We want to inform you about issues, but we don't want to tell you what to think. This article aims to give you facts, but at the end, we will leave it up to you, the dear reader, to form your own educated opinion about the issue.

Many New Zealanders feel proud of this status, that we are "Nuclear Free New Zealand"; some of the first things we think of when we hear this status is that New Zealand is a safe, clean and environmentally friendly place. However, the use of nuclear power as an energy source has been a controversial topic in New Zealand for a long time due to both the benefits and flaws in its use.

Nuclear energy is produced in power plants to generate energy using “fission”. This is the splitting of atoms to produce heat energy. This heat energy is then used to produce steam which turns a turbine to generate electricity. This method of producing energy is highly efficient as it can produce 1 million times as much energy as fossil fuels per atom, hence easily being able to cater for the energy needs of a nation. Nuclear energy also does not release greenhouse gases as a byproduct. In New Zealand, climate change is a concerning problem due to the excessive greenhouse gases emitted by sheep and cattle farming. As the burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere, the continuous use of fossil fuels threatens to accelerate the effects of climate change. Therefore, nuclear energy, which is more efficient and emits no greenhouse gas, is considered to be an ideal substitutes for fossil fuels.

However, nuclear power would have become the most common source of energy in the world if only it did not have some fatal risks. Due to the nature of its energy production, it is inevitable that nuclear power will produce radioactive waste products that are harmful to humans, living organisms, and the environment. Radioactive waste can interfere with the genes of living organisms causing genetic alterations such as cancers. Radioactive waste produced also have very long half-lives, meaning that it will take a very long time for it to decay. As a result, these hazardous products will stay dangerous for a long period of time. This is why much caution must be taken in the disposal of the radioactive waste. However, due to inevitable accidents and natural disasters which can result in the leaking of radioactive substances, risks must be taken for the use of nuclear energy.

At the moment, New Zealand is still maintaining the “nuclear-free zone” act which prohibits all forms of nuclear and radioactive substances. What do you think?

Further reading

For more information on radioactive decay- click here

For a glimpse into nuclear waste as told by John Oliver (Last Week Tonight)- click here

For a window into the horrific Chernobyl disaster- clickhere

For information on the massive UN talks about nuclear weaponry- click here

Tor example, changes in typical annual rainfall, which places on earth have snow, or even a shift in the average temperature of a location.

What are the possible causes to climate change?

There are many causes to climate change which are natural. For example, the sun could emit less or more energy, the oceans may change, or even natural disasters such as volcano eruptions. However, the causes to climate change aren't always natural as they can be caused by humans. How? Well many things that we do every day affect the climate; driving our cars, heating and cooling our houses as well as cooking food. These simple, daily tasks that seem harmless can affect our climate as it uses energy, which is produced from burning coal, oil and gas, hence emitting gases into the air and polluting our atmosphere.

Effects of climate change on the earth’s environment

One of the main, and well-known effect of climate change is global warming. Global warming is the increase of the temperature over the years, which has had severe impacts on our environments over the years.

Our environment is affected in many ways such as by melting of the arctic ice cap leading rise in the sea level which could possibly cause tsunamis and hurricanes such as the recent one in Texas. Hurricanes for example are caused when the temperature rises in the ocean, the hurricanes will draw heat from the ocean and turn into powerful and destructive storms. For further information on Hurricane Harvey, previous hurricanes and possible future ones click here. Other impacts that global warming has on our environment includes the extinction of some of our favourite animals such as polar bears, as well as causing droughts that could kill our crops- which is leading to a food crisis in the near future. However, global warming is a major effect of climate change; consistent drops in temperature in some areas can also cause stronger and longer snowstorms.

Climate change is affecting many countries and its people

Some amazing female activists you should know are Yin Yu, Zarna Joshi, Sarra Tekola and Afrin Sopariwala. They have formed Women of Color Speak Out, to try and discuss these issues in depth, and try provide solutions.

“So much of what we do in the climate movement is not just about the science, it’s about the people” - Zarna Joshi

Both Joshi and Sopariwala have discussed in an interview, that this issue, climate change, is having big effects on people living within poverty. An example is the heat stroke that has hit India (in 2015), which according to Joshi, killed 2,330 people, mainly those who were vulnerable due to poverty.

“For me, as a person of colour and as a woman, because my people have been oppressed by the system, it helps me more readily reject these false solutions,” - Sarra Tekola

What can you do to help?

