Possums are one of New Zealand's biggest pests. Currently they are controlled by poisoning and trapping, but this is expensive and ongoing. Biological control has the potential to provide novel ...
Genetic modification of organisms is a very controversial issue in New Zealand. Regulatory controls have been developed to try to manage the risk of research using genetically modified organisms ...
Scientists in New Zealand investigated whether a roundworm parasite could be used to deliver a hormone toxin to possums. This article looks at the research by scientists at AgResearch. They ...
Biotechnology is part of everyday life and has been for thousands of years. People have cultured bacteria to make yoghurt and cheese, used yeasts to make bread, fermented grapes to make wine and ...
In this activity, students play a card game that models the journey of a male pea crab (a parasite of green-lipped mussels) from his mussel host and back again. Purpose This activity will help ...
In this activity, students learn about the contents of a cell. They explore some of the main organelles within a cell using the analogy of a school, an online interactive and/or by making ...
This New Zealand-based citizen science project collects data about butterflies in our gardens, schools, parks and farms – any location in the country or on the outer islands. This annual event – ...
FrogID is an Australian app that uses audio of frogs’ unique calls to identify various species and their locations. We can use it in Aotearoa New Zealand to record the location of introduced ...
Be part of a worldwide movement and use Global Earth Challenge to submit or classify photos to help our planet’s environment and human health. Global Earth Challenge is a citizen science campaign ...
Students of any level develop a board game illustrating knowledge of New Zealand’s possum problem and the strategies used to control it – including biocontrol strategies. Purpose To demonstrate ...
Students collect information from the public about methods of controlling possum numbers and then present a report on the use of biocontrol. Purpose Although the active biocontrol research ...
Students carry out a practical investigation to help AgResearch scientists monitor the spread of Microctonus aethiopoides (a tiny wasp) and its success as a biocontrol agent for clover root ...
Of course it is really important that other species are not affected. This is one of the problems with using poisons, like 1080. They are often non-specific, and kill species other than possums ...
There are strict laws that control this kind of research. First, permission to do the research must be given by ERMA (the Environmental Risk Management Authority). The researchers also only have ...
The treatment of animals used in research is controlled by strict ethical guidelines, and AgResearch is proud that possums tend to live longer in their breeding facility than they would if they ...
A slideshow of weeds and the adaptations that make them problematic in a New Zealand setting. Use the Slideshow menu for further options, including view full screen, and go here for the download ...
Answer the questions in this quiz to find out how much you know about biotechnology.
This timeline explores the history and science of mammalian pest control in New Zealand. A full transcript is underneath the timeline.
