Hot Picks

Be entertained and feed your mind with our Hot Picks. You can relax in the comfort of your own home, while listening to a selection of podcasts, interviews, and lectures from Otago academics, visiting lecturers, and alumni.

Protecting the remaining survivors of the Dinosaur-era

Emeritus Professor Alison Cree - leading zoologist and herpetology expert – discusses tuatara, a national treasure and a last survivor of the Dinosaur-era, in an RNZ interview.
Listen here

Whale watching

For decades people have been studying sperm whales off the South Island's Kaikōura coast. Now Dr Will Rayment and his team follow the whales south, into the chilly waters of Otago. This is a podcast created by the entertaining Max Balloch, a Science Communications Master's student, in his Otago Chronicles series.
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Restoring the Lakes and Wetlands of the Taieri Plains

This podcast discusses restoring healthy waterways and replenishing native birds, fish and plants on the Taieri Plains. Treasured food-gathering places including Waihora ki Taiari (Lake Waihola) and Waipōuri (Lake Waipori), are remnants of an expansive wetland ecosystem in the lower Taieri catchment. The return of Te Nohoaka o Tukiauau/Sinclair Wetlands to Kāi Tahu in 1998 empowered environmental restoration efforts.
Watch here

Oral probiotics

Dr John Hale of Blis Technologies discusses probiotics and the exciting emerging science surrounding their use for health. He is interviewed by alumna Dr Anna Campbell, who is a plant biotechnologist and co-founder of successful health supplement company Zestt Wellness, which utilises probiotics as a key ingredient.
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Long COVID and ME/CFS are the same illness, researcher says

Emeritus Professor Warren Tate leads a team at the University of Otago's Department of Biochemistry examining the similarities in the molecular patterns of Long COVID and ME/CFS patients. Tate says these similarities are so great it is “a travesty of justice” that people with the illnesses are treated differently. Fiona Charlton and Emeritus Professor Warren Tate are interviewed on RNZ about ME and Long COVID and the need for reclassification.
Listen here