These are a few tips that you probably have already heard off, but if more people follow these, it could truly make the smallest difference. Use the least energy possible by not wasting water (e.g. turn off water when brushing teeth, shower instead of taking baths), using heaters and air conditioners only when needed, as well as turning the light off and TV when not in use. Additionally, planting more trees would also be greatly helpful as it would increase the oxygen in our air, and reduce the carbon dioxide (main cause of global warming).

Lastly and most importantly, educate yourself about our earth, our environment and climate change, because the more you know, the more you will understand, and can help.

This is an issue that needs all of us to mitigate it.

Further reading:

For John Oliver's hilarious and informative video on the Paris Agreement and why it matters- click here

For Boey Kim Cheng's startling and moving poem- click here

Sources:

https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-climate-change-k4.htmlhttp://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/science/ct-future-hurricanes-climate-change-harvey-20170902-story.htmlhttp://www.seattleglobalist.com/2015/09/11/women-of-color-speak-out-aim-to-change-the-climate-of-climate-justice/41100https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2mPbQjMblE

Antibiotics (also known as antimicrobial drugs), is a medication that is used to treat bacterial infection in the body, such as colds, flu, throat infections etc. The first antibiotic to be ever made was penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1928. Therefore, antibiotics have been around for decades.

Although antibiotics are used to treat infections, like every other drug/medication, different types will have different side effects. Consequently, we get different antibiotics in different ways: either over the counter (without a prescription), or through a prescription (as some could have life threatening side effects therefore one must be careful when taking them and consent from the doctor is needed).

There was a time before antibiotics were discovered though most may will have never known it first-hand. Deaths would be caused just because by a fever caused by walking in the rain in winter. Antibiotics can help cure this. But now we've seen a flip side because more and more people are starting to become antibiotics resistant, and this could possibly lead to the old time coming back

“It seems that we will soon revert back to the pre-antibiotic era, when simple pathogens could cause very severe infections. Something has to be done.”

- Ada Yonath.

This is causing it to be one of the most talked about health problems nowadays and that’s because antibiotics resistance can cause illnesses that were treatable before to become untreatable once again.

So, what is antibiotics resistance?

Antibiotics resistance is when the bacteria in our body that causes these illnesses mutate and become resistance to the antibiotics. It means that the bacteria will not die, but rather, stay in our bodies and multiply. This can not only affect the person affected with the resistant bacteria, but it also can be contagious and then infect others such as family members, classmates, and people around the infected. Some bacteria that are resistance to antibiotics and are living in your body can cause a serious or harm even death in some cases- see a link to the interesting case of an American woman here.

Crystallographer, Ada Yonath, is also well known for her pioneering work on the structure of ribosomes, which therefore allowed her to look more closely into antibiotics. Consequently, Ada Yonath had a discussion on this issue of antibiotic resistance:

"Bacteria want to live. They find a way to exist by changing their own genome, and they can do it very quickly."

Since Ada Yonath recognises the issue, herself and others have been researching ways to make antibiotics that are very specific. It would make it harder for the bacteria to resist them.

However, what can we do to limit antibiotic resistance occurring in our bodies?

Consult your doctor before taking any antibiotics, and make sure to take it ONLY when needed.Do not keep antibiotics for the next time you get sick from a previous prescription.When you are prescribed antibiotics, make sure that you take it as your doctor has recommended; do not skip or stop taking antibiotic dosages unless you are told so as this could be a big cause to bacteria resisting antibiotics.

SOURCES:

https://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/community/about/antibiotic-resistance-faqs.html

https://ornl.gov/news/yonath-discusses-visualizing-ribosomes-and-antibiotic-resistance

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_24-3-2017-13-36-43?newsid=178380

Ethics, in a broad sense, is the philosophy which guides us in our decisions through the consideration of the rights and wrongs. As science and technology significantly apply to and affect our lives, it is important that the most ethical decisions are being made in the development of science and technology.

One of the most clashing points between ethics and science is the respect of various values (social and moral) in the research. This includes but is not limited to abiding by the law, health and safety, human rights, animal welfare and religion. Unfortunately, in many cases, these values are needed to be sacrificed in order to develop science and technology. Things such as the allowance of animal testing and cryonics are a popular and ongoing topic of debate. Due to the different values of people, there is often never a clear answer. Some say yes, some say no, some say yes under certain conditions. But, how can we know what the correct answer is for all the debates between science and ethics? The truth is that we can never have a perfect answer. The values held in the development of science, technology and obtaining knowledge often clash with moral and social values. Hence, the answer to the question is: to make sure to look at both sides to guide us to make the most balanced decision, without having to completely ignore one side or the other. It sounds simple but it is something that can easily be overlooked. Plant biologist Elvin C. Stakman stated that “Science cannot stop while ethics catches up.” Hence, we cannot wait for an ethically drastic outcome to occur before trying to steer science back to the “right” path. Through this, it is hopeful for everyone to increase their interest in science and technology in our lives to make sure the most ethical decision is made in one of the most influential aspects of our lives.

