Out 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 research, a team at Earth Sciences New Zealand are now developing national models of landslide risk for both slow- and fast-moving landslides, to help New Zealand plan for, and respond to, major landslide events.

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Learn more:

• Other researchers at Earth Sciences New Zealand are also investigating underwater landslides, which have the potential to cause tsunami hazards.
• In January In-Depth reporter Kirsty Johnston investigated the gap between what New Zealand spends on disaster recovery and climate preparation.
• Jesse Mulligan revisited the Abbotsford disaster in 2019 with Sarah Johnston from Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.
• Landslides are one of the threats that are monitored 24/7 by the National Geohazard Monitoring Centre.

Guests:

Dr Chris Massey, Dr Saskia deVilder, Dr Sam McColl, Earth Sciences New Zealand.

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Every 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 health in the home to try to change those terrible statistics.

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Learn more:

• The Detail recently looked into the deadly heart disease that creeps up on you.
• In March, Guyon Espiner spoke with Dr Philip Shirely about how an annual flu vaccine can reduce the risk of heart issues.
• Kate Green’s investigation into health insurance in May, showed heart disease is one of the biggest drivers of claims.
• Dr Claire Concannon visited the CoRE Pūtahi Manawa to find out what they’re doing to address heart health inequities, in 2022.

Guests:

Professor Andrew Lowe, Dr Tet Chuan Lee, Matin Khalili, Institute of Biomedical Technologies, Auckland University of Technology.

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Join 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 learn about triumphs and tragedies of the 'Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration'. This is an edit of the Antarctic Heritage Trust's '77 Degrees South' podcast.

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Learn more:

• The full Antarctic Heritage Trust 77 Degrees South podcast can be found on their website.
• The AHT also previously made a podcast about restoring Scott's Terra Nova Hut, and an edit of that was also aired on Our Changing World.

Guests:

Producer: Maia Ingoe

Narrator: Jake Bailey

Sound design and music: Calum Turner

Inspiring explorers: Kitiona Pelasio, Louise Piggin, Lucy Hayes-Stevenson, Ngaiwai Clendon, Daniel Bornstein

Guest contributor: Al Fastier

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There’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 Engineering Centre to learn about their involvement in a big European project exploring the use of solar panels on vehicles and in car parks. Plus, she speaks to one researcher who is focused on planning for global catastrophes.

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After 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 visits the sediment core analysis team in Dunedin to find out how mud, rocks and microfossils can tell the story of ice growth and retreat across time. And as we look towards our warmer future, what will this mean for sea level rise?

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In this episode:

(00:00) Introduction to Antarctica, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and the SWAIS2C drilling project.

(02:18) Recovering a sediment core from beneath 523 metres of ice at Crary Ice Rise.

(04:00) Professor Richard Levy on the early steps of processing the core

(07:50) Sedimentologist Georgia Grant explains how rocks reveal the advance and retreat of ancient ice sheets.

(14:33) Dating the core using paleomagnetism and microscopic fossils such as diatoms.

(22:45) Evidence for past periods of open water and warmer climates in West Antarctica.

(25:40) The co-chief scientists on what the findings mean…

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Cold 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 you? Claire Concannon joins a team of researchers at the 2026 New Zealand and Oceania Ice Swimming Championships in Alexandra as they try to get some better data about both the risks and potential benefits.

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IN THIS EPISODE:

(00:00) Introduction – the rise of cold water swimming.

(01:06) The 2026 New Zealand and Oceania Ice Swimming Championships in Alexandra.

(02:00) Competitor Susan Sherwen on why she ice swims.

(05:10) How researchers track swimmers’ core temperature, stroke rate and perceptions of cold.

(07:30) Prof Jim Cotter on cold shock, hypothermia and afterdrop.

(12:00) The recovery room – Steven and Susan after their swim.

(17:30) Potential benefits and what the research says.

(20:30) Blood samples and looking for brain health proteins.

(23:40) Potential mental health benefits…

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A 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 to weave traditional design and contemporary materials, a paleobiologist communicating about the issues around de-extinction and a researcher investigating how much climate change contributes to extreme weather events: We meet the 2025 Prime Minister's Science Prize winners!

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To 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. Claire Concannon heads to a warehouse in Petone to learn about the promise of high temperature superconducting magnets to make electric motors for airplanes.

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In this episode:

00:00 - Where are our electric planes?

01:00 - The challenge of aviation electrification.

02:48 - The history of the Robinson Research Institute and useful properties of superconductors.

07:00 - The establishment of the New Zealand Institute of Advanced Technology

08:30 - The advantage of superconducting motors for aviation.

11:15 - Airbus’ plans for a future electric plane

12:05 - Warehouse tour and levitation bearings for future motors

14:04 - Basic motor design and characterising AC losses in superconductors.

21:26 - Testing a superconducting generator with Air New Zealand…

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