Category Archives: Lectures

Gene Editing: the science, the technology and the social and ethical issues it raises

Barry Scott

7.30 pm, Tuesday, 21 October, Palmerston North Central Library, George Street, Palmerston North

Gene editing is a method for making precise and targeted cuts in DNA allowing for highly  specific changes to be ‘engineered’ in the genome of an organism. It has made it easier to make targeted changes in the genomes of animals, plants and microorganisms, with huge potential benefits in many sectors including healthcare, agriculture and conservation. However, the  technology to carry out gene editing and the ideas about how it might be applied have moved well ahead of public understanding and consideration of the proposed changes, and of any consensus on how this technology might be used.

In response the Royal Society Te Apārangi convened a multidisciplinary panel of experts, supported by a Māori reference group, to consider the social, ethical, cultural, legal and economic implications of gene-editing technologies for New Zealand. Their reports identified significant deficiencies in the current framework that need to be addressed in the recently introduced Gene Technology Bill. This talk will provide an overview of the science and technology of gene editing, the social, ethical and other issues it raises, the implications for New Zealand and some of the future challenges that lie ahead.

Emeritus Professor Barry Scott FRSNZ was Professor of Molecular Genetics at Massey University from 1985 to 2019. His lifetime research was focused on understanding symbiotic interactions between plants and microbes. He was awarded the New Zealand Association of Scientists Marsden Medal in 2013 and has served as Vice President of the Royal Society Te Apārangi and Head of the Institute of Molecular BioSciences, Massey University.

All warmly welcome!

2025 Hochstetter Lecture

Past, present, and future earthquakes on the Alpine Fault:
what lies beneath and what lies ahead?

John Townend

7.30 pm Thursday, 23 September, Palmerston North Central Library, George Street, Palmerston North

Held jointly with Geoscience Society of New Zealand

Several decades of painstaking paleoseismological research — using geological measurements to determine the timing and magnitudes of past Alpine Fault earthquakes — have yielded one of the most spatially and temporally extensive paleoearthquake records of any fault worldwide. This record indicates that the Alpine Fault produces large earthquakes on timescales of less than 300 years and that, although the times between one earthquake and the next are remarkably consistent, their inferred sizes vary from depending on which of three sections of the fault rupture at once. More than 300 years have passed since the last major earthquake, in 1717 CE, and the Alpine Fault is thus late in the typical period between successive earthquakes: the likelihood of a magnitude 7 earthquake occurring in the coming 50 years is estimated to be 75%; the odds of that earthquake being larger than magnitude 8 are ~80%.

Despite substantial advances in understanding the Alpine Fault’s past and present-day seismicity, how and where the fault will slip in a future earthquake and what groundshaking will result are difficult to anticipate without knowing which of many geologically- and geophysically-plausible scenarios eventuates.

This year’s Hochstetter Lecture will review how understanding of the Alpine Fault’s earthquake-generating behaviour has developed in recent years, catalysed by novel paleoseismological, geological, and seismological studies including the Deep Fault Drilling Project and the 450 km-long Southern Alps Long Skinny Array, and how technological advances such as optical fibre sensing, “virtual earthquakes”, and artificial intelligence are providing new insight into fault zone structure and earthquake generation.

All warmly welcome!

Rutherford Medal Lecture Tour

Tales of the Unexpected

Richard Beasley

7.00 pm, Tuesday, 19 August, Palmerston North Central Library, George Street, Palmerston North

This month, we are delighted to host the 2024 Rutherford Medal winner Professor Richard Beasley CNZM. Richard will highlight ten influential research programmes that have challenged long-held clinical assumptions, advanced medical knowledge, and directly influenced patient care:

  • Should fever be treated?
  • What is the optimal amount of oxygen for critically ill patients?
  • Are party pills safe, and do they affect driving performance?
  • Does smoking cannabis cause lung cancer?
  • Is sitting for long periods at work or during recreation a risk factor for blood clots?
  • Should preservatives be included in asthma nebuliser solutions?
  • Is ‘watchful waiting’ preferable to surgery for a collapsed lung?
  • What are the underlying disease processes of asthma?
  • What was the cause of the epidemic of asthma deaths in New Zealand?
  • Are adult asthma treatments suitable for children?

The answers to many of these research questions were unexpected. The research raises significant regulatory and legal issues. It also exposes the limited evidence of the benefit and safety of many fundamental approaches to the clinical management of common disorders, and the gaps in knowledge, particularly in children.

Join us for this fascinating presentation that will illustrate the unpredictable nature of research and its influence to reshape our understanding.

Professor Richard Beasley is a renowned academic, physician and researcher, and is the founder and director of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand (MRINZ). Richard is committed to challenging medical dogma and increasing knowledge through undertaking high quality clinical research which has the real potential to change clinical practice and reduce the burden of disease in Aotearoa New Zealand and globally.

All warmly welcome!