In this day and age, there is not really much in our everyday that hasn’t been genetically modified in some form or the other at some point in time - the food in our fridges and pantries have at least been selectively bred to produce desirable traits, so it isn’t surprising that such a field is moving at such à rapid pace.

One of the newer and more successful advancements in this field is the CRISPR (Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) technology in which the DNA of the target organism can be directly modified. This technology, discovered by bacterial activity, uses Cas- (CRISPR associated) proteins to precisely slice away certain sections of DNA identified by an RNA molecule. Although there are other technologies that edit can edit genetic information in equally mind-blowing ways, CRISPR is often considered the more efficient and accurate technology, and can also be used in every organism.

Hopefully this short introduction will inspire you all to look deeper into this field of study, and help solve health issues that may just be answered by a DNA sequence you help alter.

After all, one of the very first pioneers of this very technology was female, and respected as one. Jennifer Doudna applied the activity of bacteria to this ground-breaking technology, and made it accessible and applicable to many researchers. Her work in this field is quite outstanding, and almost earned her a spot as 2016’s person of the year! Check it out here.

Genetic engineering, although there is some bad press about it, it does have many significant benefits (click here) and will be a big part of the future medical scene - so for those eager med-students, keep your eyes peeled and ears tuned!

Sources:

https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2015/05/giz-explains-everything-you-need-to-know-about-crispr-the-new-tool-that-edits-dna/

http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-doudna-20170721-story.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CRISPR#Identification

The debate over the act of genetic engineering has been around for as long as genetic engineering itself, so actually since prehistoric times. However, the genetic engineering of humans has only been happening since 1973, when splicing came into the public eye.

Gene splicing is quickly defined as the procedure where pieces of DNA are cut up and reattached to form recombinant DNA. Gene splicing came to the forefront of science when Herb Boyer and Stanley Cohen formed the first recombinant DNA strand - by incorporating a gene from the African Clawed Toad, Xenopus with some bacterial DNA.

Although, the scientist Paul Berg had actually created the first recombinant gene the year before, in 1972.

Since then, there has been genetically engineered human insulin, in 1978. Scientists had created synthetic genes and coupled them with codes for insulin, and thus, created insulin. This drug hit the market in 1982.

Now, in 2017, scientists have made the first known attempt to create genetically modified human embryos, in Portland, Oregon. It is the first known safe method of altering them, even though three previous attempts were carried out in China. In doing this, it’s been proven that it is possible for scientists to safely make attempts to stop the spread of fatal diseases through generations. This process has been termed “germ line engineering” and this may open the floodgates to the long sought-after world of designer babies. However, in the US, any attempts to put these genetically modified embryos into babies has been blocked by Congress, for now. Despite these barriers, a gene-edited person may be attempted at any moment in countries where there have not been such restrictions placed on the gene editing.

Sourced:

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/608350/first-human-embryos-edited-in-us/

Krista Donaldson, an inspired Stanford graduate, has put her Ph.D in mechanical engineering design to astounding use as the CEO of a non-profit tech company called D-Rev. D-Rev engineers medical devices. Yet what makes D-Rev so unique is that these medical devices are designed for those in third world countries who are living on as low as less than four dollars a day.

The company aids patients afflicted with illnesses such as jaundice to facilitating those requiring prosthetic limbs (see the video link below). Particularly with amputees, treatment can be highly expensive, which can make prosthetic limbs unreachable for thousands.

“I’ve always loved a challenge, and I really enjoy seeing how modern technology and good design can be used to solve problems, and help the people who need it.”

However the implications of living without a limb can be disastrous for even simply daily tasks. Thus, D-Rev’s pioneering ideas in creating affordable yet effective limbs solves this imbalance between those who need prosthetics and those who can afford them. As a woman in this field for over 15 years, she was one of the first to offer such treatments to third world countries, with her company’s motto being “Design for the other 90%”.

As a result of her efforts in assisting thousands of individuals in developing countries across the globe, Krista has been awarded the Alva Award for Serial Entrepreneurship, named as one of the Fast Company’s Co. Design 50 Designers Shaping the Future, as well as being given the opportunity to speak at a TED talk and Clinton Global Initiative.

Sometimes, the world relies on someone working for the benefit of others rather than themselves. Sometimes, we are lucky enough to find this someone.