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Our Changing World headlines with summaries.
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Plutonium - nuclear bombs & nuclear power
6 Sep 2019A radioactive heavyweight associated with nuclear bombs & power, which is powering the Voyager spacecraft, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 60 of Elemental.
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The science of toxic algal blooms
5 Sep 2019Toxic algae expert Jonathan Puddick has a Marsden Grant to find out if toxic cyanobacteria share their toxins with non-toxic species.
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Platinum - another pricey precious metal
2 Sep 2019Platinum is useful in catalytic convertors, is used to treat testicular cancer and will be useful in hydrogen fuel cells, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 59 of Elemental.
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Phosphorus - P was discovered in pee
30 Aug 2019Phosphorus, chemical symbol P, was first isolated as an element from thousands of litres of urine. Also found in guano, aka bird poo. Allan Blackman from AUT has the full story in ep 58 of Elemental.
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No escape: separating from an abusive partner
29 Aug 2019New Zealand has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the world, but sociology research shows life post- separation can still leave women feeling trapped.
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Palladium - cleaning up your car's exhaust
26 Aug 2019Palladium is a pricey precious metal most commonly used in catalytic convertors on car exhausts, says AUT's Allan Blackman in ep 57 of Elemental.
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Oxygen - the friendly element
23 Aug 2019Oxygen is very friendly with other chemical elements & very helpful for life on Earth, says Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 56 of Elemental.
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Using sound to brew better beer
What happens if you play a Viennese waltz or death metal to beer as it brews? Experimenting with musical ways of making better beer.
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Osmium - heavyweight champion of the elements
19 Aug 2019Osmium is extremely rare and expensive. It is the densest chemical element, rivals diamond as being the least compressible of all known substances & has a distinctive 'pong' according to Allan…
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Nitrogen - a vital powerhouse
16 Aug 2019Most important biological molecules contain nitrogen, even though it takes lots of energy to make or break its chemical bonds, says Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 54 of Elemental.
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Risky decisions & gambling addiction
Electronic gaming machines, or the pokies, are highly addictive. Sonia Sly investigates why problem gambling develops and how it is associated with other disorders.
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Niobium - useful at high & low temperatures
12 Aug 2019Niobium is a metal that is useful at both very high temperatures, as in jet engines, and very low temperatures as a superconductor, says Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 53 of Elemental.
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Nickel - more than just a 5 cent coin
9 Aug 2019The chemical element nickel is named after a German word for Satan or the Devil, but nickel is now more usually thought of as a North American five cent piece, says Allan Blackman in ep 52 of…
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Detector Gadget the conservation dog
8 Aug 2019Detector Gadget is a dog with a job. She is a conservation dog trained by her handler Sandy King to sniff out rodents on predator-free islands.
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Kākāpō chicks growing up
5 Aug 2019The kākāpō chicks are graduating to being juveniles and only seven birds are still sick with aspergillosis, in ep 23 of the Kākāpō Files.
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Neon - the red of neon lights
5 Aug 2019There are no known compounds of the noble gas neon, which does however produce the brilliant crimson of red - and only red - neon lights. Ep 51 of Elemental with Prof Allan Blackman from AUT.
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Neodymium - the secret behind supermagnets
2 Aug 2019Neodydmium magnets include the strongest permanent magnets known and are found in devices like speakers & headphones, says chemistry professor Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 50 of Elemental.
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Challenging gender norms & the threat of female sexuality
Professor Ciara Cremin explores the politics of cross-dressing and gender identity in both her personal and her professional life.
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Molybdenum - a catalyst at bacterial to industrial scales
29 Jul 2019Molybdenum has an essential role as a catalyst at microbial and industrial scales and is an important element in enzymes, says Prof Allan Blackman, in ep 49 of Elemental.
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Written in stone - the first Māori gardens
The Otuataua Stonefields Historic Reserve, in South Auckland, is home to New Zealand's earliest gardens and is a significant archaeological site.
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Mercury - mesmerising quicksilver
26 Jul 2019Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, says Allan Blackman in ep 48 of Elemental.
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Restoring Fiordland's 'island lifeboats'
25 Jul 2019The Department of Conservation and volunteer groups, including the Coal Island Trust, are hard at work removing pests such as stoats and deer from Fiordland's many islands.
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Manganese - the 'essential' essential element
24 Jul 2019The metal manganese is a vital part of photosynthesis and is found in aluminium drink cans, says Prof Allan Blackman from AUT in ep 47 of Elemental.
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Magnesium - loved by everyone and everything
22 Jul 2019Magnesium is loved by plants, folk suffering constipation and boy-racers, as Allan Blackman reveals in ep 46 of Elemental.
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