science Summer Camp, for Year 12 students interested in studying science at university. This programme is designed to give a first-hand experience of university life, and science...

Learn about the wonderful celestial objects you can observe in the night sky in July!